Vahbiz Dorabjee recently took to social media to slam people who trolled her for posting a Barbie video. While one may see it as a strong woman taking a stand for herself, the actor asserts there’s more to it. “I am extremely sensitive about this topic because it’s very personal. While growing up, I’ve seen that happen in my own house, with my mother,” she shares.
Talking in detail about the ordeal her mother had to go through, the actor recounts, “She has been Miss Pune and was very gorgeous and skinny. But after giving birth to me and my brother, she started putting on weight and after that, I saw so many people bringing down my mom. I have seen her crying. She was suppressed and could not speak her mind out.”
However, when Dorabjee got some health issues that lead to weight gain, she was also subjected to trolling, but she chose to not let things be. Instead, she learned to give it back and voice her thoughts. “I got that strength by looking at my mom. Though she could not speak her mind, I have a platform to do so and I will,” she maintains, confessing that she wasn’t always this strong, and earlier, such harsh comments would affect her a lot.
The 37-year-old says, “When I started my career, I was quite thin. But because of some health issues, I started putting on some weight and I faced a lot of criticism. That phase was very difficult. My confidence got shattered. I’d breakdown and cry thinking, ‘What am I paying this price for?’ But when it kept on happening, it made me unbreakable. It took me so many years to come to terms and accept myself. I made peace with the fact that I won’t be able to lose weight easily and eventually my perception towards my body also started changing. And when I began to respect myself, everyone around also started respecting me.”
Today, the actor feels happy while mentioning that nothing of this sort bothers her as she has taken a stand against it. “The trolling has died down a little bit. People who know me or follow me are aware that I am very comfortable in my own skin and will take a stand if questioned and trolled for looking the way I do,” she explains, further sharing how several women message her to confide about their experiences after seeing her posts.
“This is not just about the actors. Any woman who is on the chubbier side is going through this. So when I write about it on my social media, several women message me to share how they face it on everyday basis. I would be glad if I manage to give a few of them the confidence to take a stand for themselves,” she ends.
