Being under the limelight is not an easy job to do. From facing and dealing with majorly a single perception of beauty to often put to body shaming, actresses are often left disturbed and with anxiety when they enter the industry. While many refuse to talk about it, actress Richa Chadha had spoken about it in her most honest interview.
It was in one of the TEDx Talk that Richa Chadha spoke about how almost everyone in the industry suffers from Bulimia and called it the 'Big B'. She also spoke candidly about the unreal pressures actresses get from filmmakers and directors to look a certain way and be a certain way. She had also spoken about how her confidence evaporated after every filmmaker she met with asked her to go under the knife.
Richa's candid confession
"I was told I should gain weight, then lose weight, fix my nose and inflate my lips, get a b**b job, lose the puppy fat, grow my hair out, or cut it, get highlights, or fake eyelash extensions, squat for a bigger b**ty, get fake gel nails, run in heels, wear Spanx, pout while talking, focus on dilating the pupils, and listen attentively. I crumbled under the pressure like a wrecking ball had hit me," Richa had revealed.
Richa bares it all
In an interview with NDTV, shedding light on the disturbing trend, Richa had said, "There is a changing concept of beauty, from being a voluptuous Indian beauty of the sculptures we have inherited and the heroines of the past, we have started aping the West very, very directly. That is not very healthy. I see 12-year-olds counting calories and talking about how somebody's thin or someone's lips are nice. It all comes from a body dysmorphic disorder when you start to see yourself in a particular way and, God knows, women go through it a lot."
"When you become an actor, you stop eating. You stop eating roti, sabzi, dal. You start eating protein, good carbs, complex carbs, good fat, good cholesterol and everything becomes so mathematical. It began with me telling myself I've overeaten, maybe I won't sleep well or I'll have to work out right after and I'll feel really heavy and bloated so let me just do it this one time. Then I noticed that it's happening once a week, then twice and then thrice a week. Then it became a daily post-lunch ritual. I almost felt guilty for having to eat at all. I realized I was going a little bit crazy when one time I thought I'm so busy anyway, it would be easier to pop a pill or take a drip once in a while instead of having to sit down and eat," Richa had said in her interview.
Richa is now not only eating heartily but also working out and meditating to keep the stress off-her. She has also started believing in inner happiness and focuses more on that than anything else.
