Curvy brides challenge social pressures to slim down for wedding

Most, if not all, South Asian women are pressured into losing weight for their weddings. To counteract that, wedding planning portal Wed Me Good met with a group of curvy brides to break stereotypes of being a plus-sized bride.

Every now and then, the company takes brides-to-be out for a day of pampering at a designer store to give them a fun-filled bridal photoshoot. The problem they encounter, however, is that most designer stores only carry a standard size, not suited for curvaceous girls.

So Wed Me Good collaborated with Stage3, an online high-fashion styling and rental platform, that offered to adjust designer outfits for the future brides. They released a film called Real Brides, Real Curves, in which they discuss the added social and family pressure to lose weight before their wedding.  



PHOTO: FILE

The video features regular women who are all set to tie the knot. They discuss the body shaming women face when their wedding date approaches, they also highlight how important it is to love your body.

One points out that when a woman is about to get married, her body is not her own, "It's always judged, sexualised, objectified."

"The girl has to be perfect. The boy can be any size, any complexion, any thing."

However, that doesn't stop these women from loving their bodies. Zenden from Mumbai says she looks forward to flaunting her curves at her wedding in a week. Nutritionist Tanvi, who has lost 20 kg, talks about how brides have it harder than grooms; and one of India’s first plus-sized models Shivani, explores what it’s like to be a big girl in a skinny world.



PHOTO: FILE

The future brides also discuss the difficulties of walking into a store and finding clothes in their size. "Designers don't design for me and some of the people who have been working in the stores have been open enough to tell me."

"The average Indian girl is not a skinny girl and when you go to designers... their outfits are just for skinny girls."

"I do not promote obesity in any way. One should be fit, but I eat everything," says one of the beautiful women, as she laughs.

"I'm a curvy woman and it is who I am. It's part of me and it's part of what makes me, me. So, I'm going to own it at my wedding day and I hope others do too."

Once the brides are dressed and ready for their photoshoot, they each give their own piece of advice to other brides of every size that are preparing for their upcoming weddings.

"If you're happy with yourself, I don't think anyone else can judge you and I don't think you should care about the people that judge you because they're not worth keeping around."

PHOTO: SCREENGRAB

"It's your day and understand and internalise the fact that every bride is special."

Watch it here: