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You are allowed to be flawed: Ileana D’Cruz
At a recent event for raising awareness about mental health, Bollywood actor Ileana D’Cruz encouraged the audience to take inspiration from the popular animated character, Winnie the Pooh. “He wore a crop top, ate his favourite food all day and loved himself — you can, too,” said Ileana, who has suffered from depression and body dysmorphic disorder.
This is a condition where the afflicted person becomes obsessed with a perceived flaw in their appearance. Ileana said that at one point in her life, she “felt suicidal”, but overcame that feeling. “I was a very selfconscious person and was picked on for my body type,” said the actor. “I used to feel low all the time but didn’t know I was suffering from depression and body dysmorphic disorder until I got help... I even wanted to end things. However, all of it changed when I accepted what I was going through. That’s the first step towards fighting depression,” added the actor, urging people with symptoms of depression to seek help.
Ileana emphasised that imperfections were a part of life. “I’m not saying that I had this miraculous recovery. Every day is a step towards healing yourself. You’re a human being and you are allowed to be flawed... You may look at us actors and think, ‘Oh my God, they are so pretty, so perfect’. But... it takes two hours to get ready and look like this. Love yourself for who you are,” she added.