‘I chose not to bounce back’: Swara Bhasker fires back at offensive body-shaming remarks on carrying postpartum weight

SWara Bhasker is calling come out the unrealistic expectations and sexualised scrutiny that women – especially those in the public eyeball – human face after childbearing. The doer opened up about the relentless commentary on her body during her postpartum journey following the birth of her daughter, Raabiya, in 2023.Also Read | ‘Don't troll. Just shut up’: Pavitra Punia defends Mouni Roy against online criticism and plastic surgery allegationsThe Veere Di Wedding actor recently shared a throwback photo from 2018 that drew distasteful body-shaming remarks from online trolls. On May 1, she posted a screenshot of one such message on her Instagram stories, which read, “Kaha se kaha tak aa gayi ho tum, you were such a great actor…don’t know why???”The text overlay on the story read, “Love the zero self awareness of people when they type messages like this.” Following this, Swara shared a strongly worded post on Instagram on May 2, calling out the double standards and unrealistic expectations imposed on women. She also highlighted that a knack for acting has nothing to do with weight loss.“I chose not to bounce back”Bhasker’s Instagram post featured a collage – her photo from 2018 alongside a recent photo of her holding her daughter Raabiya, with her back to the camera. Calling out the trolls, she wrote, “This is a hill I will repeatedly die on! The kind of rage and anger I’ve encountered in the last few years because my body has changed after childbirth and because I refuse to lose the weight on the timeline of strangers on the internet..is bizarre!” Her message was clear: women’s bodies are not objects to be sexualised or moulded to fit narrow, internet-driven standards of thinness and glamour. Swara highlighted how profoundly life changes after becoming a parent – there is no reverting to what once was. In the face of these shifts, she made a conscious decision not to prioritise weight loss, choosing instead to focus on embracing motherhood and being present for her child.“I want to say it – again and again…Women’s bodies have more purpose than sexualisation and being hangers for glamour. After I had a baby (now 2.5 years ago) I chose NOT TO BOUNCE BACK. Because once you have a baby – there’s no back – you are a parent for the rest of your life. Life changes fundamentally and that’s okay,” she said.She added, “Of course we miss our old life, our young and free version, our thinner and tighter bodies but to mindlessly keep idealising our younger thinner selves – to force our bodies to bounce back or here and there and fit into versions of your past that are gone, is a kind of cruelty. Our bodies have conceived, carried, nurtured, delivered and nourished a whole other human being. Of course they will change and that’s okay!!!!!”Swara Bhaskar on losing postpartum weightThe 38-year-old actor called out the relentless pressure on women to appear camera-ready and conform to the expectations of strangers online. She described the constant shaming of women for not losing postpartum weight as “both unintelligent and nasty.”She said, “Women should live their lives the way they want. And no, this is not an argument against fitness. Or health. This is an argument to honour our bodies and stop forcing ourselves to remain in boxes we’ve outgrown. Life is an onward forward going journey. It’s okay to give our bodies that grace too.”Acting has nothing to do with weightAddressing those who argue that acting demands weight loss, Bhasker emphasised that talent and the ability to perform have no correlation with body weight. She added, “P.S. And to the ‘but you are an actor’ gang- weight and acting ability have zero correlation…Don’t fall into the good looks are essential for actors trap. They are not. Craft and ability are important to be a good actor. Most of the best actors this country has produced were never conventionally good looking!”