Actor and comedian Jamie Lever, daughter of veteran comedian Johnny Lever, recently opened up about her deeply personal struggles with body image and societal expectations. In a recent interview with Hauterrfly, Jamie shared that she battled severe insecurities growing up as an obese child and often felt embarrassed about her appearance.“There was a phase when I used to cover up my body with long kurtas,” she said. “Even my family asked me to cover my posterior because I have a bigger hip. I have a pear-shaped body, so what do I do about it? I was told to do something about my body, so I didn’t like myself. My body was an embarrassment for me, and it is only much later in life that I learnt how to own my body and my curves.”Faced cruel comments about skin tone: ‘Kaali hai, chudail lagti hai’Jamie also opened up about the harsh comments she received for her skin tone. From being called “kaali” and “chudail” to being told she looked too ugly for the industry, the actor revealed how colourism deeply affected her growing years.“I get so many comments. Kaali hai, chudail lagti hai, chudail jaise hasti hai, you are ugly, you won’t get work in the industry, tu marr kyu nahi jaati (why don’t you just die), you are not getting work because of the way you look… Aisi shakal waali ladkiyon ko film nahi milti (girls who look like this don’t get films),” she shared.Calling out India’s obsession with fairness, Jamie added, “Colourism is such a huge issue here. Growing up, people would ask me to apply ubtans, turmeric masks, all of this to ‘become fair.’ It’s a major problem in our country.”
Mother’s push helped her focus on fitnessJamie recalled that it was her mother who encouraged her to lose weight, reminding her that the film industry holds women to rigid beauty standards. Taking that motivation forward, Jamie started working on her fitness and began posting workout videos online to inspire other girls facing similar insecurities.Career and online presenceJamie Lever began her journey in entertainment with Comedy Circus Ke Mahabali in 2013 and made her Bollywood debut in 2015 with Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, starring Kapil Sharma. Over the years, she has appeared in films like Housefull 4, Bhoot Police, Yaatris, Crakk, and most recently, the Telugu film Aa Okkati Adakku. In addition to her film work, Jamie has earned a loyal fanbase on social media with her humorous and pitch-perfect mimicry videos.
