Skinny VS Curvy

Stunning Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai gave birth to her first child back in November 2o11 and it seems that she decided not to join Victoria Beckham and most supermodels in their exclusive ‘Going Back to Pre-Baby Weight in 2 Weeks’ club. And for that, she is being harshly criticized by the media. Let’s see the full story from Daily Mail:

She is a former Miss World, a successful Bollywood star and married to the son of one of India’s best-loved stars. She found international fame in the Hollywood film Bride and Prejudice, and Julia Roberts billed her as the world’s most beautiful woman. Thanks to the notoriety such fame and fortune has brought her, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has become one of the most admired and revered women in India, and indeed the world. But such fame has come at a cost for the 38-year-old star.

Since the birth of her daughter in November last year, Aishwarya Rai has been open about the fact that she is in no hurry to lose the few extra pounds she gained during her pregnancy. The model and actress, who won the Miss World title in 1994, defended her choice, saying she wanted simply to ‘enjoy motherhood.’

But with the star, who married Abhishek Bachchan, the son of India’s most loved film star Amitabh Bachnan in 2007, tipped for her 10th appearance at Cannes next week, furious speculation is mounting as to how she will look. Commentators have been unkind, lambasting the star for letting her fans down. Many have gone a step further, suggesting the star has a ‘duty’ to her fans to regain her pre-pregnancy figure.

One website posted a video of the star looking less than her usual svelte self, flicking between photographs of her pre-birth, and photos now. Called ‘Aishwarya Rai’s shocking weight gain’  the clip, which came accompanied by elephant sound effects, has been seen more than 500,000 times. Dozens more videos in a similar vein have been posted, each with viewing figures in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

Comments left after the video prove that many of those watching have little sympathy for Aishwarya.

‘She is a Bollywood actress and it is her duty to look good and fit,’ one said. Another added: ‘She needs to learn from people like Victoria Beckham who are back to size zero weeks after their delivery.’

It has opened up a debate in the country, and beyond, about the attitudes held towards women in the public eye.

‘Aishwarya is like a goddess,’ said showbusiness columnist Shobhaa Dé in the New York Daily News by way of explanation. ‘She is held up as the ideal of beauty and so there is an expectation on her to look perfect at all times. The role models being held up are Angelina Jolie and Victoria Beckham, but our body frames are different – we have wider hips and curves – so this whole business of looking desperately skinny two weeks after giving birth is a western import.’

Cinema professor Shohini Ghosh added that women in India were up against an almost impossible task. ‘There is a glorification of motherhood in India and Indian cinema,’ he told the paper. ‘But people are confused because they don’t know whether to glorify Aishwarya in her new motherhood or lament that she is not looking like a runway model.’

Pictured: Since there are no post-baby pics available, here’s Aishwarya while pregnant in 2011. Check the video for pictures and share your thoughts!

Left – Before: Beyonce before her pregnancy, in April 2011.

Right – After: Beyonce + 50 pounds / 23 kg, a few days before giving birth.

Here’s the full story from People Magazine:

The singer says she gained 50 pounds during her pregnancy – putting on the last 20 during the final month leading up to the delivery – and was determined to bounce back after baby as soon as possible.

“I lost most of my weight from breastfeeding and I encourage women to do it; It’s just so good for the baby and good for yourself,” Knowles, who breastfed Blue for 10 weeks, says. Then, “about a month after” giving birth, the new mom tackled the remaining pounds with a strict diet and exercise routine.

“I counted calories. I worked out maybe three to four times a week,” she shares. “I did a lot of walking in the beginning and now I’m running. But I had to work my way up. I couldn’t just go right from being pregnant to running.”

All the hard work – including “staying away from anything delicious” and no cheat days – has paid off.

“I’m proud that my waist came back so fast. I’m proud of that and happy, but that was mostly from the breastfeeding,” the singer explains.

And not only is Knowles just “three to four pounds” away from her pre-pregnancy weight, but she has also acquired a new softness about her voluptuous body.

“My hormones are still in my body. Your body produces the hormones that make your body soft,” she says. “It’s just magical. It makes me so proud to be a woman because it’s just unexplainable what happens to your body – it’s incredible.”

Does it look like a 50 pound weight gain to you? Check the before and after comparison above!

On Hollywood’s trend of being bikini ready weeks after giving birth:

‘There’s so much pressure on you as a new mom that the last thing you need to have hanging over your head is some expectation of what your body is supposed to look like. I actually think that the scrutiny of new mothers bodies has gotten out of control. Every new mother just gets a free pass. I’m actually angered by the ‘posing in a bikini six weeks after having my baby’ [trend]… Who cares if our boobs are hanging low and we have a little more junk in the trunk? We created a human being, everybody. Let’s celebrate!’

… says Jenna, who gave birth last September.

Pictured: Jenna at the Tribeca Film Festival premier in New York City on April 23.

New mom Jessica Alba recently revealed on Twitter that she started exercising and dieting to lose the baby weight:

“I did my first day of workout since I had the baby, just cardio for 40 min. -it’s a start. Anyone else starting a fitness regimen?(sic) My doc told me I could start after 2 wks. -im going light, stationary bike and elliptical. Start with walking and throw in 3 sets of lunges 20 per leg. U could do it while strolling ur baby. Commit to 10 min a day for a wk then add another 10 until u get up 2 40 min a day. It’s easier to ease into it.(sic)”

As for her diet…

“I would keep ur diet as healthy as possible 6 days a wk and give urself 1 day to indulge.(sic)”

Pictured: Jessica in LA yesterday.

… says her husband, Nick Cannon, who recently told OK! Magazine that his wife is shedding the baby weight rapidly:

“She is getting the weight off. She is about to be 1990 again!”

Pictured above: Mariah’s Twitter photo with the caption: ‘Jogging puppystyle!’

Pictured below: Mariah in 1993.