Every year on May 6, the world celebrates International No Diet Day. It all dates back to 1992 when British feminist Mary Evans Young noticed many people embarking on fad diets to fit into unrealistic body standards. Sadly, many of the eating disorders also stem from this. Young had gone through anorexia herself and wanted to promote the idea of having a healthy body image without resorting to extreme diets. She started the organization ‘Diet Breakers’ and created the first International No Diet Day, which soon became a movement.
And we could think of no one better than Neelakshi Singh, one of the top body positivity influencers of India to light our way through the dark alleys of fitting into the supposed right size.
Singh constantly advocates her opinions on body positivity through her blog ‘Plump to Pretty.’
Neelakshi is a graduate in business management who went on to complete her master’s in Design from NIFT along with a diploma in creative fashion styling. She started her career as a stylist under Sonakshi Raj and Yash Raj Films then moved on to brand management for e-commerce websites like Amydus, and Postergully, after which she finally started teaching at Pearl Academy.
Also, read: Meet Harvinder Kaur Janagal, India’s Most Body Positive Lawyer
Her strong message and confidence in her body have landed her on the ramps of the likes of Lakme. She is now the face of many brands that have inclusive sizes and is a bustling influencer.
Learning To Accept Her Body
Society has always been setting beauty standards in every era, and the pressure to meet it is always directed toward women. The burden is such that it can push someone toward the brink. Also, not everyone is born with innate confidence. Something, someone, or some situation ignites the courage we need to see the road ahead of us. Neelakshi too had similar troubles and a tough childhood and adolescence.
“I was bullied at school and so to not catch anyone’s eyes I’d aim to be mediocre. My mom and dad thought that I was brilliant but I would not raise my hand deliberately when asked something in the class. This eventually led me to an eating disorder for the longest period of time. It was difficult, I had to deal with it, and my family had to deal with it. But it was my best friend who came to the rescue. He was the one who was my cheerleader all along,” shared Neelakshi with Life Beyond Numbers.
Neelakshi gives most of the credit to her best friend. She further narrated how the two of them found their way out of the abyss.
Also, read: Fat. So? – This Duo Is Beating The Stigma Of Being Fat, One Podcast At A Time
“My journey, my blogging happened for my best friend. Yet we had nothing in common after college, he was struggling to come out of the closet and I was struggling with my body. Two miserable friends were trying to make their way through the internet, watching all the Youtube videos and all of those movements take over. We would just watch and bleach our hair and learn along the way, we had no formal training,” she told.
“He posted one of our experiments on the internet, I didn’t know about it. Then I had three specific comments on it. Then I was like, are you trying to make me feel better because that’s what best friends do. He said, are you crazy, people need to see this side of you, people need to see that you are confident even when nobody is watching you. But I was like, hello that’s not me. But you need to be the hero of your own life, that’s what I have realized. I think that’s what my best friend saw and it all started from there,” Neelakshi added.
Spreading Body Positivity On Social Media
The influencer further explained how the tribe on social media boosts her enthusiasm. He credited these people who openly lauded her to be the reason of her happiness.
“I consider myself very fortunate. Whenever I read a comment like that it reminds me of my own journey and it has taken a lot of work. When people talk about self-love it is not about slapping on some makeup and being photographed or being on video. The validation I have online, the confidence that I gained is because of these people. I don’t want to be boxed into a plus sized girl who wants to make you laugh or to entertain you,” said the advocate of body positivity.
We all are aware of the perils of social media and so is Neelakshi. She controls her handles minutely and interacts with each and every person that she can. She calls it her home where there is no free pass for negativity.
“I believe that it can be an ally because it has been for me for a decade now on social media and one of the things that you need to do is treat it as your home. You don’t let intruders come as and when they wish, right? So, when I get a follower, when I get a comment I make sure I go back and interact with them. These are the audience, what is it that they want, and how did they reach out to you? So, that’s something I consciously make an effort to. My numbers are very controlled in that sense because at least I would know who I am speaking to. I have a legitimate fear of going viral in the wrong way,” she told.
Speaking about her dual roles as a body positivity influencer and educator, Neelakshi said, “For me, academics did not come naturally. It was something that I chanced upon while we were working for fashion weeks. I thought it would be a leap off to something else but it was not. I stuck around and it has been a while here and it has been so interesting, I love being an educator. Blogging is something that I have been doing since college, and I love every minute of it. And obviously, plus-size modeling, whenever I get the opportunity I jump at it.”
Your body is your temple, and food is an offering. Regard the bounty of nature, and continue eating for good health, and most of all contentment.
Happy No Diet Day!