In a recent interview with Aamna Isani, actor and model Komal Meer addressed the online frenzy surrounding her visibly fuller face - a change that quickly became the subject of public speculation and harsh criticism. Accusations of fillers, Botox, and cosmetic surgery have been rampant across social media, overshadowing conversations about her actual work.
For the first time, Komal shared the personal story behind the transformation. She started by revealing “I have always been underweight and struggled with disordered eating my entire life.”
Despite this, she goes on to say, “I was repeatedly bodyshamed by those within the entertainment industry - co-actors, directors, stylists, called things such as ‘stick’, a ‘hanger on clothes’ and so much more.”
“I was told that I needed to gain weight to look more appealing on screen. And when I was offered the part in a film, I was told to gain a few pounds to appear fuller.” ,
Komal then began eating more freely. “I gained six kilograms and it appeared mostly on my face. Still, I felt stronger and healthier than I ever have”. She stated.
However, when she appeared on screen again, the reaction was swift and merciless. Trolls accused her of ruining her face with cosmetic work and circulated altered comparisons online.
Komal, however, stood her ground. She clarified that she had done nothing surgically or cosmetically, and that the change was simply the result of caring for her body in a way she hadn’t been able to before. Still, the backlash affected her deeply and made her feel a large degree of inner turmoil because when she was finally happy with her body, nobody else was.
Komal’s story reveals our continued discomfort with women’s autonomy
What happened to Komal is not an isolated case of internet cruelty. It is emblematic of a much broader cultural pattern in which women are never truly allowed to inhabit their bodies without explanation or critique. Komal’s weight gain, her changing face, her decision to eat more, none of these are radical acts in and of themselves. But in a society that polices women’s appearances at every turn, even the most natural changes become public battlegrounds.
For a woman to simply exist in her body becomes a spectacle, a source of discomfort, and a site of judgment. And when that woman is a public figure, the scrutiny intensifies, tenfold. Her face is not just her own, it becomes a shared cultural object, open to analysis, gossip, speculation, and ridicule. She is expected to remain familiar yet constantly improved, natural but flawless, thin but not too thin, healthy but never bloated. The contradiction is endless.
Thus, a woman becomes a surveilled body - endlessly watched, assessed, and evaluated, both in public and in private. Komal’s experience is a perfect example of this in action. She did what she was told would make her look “better” on screen, and even then, it was not acceptable. Because the truth is, the goalposts are always shifting and there is simply no version of her body that would have escaped commentary.
More disturbingly, this scrutiny disguises itself as concern. It masquerades as interest in beauty or curiosity about self-care, but at its core, it is about control. The female body is expected to conform, and any deviation from what is currently deemed ideal is punished - either through silence, or more often, through spectacle.
While Komal gaining weight should have been a footnote, a chapter in her personal life. Instead, it became a national talking point. And in it, it says far more about the public’s discomfort with women’s autonomy than it does about her face. Her decision to speak about it with clarity and calm is powerful, but it should not have been necessary.
The real work lies in undoing the structures that made it necessary in the first place. Because until women are allowed to change, grow, and simply be, stories like Komal’s will keep playing out.
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