Ananya Panday, one of the most popular young actresses in Bollywood, is also a Gen-Z style icon. Young girls look up to her in terms of beauty standards and the actress has never disappointed by promoting any wrong thing. In contrast, she has been candid about her body image issues, sending a powerful message to her fans. Known for her glowing skin and confident presence, Ananya recently surprised everyone as she revealed how she used to be conscious about her body and looks which took a major toll on her confidence while growing up. Here’s what she said.
Ananya Panday opens up about her body image struggles
Ananya Panday appeared in an episode of In The Ring With Filmfare, where she reflected on how body shaming and critical remarks about her body impacted her confidence as a kid and teen. The actress recalled that when she was a kid until the age of 11, she used to be a chatty and confident person who didn’t hide her real self from anyone. However, her adolescence brought a shift in that approach as she tried to move away from the attention. She said:
“From like 3 to like 10, I was very… I would be that one at a birthday party who knew all the footsteps and how I am now, I was like that from 3 to 10, very confident, very chatty and all of that.”
Ananya Panday added that when she entered her teenage years, she used to hear people making comments about her looks, which made her conscious of her looks. Consequently, she tried to put herself at the back of things which she once enjoyed. From not participating in school plays to standing behind in dance performances, she took a step back in everything. Even after becoming an actress, the Call Me Bae actress was conscious about her body image which gradually changed after her first two films. In her words:
“I would just kind of… even if my friends and I were doing a dance performance in school, I would always be like, ‘Can I stand behind?’ And I would never audition to be like the main… I would always kind of prefer to take the, you know, a back position of that sort. It took me time. I’m not even saying as soon as I became an actor, that went away. Even in my first film, I really struggled with my body… not thin enough… today I’m more comfortable, but it did take me in my first two films also.”
Ananya Panday revealed she was called ‘flatscreen’ in school
Previously, in an interview with She The People, Ananya revealed that she was body-shamed in school, where some classmates called her ‘flat screen’, which affected her. She used to wonder if it only happened to her and if something was wrong with her. However, later when she shared the same things with other girls, she realised that many other girls faced a similar issue and talking helped them overcome it to a certain level. Recalling the same, she said:
“When I was younger, I would get teased by some in school that ‘you are a flat screen.’ I was like, this is only happening to me. Why are they only saying this to me? There is something wrong with me. Growing up, talking to more girls around me, I felt that it was not just me. I felt if I speak about it, it will make someone feel less alone.”
On the work front, Ananya Panday was last seen in Kesari: Chapter 2, co-starring Akshay Kumar and R Madhavan, where she played the role of lawyer, ‘Dilreet Gill’. She will be next seen in Chand Mera Dil alongside Lakshya, directed by Vivek Soni.
What do you think about Ananya Panday’s confession on facing body image issues?
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