Sonam on the ‘making’ of celebs

Actress Sonam Kapoor on all the money, time and manpower that goes behind the ‘making’ of celebrities

It isn’t realistic, and isn’t anything to aspire for — SONAM KAPOOR ACTRESS

In a powerful essay on Buzzfeed, the country’s much touted fashionista, Sonam Kapoor spoke out against body shaming, while revealing her own insecurities.

Sonam explains that she ‘didn’t wake up this way’ and discloses just how much money, time and manpower is needed to make her look the way she does in front of a camera. She emphasises, “It isn’t realistic, and isn’t anything to aspire for.”

The problem, she says, is in mainstream culture’s rigid definitions of beauty. The actress stressed on how even smart, educated and beautiful women are criticised by the society. Questioning our ideas of beauty, she writes, “I know now that there’s nothing wrong with stretch marks, cellulite, or scars. They’re markers of our growth. There’s beauty in their realness.” Sonam says that her self-confidence was quite low, with relatives pointing out that her tall physique and dark skin would make her ineligible for marriage. She felt that she would never make the cut to Bollywood because she didn’t look the part. Even during her debut film, Saawariya, she was terrified of wearing a backless choli. She confesses putting herself through unhealthy diets and even starvation. In the essay, the actress credits her make-up artist, Namrata Soni, her stylist, and her sister, Rhea for helping her overcome her low self-esteem.