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Kalpana Sunder

When 68-year-old Indian politician V. Sivankutty posted a selfie he recently took with some students on social media, a remark about his size left him fuming.
“You should reduce your stomach a bit,” one commenter said.
The Minister for General Education and Labour in Kerala immediately spoke out against the possible harm such comments could bring.
“Body-shaming is the worst, no matter what the explanation. There are many among us who have been victims of body-shaming and even suffered mentally,” said Sivankutty. He added that the state government would “create awareness among students and teachers and consider making it a part of the curriculum in schools”.
Why obesity is a big issue in India, and the remedy doctors propose
Fat-shaming – the criticising of a person’s weight, body type and eating habits – is commonplace in India, with physical appearances often subject to public scrutiny and unwanted advice.
In a country of 1.4 billion people, India has more than 135 million overweight citizens, data shows, and doctors are constantly warning of an obesity epidemic.
The societal tendency has been to associate obesity with poor food habits, when it can sometimes be triggered by complex conditions, or even stress or medicinal side effects.

Whatever a person’s age, body-shaming can have significant impact on mental health and well-being, causing a “reduction in self-worth and self-esteem”, said Delhi-based clinical psychologist Kamna Chhibber.
“A person may feel hesitant in entering social settings, that people would negatively judge them, leading to avoidance of social scenarios,” she said. This could raise anxiety levels, affect moods, sleep and appetite and result in “distorted perceptions” of the body, she added.
Indian girls learn from an early age that their size matters, from being told at home they might look ‘chubby’ or from receiving suggestions and ways to slim down.
Neelakshi Singh, an Indian body-positivity influencer who runs the Instagram account @Plumptopretty, says: “Body-shaming is very normalised in Indian households and I grew up with a thick skin, because relatives or neighbours would share their opinion and unsolicited advice on your appearance freely, as if they are doing you a good deed.”
UK Muslim man’s ad spotlights South Asians’ desire for arranged marriages
India’s arranged marriage market has also perpetuated body stereotypes, with matrimonial ads and matchmakers routinely asking for slim and fair-skinned brides. In a 2021 survey by Dove across 17 Indian cities, 94 per cent of women had been asked to change their appearance to improve their chances at marriage.
Indian advertisements also promote conventional beauty standards by featuring slim models and promoting weight-loss products.
Bangalore-based IT professional Anita Shankar, who has been overweight for years due to a thyroid issue, says: “Our society only accepts a perfect hourglass or pear-shaped body and the rest are termed fat. No one thinks that the person may be battling health issues and it may be hard for that person to lose weight. A little sensitivity would go a long way.”


India’s Bollywood industry has been accused of perpetuating the belief that skinny equals beautiful, as most of its leading actors are tall, slim and fair. Recent film Double XL, about two plus-sized women whose weight held them back from achieving their dreams, starred actresses Sonakshi Sinha and Huma Qureshi, who were both fat-shamed on social media.
Determined to challenge conventional beauty standards, body-positivity influencers have been aggressively using social media to celebrate the natural body.
Celebrities have also spoken up for the body-positivity movement. Actor Sonakshi Sinha, who was ridiculed for years because of her weight, said on Instagram: “For years I have been trolled for my weight. I’ve never felt the need to react because I always believed I was #BiggerThanThem … pun intended.”

Mainstream fashion labels are also increasingly using diverse models, with top designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee using plus-sized models in their shoots.
But Singh said that “we are only scratching the surface” even as brands try to be diverse and inclusive. “Fat phobia still exists in a big way in Indian society, in spite of a large part of our population being overweight.”
Dipti Bharwani, a social media influencer and designer who has been fat-shamed, says: “We grow up in a society that has certain body-image perceptions and the desirable type is thin and fair – everything else is not acceptable.
“In the past generations of Indians, the body was the primary aspect and to find the right husband you were supposed to be that body type without paying heed to your qualities, personality or talents,” she adds. “Finally, Indian society is waking up to the fact that everyone is perfect in their own way.”


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India

From Bollywood to politics, more Indians are fighting back against fat-shaming

Fat-shaming – the criticising of a person’s weight, body type and eating habits – is commonplace in India, with physical appearances often subject to public scrutiny and unwanted advice. Photo: Getty Images

Neelakshi Singh, an Indian body positivity influencer, says that body-shaming is very normalised in Indian households. Photo: Handout 

“In the past generations of Indians, the body was the primary aspect and to find the right husband you were supposed to be that body type without paying heed to your qualities, personality or talents,” said Dipti Bharwani, Indian social media influencer. Photo: Handout

To better fight Covid-19, Asia can no longer afford to ignore obesity

Certain Asian populations have a higher percentage of body fat compared to Caucasians of the same age, gender and BMI. Photo: Getty Images

This photo taken on July 17, 2018 shows an overweight woman exercising at a weight loss clinic in Changchun in China's northeastern Jilin province. - Traditional forms of Chinese treatment and medicine can to used to help enhance metabolism, burn fat and reduce hunger. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT Credit: AFP

Overweight China and obese America put tubby Hong Kong in a difficult position

We have learned Covid-19 impacts certain groups of people more than others. Photo: SCMP / Winson Wong

Passengers arrive at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. Much of the world is reopening to travellers. Photo: EPA-EFE

Obesity, drinking and smoking is not something that has escaped Asia. Photo: AFP

Japanese nurses attend a briefing at a coronavirus mass vaccination centre in Tokyo. Photo: AFP 

China has a big fat problem with US-style ‘body positivity’

What’s the healthiest approach: making people feel comfortable about their obesity … or fat-shaming our way to more healthy lifestyles?

Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng at the ‘Love on a Diet’ premiere. Photo: Reuters

A woman walks past a KFC fast-food restaurant in Baotou city, Inner Mongolia, on Nov. 17, 2017. The metro construction in Baotou city has been suspended after Yu Zhengzheng, chairman of China's CPPCC, visited the city a couple months ago. 17NOV17 SCMP/ Simon Song

yang guifei

This photo taken on July 17, 2018 shows an overweight woman (L) receiving acupuncture treatment at a weight loss clinic in Changchun in China's northeastern Jilin province. Traditional forms of Chinese treatment and medicine can to used to help enhance metabolism, burn fat and reduce hunger. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT

Andy Lau, made up to look fat for his role in the Hong Kong romantic comedy ‘Love On A Diet’, and his co-star Sammi Cheng. Photo: Reuters

Coronavirus: Singapore study finds overweight Asians three times as likely to need intensive care

Asian populations are known to have higher disease risks at lower body mass index thresholds, the researchers said. Photo: Shutterstock

STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT - APRIL 24: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) A nurse cleans a patient with COVID-19 on a ventilator at a Stamford Hospital Intensive Care Unit on April 24, 2020 in Stamford, Connecticut. The hospital opened additional ICUs to deal the the vast number of people suffering from the coronavirus pandemic, and roughly half of the patients at the hospital are COVID-19 positive. Stamford, with it's close proximity to New York City, has the highest number of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the state. John Moore/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Royalty-free stock photo ID: 785794792 Female bare feet with weight scale in the bathroom Picture by Shutterstock.

New Zealand researchers create weight-loss device that locks jaws together with magnets

The DentalSlim has an emergency release in case the patient vomits or has a panic attack. Photo: AFP

This undated handout photo received on June 29, 2021 from the University of Otago in Dunedin shows a weight-loss device created by New Zealand researchers that uses magnets to clamp a patient's jaw together -- hailing it as a new tool against obesity despite critics likening it to an instrument of medieval torture. (Photo by Handout / University of Otago / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

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India has some 135 million overweight citizens in a population of 1.4 billion, and fat-shaming is ‘very normalised in Indian households’
Obesity has typically been associated with poor food habits but it can sometimes be triggered by complex conditions, stress or medicine


India has some 135 million overweight citizens in a population of 1.4 billion, and fat-shaming is ‘very normalised in Indian households’.


From Bollywood to politics, more Indians are fighting back against fat-shaming

India has some 135 million overweight citizens in a population of 1.4 billion, and fat-shaming is ‘very normalised in Indian households’ Obesity has typically been associated with poor food habits but it can sometimes be triggered by complex conditions, stress or medicine

India has some 135 million overweight citizens in a population of 1.4 billion, and fat-shaming is ‘very normalised in Indian households’

Obesity has typically been associated with poor food habits but it can sometimes be triggered by complex conditions, stress or medicine