Sameera Reddy: I had to constantly try and fit in the industry and it really exhausted me

Since many years, the Bollywood industry has glorified lighter skin. Darker skin tones actresses are most of the times sidelined in the industry. There are many actresses who have gone through skin lightening and other processes to look perfect on screen. Some have even spoken publicly about it. One such actress is Sameera Reddy.

In a conversation with us, Sameera said that she has tried everything in the past to fit in the industry. She said, “I was told I was too dark, too tall, too broad. I didn’t fit into that girl next door look. I had to constantly try and fit in it and it really exhausted and tired me. I don’t regret it because that was my learning to learn to come to this point of loving myself unconditionally. You have to go through a point where you actually hate yourself because when you come to this point of hating yourself so much and break into pieces, you can put yourself back together in the most beautiful way possible.”

She added, “It was not discrimination. More than that it was more of you have to look a certain way, whether you have to pad your chest or hips. There was always something that I had to fix. When you meet somebody, you say, ‘Wow, you are looking so good, you have lost so much weight’. My problem is that as a society that is something that we applaud. People are always applauding the wrong thing. So, as a society, we need to change.”

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When we asked Sameera if she regrets doing all those things, she said, “That was my job and it was expected from me and I had to do it. And I’m sure girls today still have to do it. I can’t blame anybody because that was the requirement of being a glamorous actress. There are many girls who have a great body and who are naturally slim and fair and it was not as exhausting as I did.”

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Also Read: Sameera Reddy: If men age or get wrinkles we call it sexy but, when women get it, people say, ‘Do something, buddhi ban gayi’