In an exclusive Zoom Spotlight Session, Adnan Sami spoke candidly about dealing with “fat” jokes, body image and the rumours surrounding his dramatic weight loss. The singer shared how he chose to own his struggles rather than make excuses, while also challenging society’s obsession with appearances and the idea that romance is defined by physical looks.

“If I was fat or obese, I played it on the front foot. I said, ‘Yeah, okay, I’m fat. So? Does a fat person not have the right to love someone?'” he shared during the interview, which warranted a particularly interesting conversation where Kruti Shah, Psychologist at Mpower, Aditya Birla Education Trust, weighed in.

 

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Body image involves more than one’s weight

“We have all seen the dramatic transformation, but what often gets missed is what happens psychologically when a person spends years being conscious of their body, being commented on, compared, judged, and eventually starts looking at themselves through the same critical lens,” she starts off.

As a psychologist, Shah often sees that body image concerns are rarely only about appearance. “A client may come into therapy saying, ‘I don’t like my body,’ but when we explore it further, there is often a much deeper belief underneath it ‘People won’t accept me’, ‘I won’t be attractive’, ‘Nobody will choose me,’ or ‘I will feel confident only after I lose weight’.

And that is where Adnan Sami’s story becomes relevant.

“His weight loss has been spoken about in the context of his health, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make changes to your body for health reasons. But psychologically, there is an important distinction between wanting to take care of your health and believing that you need to change your appearance in order to become worthy,” explains Shah.

 

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How does such criticism impact mental health?

She says that in therapy, a lot of the work around body image is actually about identifying the story a person has created around their body. “We start questioning thoughts such as, ‘I am fat, therefore I am unattractive,’ or ‘If I lose weight, my life will automatically become better’,” she says.

But the real question Shah asks is: ‘Where did we learn that?”

“Often, these aren’t beliefs we consciously chose. They come from childhood comments, family conversations, teasing at school, social media, relationships and the constant messaging around what an ‘ideal’ body is supposed to look like. After hearing these messages repeatedly, they can become our own internal voice, which can be extremely harsh,” she further elaborates.

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She also believes Adnan Sami’s transformation also raises an important question about how society responds differently to people based on their appearance. “The same person can suddenly be described as “disciplined,” “successful,” “attractive,” or “inspiring” once their body becomes smaller, which can unintentionally reinforce the idea that thinness equals worth,” she points out.

“Here we can take therapy into consideration, and start somewhere more realistic with acceptance and neutrality. And while that shift may sound small, it changes the conversation a person is having with themselves,” says Shah.

Adnan Sami has been trending on Google for the past 24 hours.