Dipika Kakar has been documenting her life — stage 2 liver cancer diagnosis, treatment, parenting and cooking on her YouTube channel. During a candid chat with her audience in the latest episode, the Sasural Simar Ka actor opened up about facing body shaming from her followers in the comment section when she’d gained weight due.

“There was a time in my life when I’d put on a lot of weight, and I’ve also tolerated a lot of body shaming in the comments section. But at that point, I wasn’t in the frame of mind to lose weight, or even in a position to do so. I used to snack a lot, and I couldn’t push myself. Whatever you’d like to call it. But I just couldn’t do it. And I was okay with it,” Kakar shared in the video.

“As long as you are okay with your body. Be it fat, or if you want to make yourself slim or fit, please do it….Duniya mein bohot zyada toxicity hai (There’s a lot of toxicity in this world), so we have to just give a deaf ear. There’s no point listening to those who don’t matter,” she further added.

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Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist and relationship breakthrough coach, says that body shaming is rarely about the body, but about power, acceptance and belonging.

“Human beings have an innate need to feel accepted by the groups they are part of. When acceptance becomes conditional on appearance, people begin to believe that who they are is somehow inadequate. Over time, this can quietly erode confidence, self-esteem and even one’s sense of identity,” she tells indianexpress.com.

Dipika Kakar regularly gets invasive comments about her appearance.

According to Rrajesh, the entertainment industry may amplify these pressures because appearance is part of the profession, but similar experiences occur in everyday workplaces, schools and even within families. “Someone is told they are too thin, too dark, too short, too tall, too old, too young or not attractive enough. These comments are often dismissed as ‘feedback’ or ‘just being honest’, yet repeated exposure can leave deep emotional scars,” she elaborated.

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Rrajesh also reminds us that body shaming is not confined to one gender. “Sometimes the harshest standards are passed from one woman to another because unrealistic expectations have been normalised over generations. Hurt people can unknowingly continue the cycle of hurt unless someone consciously chooses to break it,” she says.

When Dipika gained weight during cancer treatment. (Source: Instagram/@ms.dipika)

How to get over body shaming?

Rrajesh says developing body confidence isn’t about pretending to love every aspect of ourselves. It is about learning to treat ourselves with dignity and respect. Here’s how you can do so:

• Separate your worth from your appearance. Your kindness, character, resilience and values define you far more than any physical feature.
• Be mindful of the language you use about your own body. Self-criticism often becomes self-belief.
• Avoid comparing yourself with carefully curated images that rarely reflect real life.
• Surround yourself with people who appreciate you as a whole person rather than constantly commenting on your appearance.
• If feedback about your appearance is affecting your mental health, seek support before it begins shaping your identity.

“When public figures openly discuss experiences of body shaming, they permit others to acknowledge similar wounds instead of silently carrying them. These conversations help shift the focus from unrealistic beauty standards to emotional well-being and self-acceptance, Rrajesh concluded.