Sameera Reddy Reveals She Was Forced To 'Do Fairer Body Makeup' For Films, 'Was Made To Feel Too Big, Too Tall'

Sameera Reddy, in a recent interview with a media portal, shed light on how parenting has evolved, the pressures she faced as a new mother, and the long-standing beauty standards imposed on women in the film industry. She also spoke about online trolling and how she rebuilt her confidence after stepping away from mainstream cinema.

What Sameera Reddy Said

Sameera explained that parenting today looks very different from how the previous generation approached it. She said that instead of focusing solely on academic performance, parents; especially mothers are now prioritising conversations around social issues.

She told Mid Day, "What our parents did not know or did not think was an issue, today for us it is. We are more politically correct. We are more aware when we speak about gender equality, whether it's about bullying or trolling. In general, there is a certain awareness of doing the right thing at a very early age today."

When asked whether she regrets stepping away from films after becoming a mother, Sameera was honest about her feelings. She said, "I do sometimes question myself, but it is what it is."

Sameera spoke openly about the difficult period she faced after giving birth. She recalled how postpartum weight gain affected her self-esteem and left her feeling isolated.

She said, "I had postpartum weight gain, and I felt so alone and lonely. I felt judged, and my self-esteem took a big hit. Interestingly, when Nyra was born, I decided I'm not going to go through this again. In fact, I want to go out there and make sure that if somebody is going through this, I want to be there for them,"

Sameera said that while trolling did affect her in the beginning, she has now learned to detach herself from it.

She said, "It would be impossible for me to say that it didn't bother me. But today, after five years, I am actually very neutral to it. That doesn't change the fact that I am a good human being. So now trolling doesn't bother me. In fact, it's very rare on my page because my community of women is very safe and real."

Sameera also addressed the beauty norms she encountered early in her career, especially the obsession with fair skin and being slim. She revealed that she was often made to feel inadequate because she did not fit the industry's narrow expectations.

She said, "As an actor, as a woman, I always felt I had to be fairer. For some strange reason, everybody was always putting fairer makeup on me. So I had to do body makeup also, and that really bothered me. I was always made to feel I was never slim enough. I'm a very tall girl, so I was made to feel I was too tall and too big. Somewhere that stuck with me in the beginning. For years, my narrative as an actor was always about my size, when it should have been about talent, acting and many other things. Today I look back and I do not even know why I allowed that to happen, but that was the industry norm."

Sameera revealed that when she returned to the public eye through social media, she again faced judgement for her appearance, especially for embracing her natural look.

"I was told, 'You're a mother, you've put on weight, you have grey hair. You can't really get back into this line. People are not going to accept you.' I took that not as a challenge but as, 'Okay, I'm going to build my own space. If you like it, stay. If you don't, please leave,'" said Sameera.

Also Read: Inside Sameera Reddy's Three-Storey Goa Bungalow Surrounded By Coconut Trees And Lush Gardens