Showing posts with label Sameera Reddy weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sameera Reddy weight. Show all posts
I have done ridiculous things to stay a certain size-Sameera Reddy
2:36 PM
Natasha Coutinho (BOMBAY TIMES; February 25, 2024)
In the past week, two celebrities — TV presenter Sanjana Ganesan, wife of Jaspreet Bumrah, and actress-comedian Amy Schumer — spoke out against unwarranted comments about their bodies. Sanjana was body-shamed for her weight, while Amy was called 'puffer face' by trolls.
We spoke to actress Sameera Reddy, also known as 'Messy Mama' on Instagram, who has always been vocal about dealing with body shaming. She admits she is the happiest and most confident in her 40s.
‘Risked my mental and physical health to stay a certain size’
Many times, I risked my mental and physical health to maintain a certain size. I did the most ridiculous things, such as trying fad diets and working out endlessly post-shoot. What I did back then has resulted in hormonal imbalances now. The consequences catch up with age, and today I'm saddened by the choices I made. Back then, I didn't feel I had any other option, and in a competitive market, you do what you think is right because you believe it's necessary.
‘Self-scrutiny I gave to myself was worse than the scrutiny I received from others’
As a teenager, I was a chubby girl, feeling different from what I believed 'beautiful' was supposed to be. The definition of being beautiful is something all young girls struggle with, and after becoming an actor, my insecurities multiplied a hundredfold. It reached a point where I experienced self-loathing. The scrutiny I imposed on myself was more severe than the scrutiny I received from others.
‘The world is a harsh space’
I was constantly compared to my sisters, Sushama and Meghna, both supermodels. People would ask me, 'Are they really your sisters?' and 'Are you adopted?' because my sisters were skinny and gorgeous, while I was dark-skinned, plump, wore thick glasses, and was not groomed at all.
‘Social media allowed me to discuss stretch marks, grey hair, hormonal imbalance’
OTT emerged as a game-changing platform, allowing people to showcase their talent rather than focusing on physical appearances. I began discussing topics such as stretch marks, grey hair, hormones, and everything I experienced in the last five years, on social media. Initially, people didn't respond positively, stating that it wasn't what they were there for. I don't blame people because we sell a certain image that people buy and here I was breaking it. Things have changed today and people understand you don't need to look perfect.
People think it’s their birthright to comment on others-Sameera Reddy
9:12 AM
Navya Kharbanda (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 21, 2023)
Sameera Reddy, known for being open about her struggle with postpartum depression, said in a recent interview that people around her were “unforgiving” about her weight gain after she had her son, Hans, in 2015. Speaking to us, the actor-turned-social media influencer says it’s unfortunate that she gets to hear such remarks from strangers even today.
“Forget about my postpartum weight... that was long back. Recently, I was at the airport where the security guard, upon checking my Aadhaar card, commented, ‘Madam, aap bahut badal chuke ho’. So, it (being body shamed) is not just about postpartum, it is everywhere,” says Reddy, who welcomed her daughter, Nyra, in 2019.
While the Race (2008) actor says she’s “stopped feeling bad” about these comments, she admits “things were hard” after she had her son. “It was the first time I experienced the harsh reality of our society. Everyone wanted to have an opinion and wanted to voice it loud. People think it’s their birthright [to comment on others]. It’s unfortunate and it impacts everyone. Being in the limelight is harder, but I am sure everyone goes through it,” shares Reddy, who stepped away from showbiz after her wedding to entrepreneur Akshai Varde in 2014.
Crediting her husband for being a pillar of support in her path to self-acceptance, the 44-year-old says, “My husband would tell me, ‘You had created an image people’s mind [through films] and that’s what they look up to. It’s their innocence that’s making them say this. You have to forgive and let it go.’ It was kind of him to put it like that.”
A lot of people were on Instagram to see sexy Sam. But she was not there-Sameera Reddy
7:53 AM
As she stumbles upon a new-found audience in Instagram’s fitness aficionados, Sameera Reddy on disappointing those who follow her for glamorous posts, and addressing those who need real talk
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; January 12, 2022)
At a time when actors like Malaika Arora and Soha Ali Khan are redefining what 40s can look like for athletically superior mothers, a crucial conversation is also gaining attention on Sameera Reddy’s Instagram page. Addressing her 1.5 million followers, Reddy talks of the guilt she endured when she didn’t fit a certain body type, post pregnancy.
The truth of the troubled relationships that young actors in cinema have had with their bodies are well known. For Reddy, matters were not quite at odds with the ‘norm’. “I would run, swim, lift, and exercise even if I was exhausted after a long day of shoot. Mentally, I was volatile. Fad dieting was a norm. I’d survive on [minimal food], and black coffee, and had cut out sugar and carbs from my diet. When you are young, you tend to do whatever you need to do to get the job done.”
Although her lifestyle contributed to the onset of thyroid, Reddy had her real moment of realisation post-partum, when the only fruits of her labour in the gym was deteriorating mental health. “I had gained 32 kilos and tried everything I possibly could. I’d always end up demotivated. That’s when I knew I had to redefine my goals and shut off. It was like cracking something into pieces, and putting it back together.”
Her parameter to gauge if a routine was working in her favour or not, was simple — If she struggled to stick to it, it wasn’t for her. “I’d run and do busts of exercises and expect my body to react positively, but the frustration would make me give up. But, if I felt calm, I could stick to the plan. It’s not possible to depend on morale and keep at it. Consistency can be built with a calm mind.”
Husband Akshai Varde encouraged her to make her approach enjoyable, and introduced her to sports. Today, her mornings begin with a session of yoga, and evenings are spent with her kids indulging in a game badminton. “My curves have become noticeable again after taking to power yoga, and walking always works well for me. Boxing has been incredible too. But I do intend to return to lifting, again.”
In an industry that thrives on airbrushed images, Reddy found the process of putting her struggles on a podium fascinatingly liberating. “The more I’d speak, the more free I’d feel.” An image of her showcasing her grey hair was the trigger that kicked off a “cleansing process” of her feed.
“A lot of people were there to see sexy Sam. But she was not there. They were shocked to see the images I was sharing, and began to drop off.” But as she stayed consistent, she found a league of women who felt she spoke directly to them, and addressed their struggles. “They found in this platform a safe space. It was interesting for me to meet the right audience.”
Reddy’s love for performance, editing, and shooting could be put to work. As the one-woman army handling the show behind her social media page, she learns several lessons each day. “A million came and went. But I can finally speak to the right people. Those who hope that a plan that worked for them a decade ago, will do so again, will eventually be frustrated. You need to redefine goals as you age.”
Reddy’s top five tips
1. Practice mindful eating, and keep a diary.
2. Yoga, for me, was life-altering.
3. Do not eat after 7 pm. A simple trick that works for me is brushing my teeth after 7 pm. That is a trigger to stop eating.
4. I have reaped umpteen benefits from intermittent fasting.
5. Practice a sport that you enjoy, and keep changing your workouts.
I put on 35 kgs while I saw other actors who bounced right back after child birth-Sameera Reddy
8:31 AM
Ahead of releasing her book on the subject, actor Sameera Reddy talks about the unrealistic standards that women are expected to conform to and the toll it takes on them mentally and physically
Anjana Vaswani (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 4, 2021)
Sameera Reddy was just 19 when she made her first appearance on film. It was in a video of a Pankaj Udhas ghazal. And, dressed in a simple outfit, her frizz-free dark hair cascading down her back as she etches out a rangoli pattern on the floor, Reddy looked dropdead gorgeous, effortlessly so. “Ahista kijiye baatein (“Speak softly”),” Udhas sings in the video. Now, some 22 years later, Reddy’s poised to do the exact opposite. For over a year, she’s been using her social media streams to raise her voice about the pressure to look perfect that women of all ages and in all careers experience; and this year, she’ll be releasing a book on the subject, titled, “Imperfectly Perfect” (Westland Books).
In the forthcoming title, Reddy – whose sisters Meghna and Sushama are also in the entertainment business, having started their careers as models – takes readers through her journey. She talks about life as an insecure teenager, as a model and actor struggling with eating disorders, and then as a new mum coping with post-partum depression and weight gain. “Today, my aim every day is just to be happy,” says Reddy, who hopes her book will guide readers to the sanguine headspace, “where one can be kind to oneself, and one is ready to feel happiness”.
It has taken her a while to get here, and the journey hasn’t been easy. A little over a decade and a half after she made heads turn in that Pankaj Udhas video, Reddy, who had been a successful model and actor and was now mother to a baby boy, found herself grappling with body image issues, and more, she recalls. “Every time I checked social media, the people around me seemed to be living these amazing, perfect, filtered lives and I felt I didn’t have the strength or the courage to be myself,” Reddy recalls. “After the birth of my first child, I broke,” she says, “I just could not live up to expectations”.
Right from the day she heard she was expecting, Reddy had gone by the book – by several, in fact, to prepare for the big day. “I had this picture-perfect idea of marriage and childbirth and pregnancy. I had read the books and was prepared with the hospital bag, and had checked all the must-haves off all the lists, but no one prepares you for the hormonal ups and downs, and the depression that can follow.”
Even the unwavering support of an understanding spouse did little to counter the downer. “I put on 35 kgs and neighbours and people around me would say ‘What happened to you? It’s been a year since you’ve given birth and you’re still so big’. I saw other actors who bounced right back after child birth.” The constant comparisons triggered the deep-seeded body image issues Reddy had already been grappling with for most of her life.
“I felt I had failed,” she says, looking back. The absence of role models who presented a more realistic image of life after childbirth didn’t help. Thankfully, in recent years, celebrities like Soha Ali Khan and Mandira Bedi have also talking candidly about their experiences with the baby blues and postpartum depression, so the future generation of women have healthier, more natural, role models to look to.
This is vital, because, in fact, an estimated 60 to 80 per cent of new mothers experience this. Hormonal changes can cause mild anxiety in some, but in others, the chemical imbalance coupled with the sheer exhaustion of the early days of motherhood can bring on a deep, dark sadness. For most, it lasts for about a week or two after delivery, but left untreated, the condition could sustain for years, too. To make matters worse, the chemical imbalance is often compounded by feelings of low self-esteem when you’re not happy about the way you look and – this one’s often brushed under the rug – disappointment, because you just don’t feel that gush of love or joy that women are expected to after childbirth. Conditioned to believe it’s the happiest experience of one’s life, women who don’t feel that way, tend to assume something must be wrong with them. Often, they, like Reddy, feel they’ve ‘failed’.
In hindsight, Reddy says, “We put so much emphasis on success and failure but really who defines that?”
But Reddy also wants to emphasize that it’s not just new mums who feel this pressure to look, feel and act a certain way. A 2018 study on eating disorders in South India, conducted by N Nivedita, G Sreenivasa, T S Sathyanarayana Rao and S Suttur Malini, showed that over 26 per cent of participants suffered from some sort of ED. Readers would have been recently reminded of Princess Diana’s struggle with Bulimia Nervosa by the new season of a popular TV show. It’s a cycle of bingeing and purging, believed to be commonly triggered by societal and cultural stress, peer pressure, body image issues and poor self-esteem. It wouldn’t surprise Reddy to learn that women have been seen to be nine times more likely to suffer from Bulimia Nervosa than men.
“Environmental conditioning starts weighing down on women very early. Most teens feel this need to adhere,” she says, adding that this is in fact what drove her to speak out in the first place. “We need to break these patterns, and we can only do that if we do it together, as a society.”
It took two whole years of work – therapy, introspection, yoga and homeopathy – before Reddy could arrive at this place, one from where she would inspire and lead others into this journey of self-love. “When you break apart, you can put yourself together in the most liberating way,” Reddy says, “and it’s exhilarating to be where I am today.”
Back then, I didn’t even realise I was suffering post partum depression-Sameera Reddy
7:55 AM
Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; November 27, 2019)
During her second pregnancy and post her delivery, actor Sameera Reddy was quite vocal about her experiences. She also urged women, especially new mothers to love themselves, for the way they are.
Sameera even started a campaign, #Imperfectly Perfect, on social media and continues to build on it. Talking about it, she reveals, “My campaign comes from the fact that I felt completely disillusioned and broken after my first pregnancy when I gained weight and was 105 kg. The perfect body and the perfect face that I worked on, for my film career, broke down and I was completely lost.” She points out that she couldn’t understand why people were judging her so much.
Sameera adds, “I also realised the importance of self-acceptance and really loving yourself which is lacking in today’s day and age. Moreover, social media has made this anxiety worse. My campaign aims at combating this feeling and creating awareness that everything may look picture perfect on social media, but it isn’t necessarily true. Internal happiness matters the most.” Post the birth of her second child, daughter Nyra, Sameera’s life has been “extremely hectic”. She points out that she was “more prepared” this time as she also has a four-year-old son, Hans.
Many new mothers suffer from postpartum depression and Sameera, too, experienced it after her first pregnancy. “Back then, I didn’t even realise I was suffering post-partum. When I complained that I was emotional, moody and feeling very disconnected, I was told that they were the pregnancy blues. I kept thinking something is wrong with me. But later, when I consulted a doctor about my negative thoughts and how I was often feeling low, I was told that I had postpartum depression. As I waited too long to get a diagnosis, it took me almost a year to get out of it. Now, I want to help new mothers realise when and if they slip into it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she says.
I asked myself, will Karan Johar like me?-Sameera Reddy
8:41 AM
Pregnant for the second time, actress Sameera Reddy gets candid about the time she was 102 kg, refusing to leave her couch, and worried about 'fitting in'
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; May 5, 2019)
Last week, actress Sameera Reddy, only two months old on the social media platform, put up an Instagram post that has since gone viral. It shows her in her June 2015 avatar, at 102 kg, and then compares it to a picture from last month, where she is down to 80 kg and second-time pregnant. "That post, and the love it got, has given me the courage to do this interview," says the actress, who shot to fame in 1998, with Pankaj Udhas' video for the song Aahista Kijiye Baatein.
She then did movies like Maine Dil Tujhko Diya and Race. Five years ago, she got married to entrepreneur Akshai Varde, and had her first child, son Hans, in 2015. "I got on Instagram and decided that the first thing I will be is honest. I will be fat if I have to be, and use no filters. I feel bad for all the people, including me, feeling FOMO at other people's lives where it's all cool parties and pina coladas on the beach. I want to call that out and say 'that's bull****'."
She may sound like a voice of reason, but Reddy says it has taken her a while to get here, and it's been hell. When we meet her at her home, she is glowing and doesn't mince her words as she chats with us. For a year post her son being born, she didn't let her family take pictures of her as she was 102 kg. The picture on Instagram is the one surviving picture from that time. Pre-pregnancy, she got prolactinoma - high levels of prolactin - that makes it harder to have babies, which led to her popping pills. Post getting pregnant, she got placenta previa - when a baby's placenta partially or totally covers the mother's cervix. "My weight had always been 70 to 75 kg, as I am Reddy girl, tall with heavy bones. Imagine my shock, when during my first pregnancy, I became 102 kg, which didn't even come off once I had the baby." It was a time of anxiety, and fear. "I went through a really dark place. Especially once the comments started coming in. People would come home and ask me, 'arrey aap ko kya ho gaya'. I took Hans in a pram to Joggers Park, and that was the first and last time I went in that year. Random people came up to me and said, 'oh you are Sameera Reddy, we can't recognise you. This house became my fortress."
For the ambitious and upbeat working girl, who was making all the right moves in her career at the time, the world was suddenly a bleak place. Reddy recalls struggling to keep her weight down during her career, and blames the constant dieting and working out for the problems she faced during her first pregnancy. But it's the mental demons that were the real challenge.
"I had thought I would be the glamorous mother, and come back in the limelight. My whole vision went for a toss. I bought into the yummy mummy dream - the glamorous Instagram mommy. I was just a career girl who caved to the into the pressures of keeping up the image." The final straw was when she got alopecia areata, an auto-immune disease that led to her hair falling in clumps. "I had a meltdown. I turned to homeopathy and counselling, I had to talk to someone. I had gone from being an actress receiving all this adulation to having no self worth. I realised how superficial I had been to begin with. I had been in such a vicious cycle - eating lesser, running, thinking of this bag, that stylist, asking questions like 'am I on the best dressed list?'; 'Am I invited to this party?', 'Does Karan Johar like me?'. I wanted to be with the IT crowd, and I was there, schmoozing, and then I just cut off."
But once the switch turned, thanks to yoga, pilates, and the support of her family, Reddy started feeling like herself again - actually, a better version. "I can look at this objectively now, and, it's superb. I was an empty shell, which could be knocked down if something happened, and this whole experience has helped me reinvent myself. I am not because you think am great, I am because I am and I am awesome." As she gets into the seventh month of her pregnancy, she says she isn't worried that it all may happen again. The past has prepared her well for the future. "My husband asked me if I really wanted to do this again. I told him 'I am fearless today'. I have owned this pregnancy, enjoyed it. I have taken no injections, and I do yoga. I have also tackled my own fears, which makes me come from a place where I am extremely bold. It's all going to be ok."
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