Even if you’re not a Bollywood fanatic, chances are you’ve heard of Aishwariya Rai. She’s a former Miss World title holder, she’s been cited as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” and she’s appeared in a number of Bollywood blockbusters.  Aishwariya gained even more celebrity when she married into the Bachchan family.  Her father in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, is probably the most famous Bollywood actor…ever. 

Her newest role is being a mother to a six month old baby girl.  And here’s where the controversy (or so called controversy) comes into play.  The Indian media has been passing a lot of judgment her way because – gasp – she’s in no rush to lose the baby weight!   Many claim she’s letting herself go, and that this is just not acceptable.  She’s an idol in the eyes of young girls, and she needs to set the right example.  Umm, what!?

Based on some of the comments that have been made, you would think she committed treason or something.  People don’t understand how she’s not in top shape after six months of giving birth.  Supposedly, she owes it to the people of the world to lose all of her pregnancy weight in record time.

Honestly, I was surprised to read that she didn’t hire a personal trainer right away.  It seems that celebrity moms (from all parts of the world) are in a rush to lose the baby weight plus some and are able to do so easily.  It’s hard to believe that someone with the means to do so chooses to take her time with the process. 

After thinking about this for a few days, I’m actually happy that she’s doing what makes her and her body happy, as she’s the only one who knows what it needs.  If it doesn’t bother her, why is it making so many people angry?

Maybe it’s because of cultural norms, maybe it’s because she chooses not to do something even though she can, or maybe it’s because people aren’t ready to accept that Ms. Rai has gained some weight.  In any case, I think these people are sick.

The sad part is that all women, celebrity or not, go through this.  Personally, I’ve seen close friends and family members work their asses off to lose pregnancy weight because that is now the norm.  One could even call it a competition.  The women I know literally felt pressured to shrink back to their previous sizes as quickly as possible.  I’ve never been pregnant, so I honestly don’t know what it’s like to try to lose that kind of weight, but I imagine it’s hard…really really hard. 

It’s just sad to me that on top of all the internal pressure new mothers face, people pass judgment when the weight doesn’t come off that easily, new mothers feel like ugly whales when the scale doesn’t budge, and society still defines beauty by what’s on the outside. 

Something I try to remind myself on a daily basis (because sometimes I fall prey to thinking thin) is that…

“Beauty is not in the face (or the body); beauty is a light in the heart.” – Khalil Gibran

Thoughts on the Aishwariya “controversy?”  Do you think the [global] cultural norm is for woman to be as thin as possible?