Katrina Kaif stepped out with Vicky Kaushal for a Ganesh Chaturthi celebration on 14 September, months after welcoming their son Vihaan. Instead of celebrating her return to public life, social media turned her postpartum body into a target.
The trolling has since sparked a cross-border backlash against an old entertainment-industry demand: that actresses must somehow remain perfect through marriage, motherhood and ageing.
What followed was bigger than one actress. From India to Pakistan, public figures pushed back against the idea that a woman’s body must remain camera-ready even after pregnancy.
Shivaleeka Oberoi and new mother Sonarika Bhadoria defended Katrina, challenging the pressure on women to “bounce back”. Khushbu Sundar pointed to the double standard: men can age, gain weight and go grey without their “prime” being declared over.
Hrithik Roshan showed support by liking a post defending Katrina, while Salman Khan condemned the trolling and reminded viewers that pregnancy naturally changes a woman’s body.
Other Indian voices, including marketing professor and content creator Falguni Vasavada and mother Tarini Peshawaria, also pushed back against the “before-and-after” scrutiny, with Vasavada summing up the absurd expectation: women are told to “be a mother, but don’t look like a mother.”
Pakistan joined the conversation. Ali Zafar questioned beauty standards shaped by the male gaze, while Hania Aamir and Aidah Sheikh challenged the culture of turning women’s bodies into public entertainment.
Bangladesh has its own parallel. Pori Moni, recalling her postpartum experience, said she was called “fat” after giving birth and later criticised even for losing weight. “I don’t believe a woman’s dignity should ever be tied to her weight,” she said.
Katrina herself has not directly answered the trolling. Instead, she recently said her idea of beauty has changed: “looking my best is really about feeling my best.”
Perhaps that is the real question. Why must actresses return from pregnancy looking as though nothing happened? Bodies change. Motherhood changes them. Age changes them. Life changes them.
Why, then, are actresses still expected to remain visually frozen?
