Alia Bhatt is in the "best place" she has ever been with her body.
Alia Bhatt on body acceptance
The 29-year-old actress - who gave birth to her first child with husband Ranbir Kapoor earlier this month - explained that because she started out in the industry as a teenager, she developed an "obsession" with her looks that took "a lot of work" to get over.
She said: "I entered the industry at the age of 17. And you hear conversations around you pertaining to the way you should look. You think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. And it took a bit of a toll on me in terms of my obsession with my body and my weight. It’s taken me a lot of work, but I’m in the best place that I’ve ever been with regards to that."
The 'Darlings' star went on to urge her young fans to have "confidence" in their looks and reminded them that life is not about "superficial" looks, especially in a world of social media.
She told Marie Claire: "Be healthy internally, not obsessive about the way you look superficially. It’s not about every little splodge of skin on your body. You can’t be squishing it and thinking, This is an issue. That is an issue. And of course, I have my days, I’ve had my days. But I’m saying, if you pick on yourself first, then you’re inviting every other [person’s] negative thoughts towards your body. If you yourself are armed with confidence and a certain level of appreciation for the way you look and the way you are, then nothing in the world will bother you...especially in the world of Instagram and TikTok and all these filters. Feel good from the inside. Stay active, eat good foods. Eat crap as well, if you want. Because if that’s something that you want to do on a particular day, please go ahead and do it. You have one life, so just enjoy it as much as possible. "