There is no denying that toxic beauty standards are still something that ails society. This was once again reiterated by Jamie Lever, veteran comedian and actor Johnny Lever’s daughter, when she spoke about her experience with this, the insensitive comments she had to suffer from, and the impact it can have on a person. The cruel beauty standards society has set for almost all people are still an area of concern.
With the widespread nature of digital life, nowadays it’s no longer just famous people who are being scrutinised, but anyone and everyone is fair game, it seems. From commenting on someone’s weight, whether they are too thin or too thick, their height, their eyes too far apart or too closely set, mouth too thin or overly thick, it seems society can nitpick and find fault with practically everything. Even then, the people, and especially women, are expected to rise to these standards, put their best foot forward, and constantly make sure that they are not lacking in any way because, of course, their looks are the only thing that matters about them.
What Did Jamie Lever Say?
Jamie Lever appeared on the ‘Candid Confessions with Chhavi’ podcast with actor and breast cancer survivor Chhavi Mittal in March this year. It was here that she opened up about several issues, including weight, body shaming, misgendering her, and more. When Chhavi asked Jamie about online trolls, Jamie mentioned that although she received mostly positive comments, there was a time when there were very negative comments, especially attacking her looks.
Jamie said, “It would be such a nasty comment, and I would be like, ye kya hai? (What is this?) I mean, what is the motive? Where is this coming from? Really nasty saying something about either my appearance or about my body. There’s a lot of body shaming, a lot of comments on my nose, or my colour, or the colour of my skin.”
She then recounted how during her early days someone cruely asked her, “tum chudail jaise kyun hasti ho? (why do you laugh like a witch?)” and that “somebody’s even called me a hijra.”
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In another instance, she said, “Yes, it does affect you. When I was growing up, I was constantly told that my nose was too big. One time, I was doing a photoshoot and the make-up artist said, ‘Iska cutting karna padega, naak bahut bada hai’ (the nose had to be cut. The nose is too big). And that really hit hard because, as a child, I was told that. So that was triggering, and then the same thing I read online. And it just breaks you. Because it’s like you are never going to be good enough.”
Jamie Lever also spoke about body issues she suffered from, saying, “I have had a weight loss journey. I have struggled with my weight. I have had PCOS. So, I am battling all these things already. This is my journey, and then you are constantly reminding this person of, ‘this is how you look, you are dark, you are black, why don’t you do this?’ And it does break you.”
She further said, “I was told that big hips are an embarrassment and have to cover them up. So, growing up, I always covered my lower body with long T-shirts or kurtis. I have always had a wardrobe like that.”
She did add, though, that she has reached a positive stage now where she embraces her true self. Lever said, “It’s taken me a lot of years to realise that this is beautiful. My curves are beautiful, and people aspire to have a body like that. I would give some credit to the Kardashians, who made the booty really famous. So, after that, people are like, ‘Wow, actually, curves look beautiful.’ Some people aspire to have a body like mine. It has taken time for me to be really comfortable in my skin.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Indian Express, News18, TOI
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Johnny Lever daughter, jamie lever, jamie lever beauty standard, toxic beauty, toxic beauty standard, jamie level interview, jamie lever podcast, beauty
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