Pro-life video of the day: Indian actress brushes off criticism of “baby weight”
by Hans Johnson
Eyebrows were raised recently over Jessica Simpson’s weight gain during her pregnancy. But that’s nothing compared to the uproar this Spring because Bollywood mega-star Ashwariya Rai Bachchan had kept much of the weight since the birth of her daughter Aaradhya last November. One YouTube video featured a photo montage accompanied by the sound of a trumpeting elephant.
The former Miss World 1994, known for her talent in both classical and modern dance, was arguably the top leading lady (“heroine”) of Indian cinema when she was profiled by CBS’s 60 Minutes in 2005 as perhaps “The Most Beautiful Woman In The World.” Her fame only grew when she married into the Bachchan family. Father-in-law Amitabh is the star emeritus of Bollywood (Fred Astaire and Jack Nicholson rolled into one). Husband Abhishek is one of the major leading men (“heroes”).
Having been compared unfavorably to celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, who quickly lost weight after giving birth, Mrs. Bachchan finally spoke her mind about the controversy.
However, looking good is the best revenge. She has slimmed down and made a splash at Cannes.
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
I see a lot of fat men walking around and they have not brought another human being into the world so why are they so fat? I just gave birth 3 months ago and I am still overweight. It took me 9 months to take off the 60 pounds I gained with my first son and it will probably take me as long to take off the weight with my second son. I hate how society acts like we must be anorexic and skeletal with big fake boobs in order to be beautiful.
I have never gotten my flat stomach back since I became a mom. I lost weight and tried to tone like crazy but never again did I have that flat stomach. This time around I got stretch marks on my belly. My breasts look different too. No longer small and perky they are heavy. But I think my body is beautiful. I housed 2 children with immortal souls in my belly. I carried them under my heart and labored to bring them into the world during birth. I am feeding my youngest with my own body by nursing. I think it is beautiful. I think it is womanly. And I hate the pressure we put on women to look a certain way.
We think to be womanly and acceptable we have to be thin and if you have to abort your children to be so, that is fine. But it is unacceptable to birth children if it will make you fat. That is not considered womanly at all. We are a mixed up world if that is how we think.
And yet…look at her…she’s STILL beautiful. I don’t know why “the media” thinks it has to point out a woman’s weight gain/loss. That doesn’t happen in “real life”. I mean yes, you might notice a neighbor’s/ friend’s weight gain, but you don’t go screaming around your neighborhood: “Look everybody! Susan so-and-so looks like she’s gained 10 pounds!” Yet, “the media” seem to like to do that very thing. To them, the ONLY “standard of beauty” is anorexia and fake breasts.
Speaking as a man who at one time was no stranger to “having a belly”, I think the controversy was ridiculous. Her duty to her child far surpasses that to her career.
Of course, I’ve always been rather smitten with her. Just listen to her delightful laugh in the 60 Minutes piece! :)
The physiological changes are the catalyst, and not making the time to exercise enough in the midst of giving our best to our family perpetuates it. Sorry, hollywood moms, I am not impressed that you look awesome if it’s because you work out for 2 hours a day while someone else does everything for you and moreover, while you miss out on precious time with your wee ones. My body tells a different story, but as my kids begin to run faster, I will have to get in better shape to keep up!
There is nothing anti-life about staying in shape before and after pregnancy. Women who gain too much weight are putting their children at risk for everything from autism to diabetes. Pregnant or not, we were not made to be sedentary or consume a diet of processed foods. Our obesity epidemic has clouded our view of what is normal and healthy.
Um hi NC. I didn’t eat too much and I was working full-time as a retail manager so I was on my feet moving for 45 hours a week up until 4 days before I delivered. Yet I gained 60 pounds. Did you ever consider some women just gain weight while pregnant no matter what they eat or do? I never got gestational diabetes nor did I have any health problems. I had great, natural deliveries and delivered nice healthy baby boys. My sons are extremely healthy and don’t have autism either. I agree that you shouldn’t consume a diet of only processed foods but pregnancy does add weight to women and even women who don’t gain a lot of weight will have the stomach pouch and/or stretch marks among other things. Nobody is glorifying obesity. But saying that women must be a size 0 with flawless skin devoid of any marks is not healthy either. I don’t look at Hollywood with their skeletal bodies and think they look healthy. I’d rather be chubby me.
@Sydney M, I don’t know anything about your habits, but Jessica Simpson’s were far more dangerous than someone like Gisele Bundchen or any other think celeb’s that are criticized for being too skinny or putting their weight before the baby. Eating poptarts and cap’n crunch cereal while pregnant is nothing to be lauded while going to the gym and watching what one eats is condemned. This isn’t about following Hollywood trends, but rather medical advice. A healthy weight gain is only about 25 lbs, and a healthy BMI is under 25. Obesity has become so normalized that those who are healthy are seen as sickly:
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
Dear NC – I think that we can all agree that we were not made to be sedentary or to eat processed food. But as Sydney M pointed out, not all un-skinny moms have unhealthy lifestyles that cause our un-skinniness. Nor do skinny moms necessarily have healthy habits. The word sedentary in my house is laughable with my three wee ones. But I still have a closet full of clothes hoping to be worn again someday.
I have a really, really hard time believing that the criticism of Rai or most other celebrities has anything to do with their health. To see the way it is portrayed now, it’s like two days later, BAM! they are skinny like nothing ever happened (perhaps I exaggerate, but not by a whole lot). That’s not normal. Seriously, let’s not try to reinvent the wheel here — women have been getting pregnant for millennia. Weight gain happens.
LifeJoy says:
June 20, 2012 at 12:34 am
Dear NC – I think that we can all agree that we were not made to be sedentary
(Denise) Sedentary, like passive, has become something of a dirty word. The modern world tends to worship multi-tasking and perpetual busyness. Perhaps at least some people legitimately prefer a sedentary sort of lifestyle. Being passive isn’t necessarily a bad thing: it keeps some of us out of mischief. Smell the roses.