Ashnoor Kaur Body-Shamed Bigg Boss 19 Talks Weight Struggles

During the latest episode of Bigg Boss 19, there was an emotional moment when actress Ashnoor Kaur spoke about her long struggle with weight gain and body-image issues after being body-shamed by Tanya Mittal and Neelam Giri in a late-night chat inside the house.

Host Salman Khan confronted the contestants after they showed a clip of Tanya and Neelam gossiping about Ashnoor’s weight. While Tanya initially denied any comments, Neelam said she was wrong and apologized. Salman even called out Kunickaa Sadanand and Shehbaz Badesha, who were present for parts of the gossip, saying that they were “party to the game.”

“I Experienced Issues with Body Image”—Ashnoor Kaur

Having become increasingly emotional, Ashnoor Kaur chose to begin talking openly about her internal and external struggles. “This has been a big part of my life. When I was a teen, I did have some issues with body image,” the 21-year-old actor states.

She continued on to discuss her continued issues with hormonal imbalances that cause weight fluctuations. “My body bloats up in a stressful environment,” she explained, before adding that she found being in the Bigg Boss house heightened this issue.

Ashnoor then discussed developing eating disorders when she was a teen. “As a young kid, and even as a teenager, I tried a lot of things. I used to avoid eating. I used to starve myself. ”

Ashnoor’s impactful conversation by saying, “Hmm, Tanya, it’s all good to tell people not to abuse other people but want to use physical abuse against me. Shame on you, Tanya…” she commented, regarding someone who was making her feel inadequate and unsafe with regard to her body. I mean, let’s think about it: losing weight isn’t easy to do; body shaming others isn’t truthful either—both options can enable further unhealthy behaviors. Ashnoor said she hasn’t had junk food since she was fourteen years old and has even visited the medical room inside Bigg Boss to have help with her weight. She said she recently lost nine kg before entering the Bigg Boss house but had gained back the weight as she was stressed. Even though “some people gain weight in a stressful environment—I gain weight,” she said. Kin Salman Khan instantly connected and said, “Main bhi” (meaning, “me too”), which made Ashnoor laugh for a moment. Even though Ashnoor explained to audiences and remained upset about Tanya targeting her weight at an acceptable and tolerable level, I wanted to share with you an idea about weight and cultural norms. It’s also an incredible idea, but we must continue to outsmart adverse social or environmental influences. Good for you for moving forward, though.

A Serious Message From Salman Khan

Prior to signing off, he delivered a serious message to all the contestants: “No one has the right to comment on someone else’s appearance or weight. It should never happen again.”

This moment brought a reflective pause for the housemates and connected with viewers nationwide, who congratulated Ashnoor for her courage and honesty.

Her moving revelation reminded us that those young stars who are mainly of an imaginary or perceived “glamour and fame” are not what they seem to be; they are still experiencing that, like many young people today, they struggle with body image and self-worth issues, so we should try to be empathic before being judgemental.