Mrunal Thakur, who was recently seen in ‘Jersey’ alongside Shahid Kapoor, has opened up about being body shamed. The actor recalled being called ‘matka’ by online trolls and shared that she takes pride in her body. “If you have a matka-shaped body, f***ing own it,” she said. Mrunal also recalled that during her visit to the US, she was called ‘Indian Kardashian’ because of her curvy figure.
Image credit: Image credit: Instagram/mrunalthakur
When Mrunal was told to ‘cut down from her lower body part’
During an interview with Times Now, Mrunal said, “I have a pear-shaped body. My briefing was always like, ‘Mrunal, you need to cut down from your lower body.’ But excuse me, that’s my body type. If I cut down – I start losing weight from my face, then my upper body and then it would reach my lower body – I will still have that shape.” She added, “So rather than people calling me matka and me feeling bad, I take a lot of pride in it.“
Mrunal then went on to share that she received compliments for her body when she paid a visit to the US. “When I was in the US, people said a lot of women pay to get that body. When someone called me the Indian Kardashian, I was so happy that yes we need to celebrate. And now I have the confidence to post a picture and I just want to make sure that these trolls do not affect me,” she added.
Image credit: Instagram/mrunalthakur
Complimenting someone on their outer appearance is often problematic
Mrunal’s account of being body shamed and then being complimented for the same body in a different setting proves that no matter what, people will always have opinions about others’ bodies. This reminds us of the time Bollywood actor Ileana D’Cruz requested fans to stop commenting on her body, even if it’s good. Our social conditioning governs how we’re taught to see different bodies, what’s ideal and who needs to ‘cut down’ or ‘gain’. If we don’t know what relationship people share with their bodies, better than sharing our opinions on the same, it’s better to not say anything at all. Skinny, curvy or big, we do not want to put men and women in boxes based on the numbers on a measuring tape.
Image credit: iStock
Why Mrunal wants to advocate for body positivity
The Batla House actor also talked about normalising real bodies. “Despite being an actress, I have acne. I do PMS. There are breakouts during my menstruation. So, I think we need more actresses and public figures to talk about it and to normalise it because we all go through our days, this is natural and there’s nothing you can do about it. We need to be happy.”
Well said, Mrunal. Isn’t happiness the ultimate goal, afterall?
Lead image credit: Instagram/mrunalthakur
