In a candid interview, Sameera Reddy shares her journey to self-acceptance after postpartum body criticisms. Continue reading!
The former actress is now a social media influencer who works to empower women, particularly in the areas of body shaming and mental health. After giving birth to her son Hans, Sameera Reddy gained a lot of weight, which prompted many people to make disparaging remarks about her.
Sameera Opened Up About Unflattering Comments On Her Postpartum Body.
In a recent interview on Janice Sequeira’s YouTube channel, Sameera Reddy candidly discussed the difficult journey of dealing with postpartum body comments. In recounting her experiences, the actor revealed that she gained a significant amount of weight after giving birth to her son Hans in 2015. Even ordinary vegetable sellers were scathing at the time, asking questions like, ‘Didi kya ho gaya aapko? (What happened to you?)’ ‘Didi aap ho? (Are you sure that’s you?)’ I’m still amazed at how Indians have this lovely habit of saying, ‘Aap badal gaye ho na madam? (You’ve changed quite a bit).'”
As Sameera explained, “I believe that I got caught up in my own demons of how people perceived me.” I refused to go out because I was terrified of being photographed by paparazzi. When I look back, I want to shake myself and say, ‘Sameera, why did you do that to yourself?'”
Sameera Reddy also recounted her days when people assumed I got married because I was pregnant according to an Eenadu report. ‘I and Akshai Varde married on our terrace in 2014,’ she explained. Our wedding is simple, and both families have come together to celebrate. People assumed I was pregnant and married quickly when my marriage was announced. But this is not the case.
Sameera Claims Industry ‘Friends’ Ignored Her When She Asked For Social Media Shout-outs.
“By the time I decided to return to the Instagram space, it was already very late”. I was shocked because what was happening was exactly what I was attempting to prevent. Everything revolved around the phrase ‘the grass is so green and beautiful.’ The best angles and filters were everything. “I was extremely uneasy.”
“I wanted to express that I experience anxiety attacks and struggle to cope with them,” Sameera said, explaining how she wanted to be authentic to herself. Every week, I find myself crying and wondering if I’m an imposter. I’m curious about my body image, whether I’m really fat or thin. I simply wanted to simplify and convey that this is who I am, having both good and bad days.”
As a result of my busy schedule, I wanted to connect with my fans directly,” Sameera explained. Apart from social media, what better way for us to connect? I joined Instagram and sought help from industry contacts to grow it. I contacted them to promote my account. None of them assisted me, which is a sad reality.
Sameera Reddy’s Acting Career.
With Maine Dil Tujhko Diya in 2002, she made her Bollywood debut. Sameera has appeared in movies such as Taxi Number 9211, De Dana Dan, Race, Darna Mana Hai, Musafir, Jai Chiranjeeva, Ashok, Varanam Aayiram, Aakrosh, and Tezz. Following her marriage in 2014 to entrepreneur Akshai Varde, she left the film industry. Her son Hans was born in 2015, and her daughter Nyra was born in 2019. She now talks about body positivity and interacts with fans on Instagram via reels.