Aishwarya Rai, Former Miss World, Ridiculed For Not Losing Baby Weight

Aishwarya Rai, who won the Miss World contest in 1994, is being criticized by several India blogs for not regaining her stunning figure after giving birth to her daughter Aaradhya last November.

US Weekly reports that several critics have complained that Rai has “a duty” to her fans to maintain her figure and are upset that Rai has not yet shed her baby weight. One video, which has been viewed more than 500,00 times, shows before and after pics of Rai accompanied by elephant noises.

One user writes: “She is a Bollywood actress and it is her duty to look good and fit.”

The commentators point to people like Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, and Beyonce, who magically snapped back into their pre-baby bodies after giving birth.

Another user writes: “Instead of losing some of her flab after her delivery the Bachchan Bahu has gained 5 or 6 kilos…we think it is time she hire a good trainer to help her sweat it out in the gym.”

Some people, fortunately, are coming to the former Miss World’s defense. One user writes: “She is a real woman looking after a baby. We should be concern [sic] for her health and happiness especially if she is nursing the baby. Not the Western belief of expecting people in the spot light to lose all weight in month.”

Professor Rachel Dwyer, a professor of Indian Culture SOAS, University of London, told ABC that Western celebrities are pressured to lose weight after giving birth. Dwyer was surprised, however, to see this type of hate directed at a Bollywood star. Dwyer wrote:

“I think this baby weight thing is a western obsession with pulling stars down… Women who lose weight are congratulated and those who don’t are seen as letting themselves go. I’ve not heard of it in India before.”

Do you think Aishwarya Rai has a “duty” to maintain her figure?