Angrezi Medium and Monsoon Wedding actor Tillotama Shome’s latest post on body positivity is the best thing we saw on the internet today. The post features her soaking in the sun, her arms thrown back as she flaunts her unshaved armpits with an infectious smile. She’s wearing a black tank top with “un-apologetic” written on it. She has also reminded herself (and us) to apologise less and mean it more. Check out the post here:
Image credit: Instagram/tillotamashome
Tillotama on apologising less and meaning it more
We love it every time celebs use their platform to advocate raw and real bodies as opposed to the glossy, airbrushed versions of them that social media and magazines try to sell us. In the post, an unapologetic Tillotama not only advocates for body positivity, but also explains why women need to stop saying sorry all the time (Research says women tend to apologise more than men).
“I do say ‘sorry’ a lot. Worst is when I apologise in anticipation of someone’s apology, as if it’s a ‘hello’. I am sorry if I did something good because I could have done it better. The visceral ones of course, slip out of your mouth in silence. The T-shirt is a reminder to use it less and mean it more,” she wrote. The message is all about reclaiming power and hits home with many women.
Image credit: Instagram/tillotamashome
Body hair don’t care
About her unshaved armpits, Tillotama wrote, “Oh and about body hair, yeah not sorry about it. I wear it as I like it. It’s not a statement. I also wax. I also don’t. Good day.” Reading this, we can’t help but think of the hot wax and those sharp-edged razors and all the violence we put our bodies through to meet societal expectations.
While Tillotama’s post is all about not letting society or its narrow definition of beauty dictate our decisions, you can’t talk about body positivity and not expect negative comments. There will always be people who feel “disgusted” or “can’t look at” a few extra inches or some body hair.
Image credit: iStock
“Be and let others be”: Tillotama to haters
One woman wrote in the comments section, “Sorry but it’s looking disgusting.” Tillotama replied to her and wrote, “Be and let others be. Good day to you.”
Tillotama is not bothered. Even her fans don’t want her to pay heed to haters. “Haanthi chale bazaar kutte bhaunkhe hazar, you are just awesome,” wrote one. “You are a star, so resonate with it,” wrote another.
Image credit: Platoon One Films
In a recent interview, Tillotama had opened up on her experience of working on a Hollywood film where the director tried to darken their skin further as they were looking “too beautiful to be poor”. Tillotama is a critically acclaimed actor who won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her performance in Sir.
Lead image credit: Maddock Films, MacGuffin Pictures
