Rubina Dilaik Fat-Shamed: Even The Pandemic Couldn't Encourage Us To Be Kinder

Rubina Dilaik Fat-Shamed: Television actor Rubina Dilaik shared a post on Monday, in which she called out "pseudo-fans" who were sending her hate mail for gaining weight. Dilaik had contracted the coronavirus infection in May this year and has previously opened up struggling with post-COVID weight gain. Some people will not even consider a grievous illness to cut their favourite celebs some slack. It is amusing how even a pandemic has failed to make us kinder towards others, especially on social media.

"Dear well Wishers/ PSEUDO FANS , I am observing that my weight gain is bothering you!" Dilaik wrote in the caption of her post. She further added that she was receiving hate mails and messages relentlessly and that some people didn't see her worth if she didn't hire a PR or didn't tip the paparazzi for spotting.

Dilaik said that some people were threatening to leave "fandoms" because she had gained weight, didn't wear good (designer) clothes and was not working hard to get big projects. Expressing her disappointment, the winner of Bigg Boss season 14 wrote, "FOR YOU my physical appearance is far more important than my talent and my commitment to my work ….. But I have a GOOD NEWS for you all…. ITS MY LIFE and it has phases , and you too are a phase of my life!"

Via a post in September this year, Dilaik had revealed that she had gained close to seven kilograms of weight post recovering from COVID and that had made her uncomfortable and low on confidence. However, the actor was determined to put her health first. "Weight is all about having your health first and not your looks…. Be kind to your body," she wrote and one can't agree more.

The year 2021 has been unkind to most of us, that too in different ways. Some had to see their loved ones pass away due to COVID-19 helplessly, while others had to deal with job cuts, mental health issues, and even long COVID that had a range of symptoms like hair fall, fatigue, chest pain, breathlessness, loss of sense of smell or taste and many more. Some people gained weight, due to restricted movement during the quarantine, while others lost it, due to the toll it took on their overall health.

As COVID-19 gradually eases out of our lives, many people are still struggling with its aftermath. In such a situation, the focus should be on healing, not resuming life as one knew before the pandemic as soon as possible. We don't even know yet, how long the impact of this disease will be on the lives of those who managed to survive it.

But it helps when those around them are kind and accommodating. And this also applies (or rather, especially applies) to public figures, actors and influencers. Just because someone has a social media presence or are part of the entertainment business doesn't mean they have no right to shut down their public existence and take a time out. Like Dilaik there may be many celebrities who may be suffering from the long term impacts of COVID-19 and yet they have to power through their digital lives and careers simply because their followers wouldn't have it otherwise.

Do such followers, who want a celeb to meet their standards of body image, appearance or online presence even at the cost of health, have any right to call themselves fans? Why kind we be accommodating of celebrities who might not be able to focus on their appearance or work due to the impact of the pandemic and instead encourage them to focus on feeling better? What has the pandemic even taught us, if not to be kind and empathetic?

Views expressed are the author's own.

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