How can South Asian TV dramas and films better portray body diversity among women without reinforcing harmful stereotypes?
We Exist Beyond Your Stereotypes: South Asian Media, Do Better with Body Diversity
Let’s be real: just putting a plus-size girl on screen doesn’t count as representation if all she’s doing is getting laughed at.
From Bollywood to your mom’s favorite drama on TV, we’ve seen it over and over. The plus-size character is never the main girl. Never the one getting love. Never the one taken seriously. She’s just… there. Loud, clumsy, and constantly being picked on.
And it’s exhausting.
Stop Calling It “Representation” When It’s Just Humiliation
Take Meri Bhavya Life, for example. The show had a real shot at changing the narrative — finally showing a plus-size Desi girl just existing. But nope. Instead, it doubled down on the same tired formula: every scene turned Bhavya into a walking punchline.
This isn’t just cringe writing. It’s dangerous. Because what you see on screen becomes real life. Plus-size women across Desi households already face enough ridicule from family — they don’t need TV shows co-signing it for “comedy.”
What South Asian Media Gets Wrong (Every. Single. Time.)
- The fat best friend who’s “funny” but never wanted.
- The older sister who’s “too big” to find love.
- The girl who has to lose weight to finally be seen.
These aren’t characters. These are lazy tropes that tell us: unless you shrink yourself, you’re not the main character.
So What Needs to Change?
- Give Plus-Size Girls Main Character Energy: We want love stories, careers, confidence, and messiness — just like everyone else.
- No More “Glow-Up” = Weight Loss Arcs: Real growth is internal, not on a scale.
- Representation in Every Genre: Give us thrillers, rom-coms, action roles. Not just sob stories or comic relief.
- Writers Who Get It: Hire people who’ve lived this experience. Not ones who think fat = funny.
- Challenge the Culture: Media should be breaking toxic norms, not repeating them.
Dear South Asian Creators: We’re Not Jokes, We’re Watching
Gen Z isn’t here for your outdated beauty standards. We want real, messy, bold, and beautiful stories — not filtered-down stereotypes made for views.
We’re done laughing at ourselves just to feel included.
We’re not side characters.
We’re not before photos.
We’re not here to make thin people feel better about themselves.
We exist — loud, proud, and not shrinking anytime soon.