The World's Most Beautiful Woman Is Too Fat
In 2004, Aishwarya Rai was called the most beautiful woman in the world. And hey, I’ve seen Bride and Prejudice; I don’t disagree. But apparently, she’s… well, Bollywood Fat.
In 2005, one source posted a picture of her showing her belly and said in tones of shock and horror:
Is this is the petite, pretty thing we all used to call the most beautiful woman in the world? What on earth is she doing with all that excess weight around her body?
Oh NO! What ON EARTH is she DOING with all that FAT!! She’s just PARADING IT AROUND as if it’s OKAY. She sure isn’t the MOST BEAUTIFUL anymore. What were we THINKING!?
Then in 2006 she was asked to lose weight for a role in a movie called Big Big Bang 2. The article alludes to gaining and losing weight for multiple roles, so perhaps she was in the Indian Bridget Jones?
Times of India newspaper has reported it’s been an up and down time for gorgeous star Aishwarya Rai. The former Miss World has lost, gained and then lost weight again for back to back film roles.
Now she’s been the target of pregnancy rumors, and asked to lose weight yet again, to star in a movie called Robot.
If the most beautiful woman in the world is targeted repeatedly for being “too fat,” what chance do the rest of us mere mortals have?
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Celebrities, Gossip, International, Movies
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I’ve seen a lot of news on this circling around in indian tabloids and to tell you the truth Bollywood is actually taking it’s hints from American cinema. For years, Bollywood starlets were voluptuous beauties with thick thights and far from thin bodies and with its most recent exposure to American audiences via stars like Aishwarya Bollywood is trying to pull in the masses by attracting a wider array of fans by making the heroines relatable to Hollywood’s on screen beauties minus the kissing scenes.
I’m glad you brought this up because not only do American women have “standards” to live up to but every culturally oppressed women does too.
If we don’t keep spreading our messages of acceptance, none of us have a chance of existing (because we’re just too fat for society). That’s why Fat acceptance is so crucial. Awesome point!
What’s horrifying about this is that this is what a “normal” weight woman’s body looks like.
UGH! This kind of crap pisses me off. She’s gorgeous. Why can’t people F off? I’m sure all that gaining and losing is screwing with her.
Good lord, I have loved her from the second I saw her on-screen in B&P. I always thought she was super thin. Ha! Shows how much my fat ass knows ;)
Oh, honey, you didn’t ever think there was a chance, did you? Remember that old thing about “no one’s perfect?” That means “you’re still a target,” “no matter what you do, you’ll never be good enough,” “you can’t win.”
You thought it was a consolation, didn’t you? You don’t really remember that the idea behind it wasn’t “so why try” it was “never stop trying! It’s the journey that counts!” for you. The journey is what is supposed to make it all okay that society will never, ever accept you as you are.
Wow, I just got bitter there, didn’t I? Not that the journey isn’t what counts, it is. But that doesn’t negate the point that our culture is absolutely incapable of accepting a woman as she is. Or a man, for that matter. Society is like a particularly perfectionist parent: nothing is ever good enough, there’s always room to improve, you can totally overdo, give it your best effort, don’t show off, don’t fall behind.
This pisses me off; no matter what anyone does, we’ll never be good enough.
I think she’s lovely! I’ve heard of Bride & Prejudice, I’ll totally have to watch it now.
This just makes me sad. I adored Bride & Prejudice, and if that woman is fat I will eat my television. Part of the reason I’m nuts for Bollywood is that the actresses all look like individuals. Too much of Hollywood is about cranking out a uniform product with interchangeable leading ladies (and duller than hell plot lines). Emulating Hollywood is not a good thing.
on the link from 2005 there are 5 pages and the 5th one gives this tip:
“But if you have a flabby stomach like hers and majorly need to tone your body, here’s what you need to do. Eat right, do cardiovascular exercises, do abdominal targeting exercises and do little things like dressing down. ”
Good lord! It’s not enough to trot out the old calories in/calories out bs, now we’re not even allowed to dress as we wish? We must hide our hideous fat bodies until the day that the unsightly fat melts away and we are once again acceptable?
Oh right – if we fatties dress to show our style and personality then folks may see that we’re attractive and may actually be (gasp) attracted to us and then the world will spin off its axis and go careening through the universe because all laws of nature will be broken! a world gone mad!
I was happy to see that the majority of comments on the India Tiimes in reaction to the article itself were very negative. They were basically along the lines of “the reporter needs to get a life”
Not that fat would make her ugly, but I’m honestly not seeing much, if any, on her? WTF?
I like watching Indian music videos because both the women and the men are more likely to be average-sized and not super-skinny the way most models and actors are in US-made videos and movies. It would be such a shame if the US super-skinny aesthetic took over in Bollywood.
What chance do the rest of us have?
None. Next question?
(But you knew I was going to say that. Before I clicked through I thought the piece would be on Halle Berry because it’s been almost a whole week *gasp* since she’s had her baby. And, you know, she’s still fat.)
You can’t win, you can’t break even,
and you can’t get out of the game.
Is it Friday yet.
When does it f-in’ end? How skinny do we have to be before we’re “acceptable?” Do we have to die of starvation and have someone dress up our decaying skeletons to parade around on the red carpet?
Will we be thin enough when we’re DEAD?!?!?!?!
“Will we be thin enough when we’re DEAD?!?!?!?!”
I won’t be. I am truly big-boned!
Lois is right. I have a big forehead. A sevenhead if you will. If I starve myself and become deathly ill-type skinny, focus will just turn to my giant forehead and how it’s now so heavy I have to drag my face on the ground. I am hopeless. lol
I think the thing that really hits me about this (and you mention it in your post) is the linking of “fat with” “we USED to call the most beautiful woman in the world”. This has always frustrated me because there were two messages I got while growing up through others, the media etc. AND my parents, close friends etc. and those were:
“Fat is not pretty” (media; negative)
“but you have such a pretty face” (family, friends; not negative, not positive, just confusing)
For a VERY long time I pretty much figured i’d have to fool a man with my gorgeous face (which I do think I’m quite pretty THANK YOU!) and then just sort of hope he overlooked the size of my body. This presents such a horrible place to be inside your head. You think you are pretty “in the face” but your body somehow cancels it out and you have to work extra hard to have a pretty face and nice hair and blah blah blah.
I finally came to terms with the fact that my body does not cancel out my beauty and in fact, my current boyfriend tells me how he “loves my rubenesque ass” and he told me from the very beginning he likes large women. That man actively lusts after the fat attached to me and that is DEFINITELY not the opposite of beautiful!
What the hell???!!!
How in the hell is Miss Rai fat? Oh lord, I think our sickly aesthetics are rubbing off on the eastern parts of the world… *Sigh*
You would think that people would have better things to worry about, but apparently not if they’re worrying about a little belly jiggle…
JEEEEZZZZ!
seriously.
nothing else to add but a big frickin EYEROLL.
love her.
M.
I agree with Michelle. The Bollywood of my childhood was filled with normal bodies and curves. Today, due to assimilation of Hollywood ideals and some cultural crossover, the ‘ideal’ is slowly migrating towards the unhealthy standards western cinema has been reinforcing. I am heartened to see a good backlash against this article, though.
i am not agree with that aish is a model and i believe she is the best in modeling other actress are too thin and i think they are not a good models
The purpose of popular media is to influence consumers to part with their money. Sadly, this trend is influencing developing nations more and more. (Especially since the U.S. consumer is tapped out.) Women happy with their bodies means less money for the true fat cats who collects billions around the world each year by creating dissatisfaction. Until people realize that their very notions of self-esteem were influenced by others greed and manipulation of them, nothing will really change!
“Fat can be beautiful! Intolerance is ALWAYS ugly.”
I totally disagree with that. Aishwarya Rai is not fat. I always find her beauty and like her weight. Does anybody see her movie ‘Kuch Naa Kaho’: dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=92593&ru=279 , the same as before I see her beauty. And I think she looks fine. I do not think being skinny is beautiful. I think only staying healthy is beauty.
OMG. That’s beyond ridiculous. She doesn’t even look remotely chubby to me in those pics with the blue sari. She looks fabulous! How sickening and saddening!
I bet if she gained 40lbs she’d still be smokin’ hot! And if she wanted to, screw the tabloids. Jerks.
Totally late to the comments, as usual, but I have always found Aishwarya Rai unsettlingly slight – she has such tiny features! Such wee arms! – but she’s a dancer and an athlete with a really demanding bicontinental career, do they seriously think she’s never going to put on an ounce? Also, this is interesting because she’s usually the thinnest woman in her movies – I’ve seen her co-starring with a lot of more Old Bollywood-looking actresses who have heavier bones, thicker arms, and much more of a belly.
It’s just not reasonable for dancers in their thirties to keep the tiny frames they had early in their career – and it’s not healthy. Sigh.
Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! really nice post.
Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! really nice post.
She’s just getting older. When she was younger it didnt matter what she ate metabolism always took care of it. But she’s in her mid30s now and metabolism slows down. Need to compensate by working out more to get that toned body back..which I’m sure she will. So dont panic all u Aishwarya fans out there.
I think she is as beautiful as you can get- face structure, lips, eyes, complexion- and a feminine form- not emaciated and bony (uggggh)
BTW, I think she was purposely asked to put on weight for Bride and Prejudice- I’m sure I read that somewhere
WTF?!!!! >=(
She is GORGEOUS!! She is STUNNING!!! REGARDLESS of her weight!!
Stuff like this is pathetic and ticks me off!