Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Bollywood actresses drive Indian slimming fashion
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Asia Pacific
World
Bollywood actresses drive Indian slimming fashion
AFP - Wednesday, March 3
Send
IM Story
Print
Bollywood film actress Bipasha Basu is seen posing during the launch of her latest fitness DVD 'Love Yourself' in Mumbai. Bollywood actresses are slimming down, as an increasing vogue for showing bare flesh on screen and Western ideas about body size and beauty take hold in India's big cities.
MUMBAI (AFP) - – Bollywood actresses are slimming down, as an increasing vogue for showing bare flesh on screen and Western ideas about body size and beauty take hold in India's big cities.
Whereas former leading ladies like Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman once found their curvaceous figures no barrier to success, their modern-day counterparts are as famous for their diet and fitness regimes as their acting and dancing skills.
"There's been a lot of changes in the last decade, whether it's in modelling or in Bollywood," said nutritionist and fitness consultant Venu Hirani, who works in India's entertainment capital, Mumbai.
"Today, the basic requirement for someone wanting to go into either is that they need to be a (US) size zero," she told AFP.
Actress Kareena Kapoor has been the focus of much media attention since appearing in a bikini in the 2008 film "Tashan" (Style) -- a significant development in an industry known for its chaste treatment of romantic love.
The 29-year-old star slimmed down dramatically for the role and reportedly collapsed on set.
She has since had to deny suggestions that her current weight is unhealthy, instead attributing her smaller size to eating correctly, regular exercise and yoga.
"My size zero is such a hot topic of discussion... that when Saif (Ali Khan, her actor boyfriend) and I eat out at a restaurant, people don't stare so much at us as... what is on my plate," she told the Bombay Times newspaper.
"Some even ask the maitre d': 'What is she ordering for dinner?' I love the curiosity element," she said.
Other Bollywood actresses, like Bipashu Basu and Shilpa Shetty, have launched fitness or yoga videos.
Some, such as Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, often talk about the importance of sports in their health regime.
But while Kapoor and others can turn to their own personal dietician and fitness trainers for expert guidance, some health professionals fear the phenomenon could contribute to dangerous, unregulated weight loss among fans.
Hirani said she has seen an influx of young women coming to her for advice on how to lose weight -- even though they may not need it.
"Maybe about a decade ago you would have had people come to me for post-pregnancy weight loss, or people with health conditions," she said.
"Now I have more and more of the younger generation who don't really need to lose weight but tell me they need to knock off five kilogrammes."
Hirani and Roshni Pithawala, another Mumbai-based consultant dietician and counsellor, said Bollywood and the growth of Internet access, cable television and advertising are changing the way Indians look at their bodies.
Few formal studies on the prevalence of eating disorders in India exist but one report suggested that conditions like anorexia and bulimia were increasing, although they were yet to reach levels found in Western countries.
"Socio-economic cultural changes and Westernization could result in the culture-change syndrome of eating disorders in India today," the study, published in the journal Indian Pediatrics in May 2007, said.
The situation was following a similar pattern to the West, with higher socio-economic groups affected, it added.
Pithawala said peer pressure among teenage girls to look good, family and school pressures played a part, as did a lack of education in Indian schools about nutrition and healthy eating.
When they look at their heroes and heroines, "they create an ideal image, which might not be the reality for them. That person may have spent millions of rupees to get that figure. It's an unrealistic goal," she said.
Kapoor herself is also alert to the problem, saying what works for her might not work for everyone.
"What is good enough for me can never be good for you and vice versa," she told the Bombay Times. "All I can say is never starve. Eat right and you will go places both with your shape and your soul."
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Book on atom bomb horrors halted over false stories Reuters - 1 hour 44 minutes ago
Meet the lawyer who guards the door at the Oscars Reuters - 2 hours 1 minute ago
Jane's Addiction member quits after Australia tour Reuters - Wednesday, March 3
"Hurt Locker" producers sued days before Oscars Reuters - Wednesday, March 3
Women directors face 'celluloid ceiling' AFP - Wednesday, March 3
News Search
Top Stories
Eurozone, markets demand tough Greek austerity plan
Chile quake moved Earth's axis, shortened days: scientist
Greece risks 'bankruptcy' without radical action: PM
Car makers brush off crisis in Geneva
EU authorises GMO potatoes
More Top Stories »
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Chile quake moved Earth's axis, shortened days: scientist
NASA radar finds ice on moon's north pole
Common weed-killer chemically castrates frogs: study
Japan passes record $1 trillion budget
Greece risks 'bankruptcy' without radical action: PM
More Most Viewed »
Chile quake moved Earth's axis, shortened days: scientist
Florida killer whale to stay in park after deadly attack
DNA reveals some mystery on King Tut, raises questions
Scientists recreate Big Bang heat of 4 tln degrees C
First footage of clouded leopard captured in Borneo
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Wednesday, 3 March 2010 Rwandan president's widow arrested for genocide
Seven NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan in 48 hours
Google Italy verdict 'distressing': State Department
Car makers brush off crisis in Geneva
Apple sues HTC for iPhone patent infringement
Ukraine coalition collapses
EU authorises GMO potatoes
Russia says still room for diplomacy with Iran
Rwandan leader's widow bailed in genocide case
Robot footballers wow crowd in Germany
Japan passes record $1 trillion budget
Dow Jones buys Hearst half of SmartMoney
Turkish general charged in anti-govt conspiracy case
Serbian 'war criminal' detained in Spain
Japan's top web forum hacked after attacks on Korean skater
Iraqi voters showered with gifts as election nears
Turkish general charged in anti-government conspiracy case
|
Apple claims HTC infringed iPhone patents
U.S. voices concern over Afghan media rules
|
Yemen blast kills up to 19, levels apartment block
|
BBC signals new strategy after commercial criticism
|
Siemens execs held in latest French bossnapping
|
Official: Pakistani group behind Kabul attacks
Guilty plea expected in New York subway bomb plot
Clinton visits quake-hit Chile
Turkmenistan pledges to improve its prison system
China, US seek to put tensions behind them
Bill would have tech companies guard human rights
|
Activists: Uzbekistan orders forced sterilizations
Pakistani army wraps up combat operations in Bajur
Fossils of snake eating dino eggs found in India
Kabul says no decision to charge Taliban No. 2
Rescuers try to save 31 trapped in China coal mine
Afghan govt says it's not banning attacks coverage
Oscar: Hollywood's golden mystery man
Indonesia watchdog appeals against Carrefour ruling
Toyota repairing leaky oil hoses in US, Japan
China's BYD, Daimler team up on electric vehicle
Bowie, Ronson slam BBC for plans to axe 6 Music
Baroness Thyssen wants Spanish state to buy art collection
Mute Chicago film critic Ebert "voices" Oscar picks
Oscar: Hollywood's golden mystery man
"Billy Elliot" to debut in South Korea
Retailers see opportunity in Romania despite recession
Moscow mayor defends Stalin poster campaign
Cambodia PM warns of cosmetic surgery dangers
Economic crisis silences Romania rock festival
Bowie, Ronson slam BBC for plans to axe 6 Music
|
Mute Chicago film critic Ebert voices Oscar picks
|
Hurt Locker breaks Hollywood's Iraq war curse
|
Chile steps up search for victims in quake-hit areas
|
Investigators need Madeleine McCann files: spokesman
Afghan police and army prove a mixed class for US officers
Cisco makes companies more smartphone friendly
Eurozone, markets demand tough Greek austerity plan
Private equity firm makes bid for Novell
Chile quake moved Earth's axis, shortened days: scientist
US-TECH Summary
Australia government plans $45 billion overhaul of health
|
South Africa's Zuma starts British state visit
Greece risks 'bankruptcy' without radical action: PM
Spanish court jails Basque leader for 'glorifying terrorism'
Netanyahu intervenes in sensitive Jerusalem project
U.N. council ready to tackle Iran nuclear issue
|
AT&T CEO sees iPad mostly used on Wi-Fi
Dubai seeks Israeli PM's arrest over hotel murder
TiVo unveils set-top box for video from TV, Web
US cyber defense strategy details hit the Internet
Netanyahu intervenes in sensitive Jerusalem project
|
Sweeping changes needed to save US post office
Kansas city changes name -- temporarily -- to Google
Spain busts ring accused of infecting 13 mln PCs
Ukraine's Yanukovich moves to tighten grip on power
|
North Korean nuclear envoy set to visit U.S., says South
|
Activision forms new "Call of Duty" unit
Five killed in bombings in northeast Iraqi city
|
Nigeria's powerful state governors back acting leader
|
Dubai police chief says to seek Netanyahu arrest
|
US vets return to Iwo Jima for 65th anniversary
Taliban, not drugs, focus of US-Afghan offensive
Weight Watchers OKs McDonald's fast food menu
China, US work to repair frayed ties
Obama to push healthcare overhaul into final act
Indian police arrest top Maoist leader
Clinton visits quake-hit Chile
Officer suspected of stealing ivory in Philippines
China artist sues government over right to know
NZ jails German tourist for smuggling reptiles
Father, daughter shot dead in Thai south
East Timor to deliver verdict on assassination bids
Activision forms new Call of Duty unit
|
Apple sues HTC over phones with Google software
|
TiVo unveils set-top box for video from TV, Web
|
Spain busts ring accused of infecting 13 mln PCs
|
AT&T CEO sees iPad mostly used on Wi-Fi
|
S.Korea Jan output data points to waning recovery
Seoul shares edge up on automakers, Woori Fin
India telecom tycoon Africa moves spook investors
NZ dollar pinned near nine-year lows vs Aussie
Taiwan's HTC denies infringing iPhone patents
Too old for Hollywood? Try film directing
"Hurt Locker" breaks Hollywood's Iraq war curse
PAKISTAN
S.Korea March crude runs to fall 7 pct-survey
Seoul shares up on carmakers; output data weighs
Seoul shares flat; Hyundai up after strong sales
Ford overtakes GM in US sales, Toyota falters amid recalls
Leno recaptures old audience, critics underwhelmed
|
Meet the lawyer who guards the door at the Oscars
|
Sudan's land of 'black pharaohs' a trove for archaeologists
Oliver Stone shocked on revisit to Wall St
|
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Jane's Addiction member quits after Australia tour
Book on atom bomb horrors halted over false stories
|
"Hurt Locker" producers sued days before Oscars
Jane's Addiction member quits after Australia tour
|
Bollywood actresses drive Indian slimming fashion
Women directors face 'celluloid ceiling'
NY police seek Naomi Campbell for assault questions
|
Hurt Locker producers sued days before Oscars
|
Hurt Locker producer punished for Oscar violation
|
"Hurt Locker" producer punished for Oscar violation
Oliver Stone "shocked" on revisit to Wall St
Barbara Walters bids farewell to Oscar special
|
Barbara Walters bids farewell to Oscar special
NY police seek Naomi Campbell for assault questions
Arab League gives Mideast talks 4-month window
Greek ministers meet to avert bankruptcy
Suicide blasts kill 33 ahead of Iraq polls
Suicide bombers kill 33 in Iraqi city before poll
Arab League gives Mideast talks 4-month window
|
Search goes on for Uganda landslide survivors
|
Skype gets into Nokia smartphones
Suicide attacks kill 29 ahead of Iraq polls
U.N. council ready to tackle Iran nuclear issue
|
Iran upholds student protester death penalty:report
Suicide bombers kill 33 in Iraqi city before poll
|
Ukraine's government falls in no-confidence vote
|
Mobile transfers save money and lives in Somalia
|
International probe cracks Iran arms smuggling ring
|
Religious schools under scrutiny in Yemen
|
15 dead, 6 blinded from tainted liquor in India
Spain busts global botnet masterminds
|
Opera says demand up as Microsoft opens EU market
|
China jails 3 executives for tainted milk products
Drought affects 6 million in southern China
Australian house booby-trapped with 50 fake bombs
Mobile transfers save money and lives in Somalia
|
Skype gets into Nokia smartphones
|
5 dead, 6 blinded from tainted liquor in India
Malaysian convicted of Sydney murder is free man
East Timor convicts 24 rebels over murder plots
Philippine police arrest 3 Abu Sayyaf suspects
Drought drops Mekong River to nearly 2-decade low
Skype gets into Nokia smartphones
SKorea grounds all F-5 fighter jets after crash
Pakistani rupee firms; o/n rates, stocks down
Nissan recalls nearly 540,000 vehicles worldwide
GM says China sales up 51 pct in February
Panasonic chief says TV business to turn profit
GM's China sales up 51 percent in February
Seinfeld's "Marriage Ref" worth a few giggles
PREVIEW-Taiwan CPI seen up 2 pct y/y in February
Standard Chartered unveils record profits
Bank bailout shows cracks in Indonesian government
MARKETS-KOREA-STOCKS (UPDATE 2) =2
13 suspected militants arrested in Indonesian Aceh
Seinfeld's Marriage Ref worth a few giggles
|
Ten movies vie for top honors at new-look Oscars
HK sex photos actress reunites with Twins bandmate
Seinfeld's "Marriage Ref" worth a few giggles
Palestinian village known for protests sees cultural rebirth
Former Swiss wine grower uncovers Sudan's ancient roots
Book on atom bomb horrors halted over false stories
Meet the lawyer who guards the door at the Oscars
U.S. unveils cybersecurity safeguard plan
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights