Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 22: Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra has come out in support of Katrina Kaif after the latter faced online trolling over postpartum weight gain, calling the scrutiny of women after childbirth “absolutely bizarre”.
Parineeti, who is gearing up for her OTT debut with ‘Shaque: Trust No One’, spoke to IANS alongside Tahir Raj Bhasin and Soni Razdan during promotions for the series in Mumbai’s BKC area.
Speaking about how she deals with online trolling, Parineeti said she is largely unaffected by what people say about her on social media and does not spend much time following online discussions about herself.
“I don't deal with it because actually, I don't even look at it. If it happens to me, first of all, mostly I'm not aware of it because I don't spend that much time on social media. And even if I'm aware of it, it makes no difference to me,” she told IANS.
“I’m just too true to my life. I’m just true to my time, my family, my friends, and my own life. I really couldn’t be bothered about unknown people talking about me. It has nothing to do with me. I have no time for this nonsense,” she added.
The actress then spoke about the scrutiny women face after giving birth, questioning why physical changes following pregnancy are viewed negatively.
“I find it uneducated and bizarre. I just find it absolutely bizarre. I find it bizarre that especially postpartum women are even discussed. I don't understand why. I just don't get it,” she said.
Parineeti said changes in a woman’s body after childbirth should instead be seen as evidence of the physical demands of pregnancy and the strength required to bring a child into the world.
“If a woman has produced a baby and there is some evidence of that on her body, why is it negative? It's a sign of superhuman strength. Isn't that beautiful evidence?” she said.
Drawing comparisons with other physical changes, she said, “You go to the Maldives and you have tanned skin, that's evidence of you being in the Maldives. You go to the gym and you have abs, that's evidence of you working out in the gym. You fall down and break your leg and you have a cast, and you're like, that's evidence that you fell down and broke your bones.”
“So why is producing a human being for nine months, giving you the necessary changes in your body that were required to make that baby a healthy baby, why is that discussed? And even if it's discussed, why is it negative?” she asked.
Parineeti said she would rather view postpartum physical changes positively than criticise women for them, describing childbirth and motherhood as a demonstration of strength.
“I would look at a postpartum woman and be like, ‘Have you just produced a baby? I can see it. It's beautiful. Oh my God, how's your baby?’ I see it like that,” she said.
Questioning criticism based on something as trivial as weight, she added, “How can you say anything negative about this thing that a woman has said? And especially something as stupid as weight? Oh Lord. Okay, clearly they don't have lives. They definitely don't have education. They don't have basic human decency.”
‘Shaque: Trust No One’, starring Parineeti Chopra, Tahir Raj Bhasin and Soni Razdan, is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 24, 2026.