Why Katrina Kaif is greater than Sydney Sweeney

Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal attend Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations at the residence of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on September 14. PIC/PTI

I stared at Katrina Kaif's face in an ad for her brand, Kay Beauty, for a while. To me, she looked happy, content, and like a cat that got the cream - a little smug with all the happiness she has. But it seems, to the Internet, and all her "well-wishers" on social media, she looks fat.

Recently, she made her first official appearance after giving birth, in a green salwar suit at the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations held at the home of the Ambanis. And the comments came freely, "What did she eat?", "She is finished", "Why do women neglect self-care after pregnancy?" Nameless, shameless trolls body-shamed her and posted before-and-after pictures.

With all our wokeness, body positivity, and awareness - why is this body/beauty standard not changing? Why are thinner women considered more attractive than fuller/curvy ones? Why does everything have to be in proportion? Thin face, slender shoulders, big breasts, but tiny waist, pert backside, toned legs… where does it stop? Who is propagating and promoting this? Men who make such vile comments and judge and compare women (who they consume on social media or love and know in real life) based on their weight? Or women like Sydney Sweeney who are using their perfect bodies as marketing tools to get as many views, likes, and eventually moolah? Or influencers who talk of weight-loss challenges, Ozempic, and aesthetic surgery?

To be honest, it's all a bit disappointing. Katrina is 43, close to my 44. And I must tell you, even though I have not had a baby, the female body in her forties is at a precarious position. It reacts to stress, gluttony, feelings, laziness in an instant - and slowly you can't think straight, your shape and face feel unrecognisable, your emotions all over the place. They call it perimenopause (if you still haven't heard of it), and in Katrina's case, it's her body integrating the pregnancy. At this age, are we really going to look at a little weight gain as a problem to be solved right away?

I would want to think Katrina is above the trolling. We don't need to remind people she has a successful business - in fact, I just ordered a lipstick from her brand because it's really the best lipstick out there. Nykaa's annual report says Kay Beauty crossed Rs 380 crore in Gross Merchandise Value, up from R240+ crore in FY2024-25. That's roughly 58 per cent growth.

So yes, she has to be above the trolling. She has had a successful movie career, a full and, by the looks of it, a happy family life, and a booming business. You would think that's enough for a woman to be considered a catch - a queen. But no, she has to look perfect while doing it all too. She has to have a body like Sydney's to make you feel she is desirable and sexy. She should be 43 but still look 23, especially to keep 40-year-old trolling men satisfied. She needs to lose the weight to prove to you that she is, in fact, the perfect celebrity, the chikni chameli for as long as she lives.

I feel for her. I am her. I have spent too many sleepless nights thinking I am not as hot as that 23-year-old, that my hands look fat in a podcast appearance, that my waist looks chunky as I got an award, or I look 44 (so old!) in a viral video. Oh wait, what about all the cool things I was doing?

Aren't we all so much more than the fat below our skin? It's high time attractiveness and beauty/ body standards were decided by how we showed up every day, even when things were going wrong. A beautiful woman was one who was unabashedly herself. A stunning lady was one who was free and wild in how she expressed herself. A successful woman was one who defied the odds.

Like Katrina. She is literally so above it.

For the rest of us women (well-meaning men and brands as well), let's take this chance to change how we see beauty. Let it reflect in our words, actions, deeds, and who we see as the face of our role model and brand ambassador. Let's get this revolution going.

See you next week.

Ranting and raving about all that's trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at @aasthaatray on Instagram.
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