Can you imagine a single argument changing someone’s entire life and career. Riya was an aspiring model. During the Pune Fashion Week, she and her co-models got into an imbecile argument over whether or not any of them would have retained their current endorsements if they were overweight, as body shaming is still prevalent in India. Riya debated and said, “That is not true. So what if a person is overweight? She could still get a brand endorsement, it all depends on the credibility and personality of a person.” So all the girls challenged her to put on 15 kilos and then try to get an offer from a well-known company.
She reluctantly agreed and went on a journey to gain weight. Riya did not realize how difficult it was going to be. She had anorexia, which made gaining weight even harder. She would want to vomit after she ate and she began going to a holistic therapist who helped resolve her issue. Finally, she gained 10 kilos after 3 months.
She looked completely different. Her face and body had filled out. She looked and felt better, and had never felt so much at peace as her crazy lifestyle of starving was replaced by this healthy, happy lifestyle.
After nearly a month of exile, she went for her shoot. The photographer and director did not recognize her, and thought she was just an overweight fan who dressed up and spoke like Riya. This made her very angry as they refused to let her attend the shoot unless and until she lost weight and became a size zero again.
When she came back home crying, she told her mother everything that happened on the set. Her mother told her that she should take pictures and upload them on social media to show the world what she was going through, because there were probably more who were going through the same thing as her.
When she posted the pictures and the videos of her journey online, she got a lot of hate at first. But slowly, the hate turned into love and people started following her. She started doing brand endorsements for companies which sell plus size clothes for women and promote body positivity. Her beliefs were all over the internet. Her biggest compliment was being the showstopper for India’s most famous and sought-after designer, Sabyasachi.
Being thin, fat, dark skinned, or light skinned does not decide what you can do and what you can’t. Nobody has a right to demoralize you. People will say stuff, but reacting or not reacting is only in your hands. That one baseless argument with her co-models changed her life completely. Today, she is a more confident, happy and successful person.