#BodyPositivity By The SHEROES, For The SHEROES
Reflecting on my mirror image, the first thing I notice is my petite frame. Teenage is the most savage phase of one’s life. You’re gullible and dumb. Well, I was! Getting sweeped by peer pressure, I did give into exercising. Yeah, I didn’t take up exercising as part of my health routine. It was a by-product of my group’s constant jabs at my plump, puppy-fat, teen body. I was determined to get those washboard abs and a sleek shape.
Thankfully, as I got deep into workouts and read more about healthy options to lose weight; Good sense prevailed and I realised my efforts are directed towards the wrong way. Workout to feel good and not look good! Once you start feeling good, you’ll automatically look good to yourself, and won’t give a flying speck of thought to people’s opinions. If they like you, that’s good and if not, well then its their loss.
Body positivity is a relatively new term. But we needed it way before the concept came into being. To fight off snide remarks passed by our mohalle ke aunties and uncles. You know those beauty tips like;
“Beta besan lagaya karo, rang saaf ho jayega,” “Kha liya kar, bohot patli hai, hawa chalegi toh udd jayegi," “Itne wazan ke saath, shaadi kaun karega tumse.” Needless to say the tips keep adding on in the list!
But what is body positivity, really? We got talking with our in-house team of SHEROES and asked their opinion about body positivity. Whether it makes any sense or is it just another western import we are obsessing over. Sit back with your hot cuppa coffee or tea and enjoy this ride 
Body Positivity feat SHEROES
Sairee Chahal, CEO/Founder
“We are all imperfect and designed to be so. The mainstream ideas of airbrushed photoshopped beauty has aligned us to singular ideas of beauty and bodies. Energy over looks. How one feels is more important than how one looks. There is a body part we all hate - scrawny hands, bulge around the waist, stooped shoulders and we have been influenced to think in a certain way. Most of us can't find clothes that fit - too big or too small. And that kinda reflects how templated we expect our bodies to be. Good news is being active and being fit beats all stereotypes, flat out. High energy levels are the best destroyers of body stereotyping.”
Monica Majithia, Mentor/Counsellor
“The standards of beauty change every decade and we are conditioned to keep up to these impossible standards. Imagine women trying to fit in curvy bodies into straight lines and slim women undergoing surgeries to enhance their bodies. We have never had a " be your healthy self " look. The fact is we only feel positive about our bodies after spending hours trying to get the abs, butt or legs that celebrities have. Health over shape works for me. Body positivity is when I know I am exercising, eating healthy, mentally positive and spiritually evolving. I may not have a 'perfect' body, but I love myself and have the confidence to be what I am.”
Nabomita Mazumdar, Evangelist
“My body is all about a pimple here and an extra roll there! Well the day it doesn't happen, I would probably be dead. I strongly feel-- I look super awesome :) I love my dark skin, wrinkles, missing tooth, falling hair and every stretch marks. It reminds me of all those Pizzas I eat and how much I love it. I loved all those scars that I received during my school days. It reminds me of all the sports, that I once played :) Back in school I never knew, I might loose the trophies I won, but the scars would stay on ! I wish I did ! My body is my Co-Pilot. It wakes me up right before missing a flight and puts me to sleep before I am bored. It decides when to eat and when not”
Avani Parekh, Empathy Aunt
“Putting yourself into some stupid box to fit the conventional standards of beauty is pointless. I will never be waif thin - and I have learned to love my strong body and my muscular calves. Instead of beating myself up about something I will never look like - I choose to celebrate my strength and the miracle my body is. Being healthy now is more important than being someone else's idea of beautiful. Body positive is a fun a fun place to be!”
Sneha Dadrwal, Content Lead
“I woke up every morning and the first thing I did was to stand on the weighing scale. Weighing scale ruled my life. A slight gain would ruin my day and a slight loss would make me the happiest. Then I got into extreme dieting and workout and lost 5 kgs. And I reached my goal weight in few months. And yet again I found myself being ruled by the weighing machine. Even after being on my goal weight I had the same anxiety, same guilt of eating. That's when I realised I gotta accept what I have and not let a machine or society standards rule me. Now I define my weight with how happy I feel.”
Raagini Kaushal, Product & Growth Marketeer
“Waking up every morning, not wanting to LOOK perfect, but feel perfect is my idea of body positivity. Everytime we go away from being real, towards a mental picture, probably of how we ought to look; we're being our own enemies- it's high time we become our own best friends."
Raba Raza, Research Assistant
“When I think about Body Positivity, the first thing that comes in my mind is how good do you feel with your body? Whether you are skinny, chubby or you fall in the category of obese people, the one thing that should matter to you should be "Comfortability." You should not take inspiration from models and Bollywood heroines and feel bad about yourself. Lakhs of money rides over their “good looks.” Our job is to stay healthy and live a good life.”
Shakun Vijay, Helpline Counsellor/Consultant
“Body Positivity for me is whenever I fall in Love with any imperfection of my body, of course too difficult and takes time, but at the end of the day if I feel energized enough to do justice to my work and life it works for me. It is real fun when I just leave a dress or something that does not fit/suit me by giggling and leaving a feedback for brand "Get it done better next time" :) Gone are the days of following a trend. Now is the time for custom-fit, be it thoughts, dresses or looks :)”
Pallavy Borah, Senior HR- Delivery Head
“Body positivity to me is wellness of body and mind. I look awful to myself most of the time, but it is also true that I don’t care. I have realised that feeling good is more important than looking good. If I have enough stamina and energy to sail through a workday then I think I am good. Eat well, exercise well - that’s my motto.”
Aman Garg, Product Head
“There was a time when I immersed myself totally into watching Game of Thrones and neglected my body completely. Even going to kitchen to have a glass of water seemed like a big task. But now, after joining SHEROES (all caps :P), I go for a walk in the park everyday which keeps my body active for performing all the daily activities. That's body positivity for me.”
Minu Sachdeva, Senior QA-SHEROES Tech Team
“Body Positivity for me is how I feel about my body NOT others. To stay positive, I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle and judge myself on how fit and energetic I am at this point of time. And, if I am not I will work towards being fit not skinny. Being Energetic while working is a bigger thing for me rather than losing those few pounds. LOVE YOURSELF is the mantra!”
Vikas Singh, Assistant Manager, Corporate Relations.
“Once I joined a gym to stay fit but all I was doing was following instructions by the trainer and spending 2 hours walking, dragging, lifting, pushing or climbing on gym machines. Being foodie, it is tough to resist and follow a diet. Then I realized, being body positive for me is to stay fit, not to build muscles. I made my daily ritual, running in the morning which helps me to stay fit, fresh and happy.”
Munira Soni, Consultant Psychologist
“Body positivity for me is accepting one's self as you are and loving every bit of your flab. Due to my PCOS I have always been on the heavier side of the weight. Spent thousands of rupees on instant nonsensical treatments. Created plans and goals to start my GM diet, but the moment my eyes fall on the street side pani puri wala the diet plan goes "bhaad me" :D Finally I have decided to love myself as I am, and just to be more conscious and positive.”
Aditi Chawla, Corporate Sales
“Body positivity is the coming together of your body, mind and soul. Learning to love yourself regardless of your imperfections and size is one of the most crucial and beneficial gifts that a person can give themselves.”
So ladies and gentlemen, please embrace the good, bad and ugly, i.e every part of you with open arms and kind heart. You got just this one life to love yourself, don't hold back :)
