When was the first time you got body-shamed? I’ll go first. In high school. I was an extremely skinny child and grew up hearing terms like ‘flat screen’, ‘skeleton’, and ‘match stick’. When I think about it, the worst part was not these rude comments. It was those sugar-coated insults that hit me the hardest and smashed my confidence. I’m talking about all those times my relatives nonchalantly asked, “mummy khana nahi deti kya?” as if it was the funniest joke ever. Or when staff members of branded showrooms asked me to check out the ‘kids section’ as they didn’t have anything in my size. Mind you, I was a full-grown adult by that time.
Was that highly unprofessional? Of course. But, guess what? There’s nothing new about it. Forget about relatives and school bullies, high-end brands and designers have often body-shamed women for not meeting their unrealistic beauty standards. Who can forget when anonymous fashion critic Diet Sabya (@diestsabya), and former fashion editor Aishwarya Subramanyam (@otherwarya) called out the industry for penalising plus size women? We’re talking about the infamous ‘fat tax‘ or the extra charges that curvy women had to pay for opting for bigger sizes. Also, remember when designer Falguni Peacock said during an interview that she’d ask a plus-size bride to lose a few inches to wear her wedding lehengas? Talk about regressive!
The worst part? Our designers are still not ready to learn. Case in point: a recent incident that happened with Dr Tanaya Narendra, popularly known by her Instagram handle, Dr Cuterus. A physician and embryologist trained at Oxford University, she uses her social media page to raise awareness about women’s sexual health.
Dr Cuterus Calls Out Designer Tarun Tahiliani’s Bridal Store For Body-Shaming
Dr Tanaya recently tied the knot with her beau Yash Sagar Santani. Taking to her Instagram handle, she shared a beautiful series of her wedding pics along with a heartfelt caption. The millennial doctor talked about the pressure of losing weight that a lot of soon-to-be brides faced before their wedding. She wrote, “There is SO much pressure on people to lose weight before their wedding – I had that too. Family friends would ask why I wasn’t “dieting” before my wedding (in a span of one month lmao). Some even went out of their way to send me “slimming teas”.”
Insane, right? What followed next was even worse. Being a fan of designer Tarun Tahiliani’s work, Dr Tanaya always wanted to wear the label’s lehenga on her special day. But, things did not go as planned. She called out the designer’s bridal store in Ambawatta that body-shamed her and wrote, “Bridal stores would body shame (looking at you, Ambawatta @taruntahiliani {yeah, that was a massive shame, because I’d wanted to wear a Tarun T to my wedding since I was 12. Never going there again. [also what’s with these big designers being afraid of big boobs?”
NGL, as a soon-to-be bride myself, I find this not only infuriating but relatable AF! My messaging apps are currently flooded with unwanted advice on ‘how to get that lehenga-body within a few weeks’. Seriously, what era are we living in?
Thankfully, Dr Tanaya managed to find a designer who understood the basic concept of inclusivity perfectly. While talking about it, she added, “I cannot sing enough praises for the guys at @anitadongre, who managed to make a beautifully fitting, and genuinely lovely lehenga, all in a span of three weeks!}])”
Tarun Tahiliani’s Statement
On Tarun Tahiliani’s behalf, the label recently issued a statement on his Instagram handle, explaining the situation from their end.
In the statement, the brand said that ‘shaming’ has never been a word in their vocabulary. And, they don’t carry size 16 apparel in their stores due to ‘limited stock’. “Instead of misleading a customer about how long it would take to customise a product, we choose to tell them that it would not happen in the timeline they require; it cannot be called fat/body shaming,” he wrote.
Adding further, the label has apologised to ‘the customer’ who felt disappointed with their service. He said, “That said, if our communication of stock availability, timelines needed for production and customisation has made the clients feel even the slightest not welcome and acknowledged, then we are truly sorry because that is not and will never be the intent.”
The brand concluded the statement by refuting Dr Tanaya’s claims and said, “Women of a diversity of body types across ages every year have had the pleasure of wearing TT to their functions. It is simply not possible to exist for 25 years without offering dedicated service for this diversity.”
Coming back to Dr Tanaya, we’re glad that her special day was not ruined by this unpleasant experience. Finally, she asked all brides to forget about everything else and remember only what matters—your happiness and your loved ones. She wrote, “Look at me, how happy I am. Double chin and all. Just look at me. And that’s all that matters – my closest friends, my lovely family, and my boy love me for who I am. And most importantly, I love me for who I am. And that’s the biggest learning I can share from my wedding. Enjoy it, because happy brides are the best brides.”
While I’m taking up her advice for my wedding day, here’s hoping that designers take some lessons on inclusivity.
Featured Image: Instagram
