A social media controversy erupted after a journalist made body-shaming remarks about Ira Khan, daughter of Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, following her participation in the Mumbai Marathon. Ira had shared pictures from the marathon, where she was seen wearing shorts and a white sleeveless t-shirt, celebrating fitness and an active lifestyle. However, the journalist’s now-viral post sparked outrage online.
In the controversial X (formerly known as Twitter) post, the journalist wrote, "This is Ira Khan, daughter of Aamir Khan. The problem is not the clothes, it is the body. I do not get why people refuse to dress for their body type and still choose to walk around looking indecent. Decency never goes out of style.”
The remarks were criticised for promoting body shaming and moral policing.
Coming out strongly in Ira’s support, actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Abhinav Shukla took to social media to slam the journalist and defend her personal choices. In his post, he praised Ira for her grounded nature and authenticity. He wrote, “One star kid who is real & down to earth, she doesn’t act entitled, no drama, no show off, no entourage of five bouncers and managers. Much of the time she and her brother are travelling in a rickshaw dressed like normal kids.”
He further added that he saw nothing wrong with Ira’s appearance or clothing choices. "What’s wrong here, I don’t understand. She is at least putting an effort to be active. Dressing is purely a personal choice,” Abhinav stated.
Soon after the journalist’s post went viral, social media users rallied behind Ira Khan, calling out the body-shaming narrative and stressing that fitness, comfort and clothing choices are personal. Many applauded Ira for promoting a healthy lifestyle and condemned the attempt to judge women based on unrealistic standards of “decency.”
Last month, Ira opened up about her struggles with body image. In a video on December 29, she admitted that addressing these feelings publicly feels “a little scary,” but said she believes the conversation is necessary. In her post, Ira revealed that she has been grappling with issues related to her weight and body image for several years.
“Yes, I’m fat. Been oscillating between thinking I’m fat/unfit, becoming over-weight and being obese since 2020. There’s lot to be said about it. Definitely things I still need to figure out,” she wrote.
In the accompanying video, Ira addressed the issue head-on, saying, “Let’s address the elephant in the room, me. Yes, I’m fat and I’m actually obese for my age and my height. And I’ve been struggling with body image issues and with my relationship with my food since 2020.”
She went on to explain how these struggles have affected multiple aspects of her life. “I’m not as comfortable and confident talking about this as I was with my depression. So, I’m not entirely sure how this is going to go. It’s come in the way of my ability to participate in my friends’ lives, in how I show up in my relationship with Popoy, in my self-worth and so then work and everything,” she said.
Ira has previously spoken openly about her battle with depression, including the guilt she felt due to her privileged background.
