Actress Alia Bhatt has reacted to rumours claiming that she is suffering from partial facial paralysis due to a failed Botox procedure, with a vehement “this is beyond ridiculous!”
“To the random video floating around literally claiming I've had Botox gone wrong (and to the numerous clickbait articles) – I have a "crooked smile” and a "weird way of speaking," according to YOU. This is your hypercritical, microscopic judgment of a human face. And now you're confidently tossing around "scientific explanations, claiming I'm paralysed on one side? Are you kidding me?” wrote Alia on her Instagram story on Friday, sternly criticising distorted perceptions of women’s beauty.
Clarifying that she holds no judgement towards anyone who chooses cosmetic enhancements, Alia highlighted the intense scrutiny women have to suffer about their bodies, faces, personal lives and even pregnancies.
“Let's take a minute to address the absurd lens through which women are judged and objectified on the internet-our faces, bodies, personal lives, even our bumps (!!!) are up for critique. We should be celebrating individuality, not tearing it apart under a microscope. These types of judgments perpetuate unrealistic standards, making people feel like they're never enough,” she wrote in her note.
Alia called the rumours a baseless “hypercritical, microscopic judgment” of her appearance, and called out the irresponsibility of making such “serious claims” without proof or confirmation. “It’s damaging, and it’s exhausting,” Alia wrote, while challenging the underlying motivation for these judgments. She asked if these senseless claims are merely for “clickbaiting” and garnering views.
“These are SERIOUS claims being casually thrown out there with zero proof, no confirmation, and absolutely nothing to back it up. What's worse, you're influencing young, impressionable minds who might actually believe this garbage. Why are you saying this? For clickbait? Attention? Because none of it makes sense,” she stated.
Furthermore, she lamented that much of this criticism originates from women themselves — who, instead of empowering each other, normalise the criticism culture.
“A lot of this judgment comes from other women. Whatever happened to "live and let live"? To "everyone has the right to their own choices"? Instead, we've become so accustomed to picking each other apart that it's almost normalized. Meanwhile just another day of even thorougher entertainment with scripts made up by the Internet,” the 31-year-old actress, who recently became the new global ambassador for L’Oréal Paris, concluded. She urged everyone to forego the negative lens through which people, especially women, are viewed online.
On the work front, Alia’s latest film Jigra, co-starring Vedang Raina, has earned over Rs 29 crore at the domestic box-office since its release on October 11 and she is all set to star in YRF Spy Universe’s first female-led film, Alpha.
