How Bullying Made Anshula Kapoor Grow Underconfident And Develop Body Image Issues: "I Knew I Was Fat, But..."

Anshula Kapoor, daughter of Boney Kapoor and sister of Arjun Kapoor, recently opened up about growing up underconfident, struggling with body image issues, and turning to food as a source of comfort during difficult times.

"I grew up underconfident," she said in a recent interview, recalling her school years. "I was a bigger-bodied girl, had curly hair, and was taller than my classmates, so I was always teased for my physical appearance. Going through turmoil at home and having somebody at school constantly pointing fingers at you doesn't make it easy to have that kind of confidence."

Anshula Kapoor explained that while she was aware of being different from her classmates, she struggled with the teasing and taunts. "I knew I was fat, I knew I looked different, and there was a lot going on that led me to become an emotional eater. It's not like I was working on my body - I was becoming bigger and bigger until I could reach a point where I could help myself and get fitter."

For the 34-year-old, fitness was never about hitting a particular number on the scale or changing her appearance; it was about health. "It was never about looking a certain way or being a certain weight - it was about being healthy, being able to climb three floors. But the more people taunted me, the more I retreated into my shell," she shared.

Highlighting the problem with the common belief that criticism helps people change, she said, "People think teasing others, saying 'you're so ugly, you're so fat,' will help them, but it doesn't work like that. Constantly making someone feel like they don't deserve to breathe the same air as you just because they look different can seriously affect a person's mental health."

Anshula added that her mental health suffered for years due to the negativity around her weight. "There's always something going on in the mental health of people who are a certain size, and the first time someone spoke to me about my weight with kindness, I was already 19. By then, everyone around me had talked about my body negatively, and no one ever asked if I was okay."

She also opened up about turning to food to cope with grief, especially after the death of her mother when she was 21. "I didn't realize I was an emotional eater until two years after my mom died. I must have gained 25 kilos in a year after her passing, and I didn't realize I was eating my grief. Food became my comfort when everything felt out of control. But it no longer is," she said.

Anshula shared that she has since found healthier ways to cope with stress and manage her weight. "The maturity to find comfort in other things comes with age, therapy, and liking yourself enough to feel like getting help," she added.