When Rekha’s beauty advice for young women was to be ‘physically fit and definitely not fat’: ‘Fat is ugly’

Actor Rekha is no stranger to body-shaming, after being judged for her looks when she was starting out in the industry as a child star. And perhaps that is why she suggested that young female actors should work extra hard on looking beautiful. In a 1985 interview with Simi Garewal, Rekha said that beauty is both internal and external, but in the same breath said that being ‘fat is ugly’.
A snippet of the interview found its way on Reddit, where it fuelled a debate among viewers. Some of them argued that the comment was made when people weren’t concerned about political correctness, and others seemed to disagree with what Rekha had said. Many also pointed out that she herself had experienced such judgement, and should’ve been more careful about her words.

Simi Garewal asked her about her ‘metamorphosis’ into a ‘new, sleek, confident Rekha’, and how she had accomplished this transformation in her appearance, and if it is possible for other women to do so as well. Rekha said, “Appearance? Why only appearance? They can achieve just about anything they want. I think it should be both ways — inside and outside.”
Asked if she had any advice for young women who might look up to her, Rekha said, “To be beautiful. To be a complete beautiful woman, you have to be physically fit. If you can manage to be slim, fine. Definitely not fat. Fat is ugly.”

People in the comments section weighed in on the matter. “This was during a different time. People weren’t politically correct nor did they care about it. Most people still have the same mindset even now, they just don’t say these things openly,” one person wrote. “Rekha herself was fatshamed and called fst dark and ugly initially,” another person commented. A third person wrote, “It’s the standard she was held to, so that’s how her mindset was. It might not be right, but it’s difficult to expect healthy opinions about body image from celebrities since they usually struggle with it themselves due to extreme scrutiny of their bodies. But it would be shocking to hear a celebrity say that now, since they have to be more socially aware for their own brand and reputation. No doubt a lot of people still feel this way today though.”
Regarded as one of her generation’s most graceful stars, and someone who is still admired for their looks today, Rekha last appeared in a starring role in 2014’s Super Nani.