Minal Khan speaks up for new mothers

The actor and young mother spoke of the pressures of conforming to unfair beauty standards

Weighed down by a crushing tidal wave of love, sprinkled with a dash of undue shame over a body that refuses to dial down to supermodel dimensions? Welcome to new motherhood. After all, if Kate Middleton can ping back to her wedding size after having a baby (three times, no less) anyone can do it without batting an eye, right?

Eight months after giving birth to a beautiful baby boy Hasan, television actor Minal Khan — also known as Aiman’s twin — struck a chord with her fans and followers as she penned down the overarching thought running through the heads of new mothers the world over, both in the showbiz world and out.

“After 8 months I still feel the same,” began the Ishq Hai actor as she took to Instagram. Lest anyone misconstrue her intense love for her son regardless of the toll he has taken on her body, Minal gave weight to the overwhelming miracle of childbirth, along with singling out her husband Ahsan Mohsin Ikram and her family for always being there.

“I am still in awe of this life & life-changing experience of literally bringing a life into this world,” she wrote. “Forever grateful to my family and Ahsan for always supporting [me], and it’s an honour to be your mom, Hasan,” she captioned.

However, whilst grateful for the support of those in her immediate circle, Minal was quick to turn her focus on the unfair expectation placed on new mothers to jettison the baby weight in the blink of an eye.

“But society’s pressure?” she continued. “The pressure is taking a toll on me. The pressure of bouncing back, the pressure of looking the best when you don’t feel the best after gaining over 40kg in pregnancy.”

Minal acknowledged that she is by no means alone in feeling the burden — or “the overwhelming experience of motherhood” — of trying to look your best whilst juggling a life of limited sleep and being needed round the clock. Rallying all new mothers out there, Minal added, “New mamas, do you still feel alone?”

Giving a virtual hug to her fellow “new mamas”, Minal rounded off her post with heartwarming words of encouragement to get out there and take charge. “You’re not alone we’re in this together and we got this! Let’s hit the treadmill and show the world who runs the world.”

The comments section of Minal’s post quickly gathered steam as her fans and followers started pouring in words of both gratitude and support. “You spoke my heart!” wrote one fan. “A body that creates a human and gains weight through a journey of nine months and then postpartum — how can people expect shedding it overnight? It’s not that easy.”

Another fan acknowledged how it is harder for a woman in the public eye to have her body scrutinised with such intensity after becoming a mother.

“Love how you expressed your feelings,” commented the fan. “Not easy doing this as an actor with a big public following. Glad we are speaking about this openly! I’ve realised no one would be fully happy — if someone wants to, they would also find something to complain about. We shouldn’t get influenced by others, though it’s hard! You got this, Mama!”

Minal and her husband Ahsan got engaged in May 2021 before throwing a grand wedding in September of that year in a glittering ceremony attended by showbiz heavyweights. The couple announced to their fans in July 2023 that they were expecting their first child. They welcomed their bundle of joy, Hasan, just a few months later in November.