We are in 2026. One would like to believe that we have evolved — and so have our retrograde mindsets. But unfortunately, a sour turn of events always brings our critical evaluation of celebrities back into focus.

Something similar happened recently with Katrina Kaif. The actress welcomed her first child, a baby boy, with Vicky Kaushal on November 7, 2025. They named him Vihaan Kaushal, a gentle nod to Vicky Kaushal’s onscreen name. Uri: Surgical strike. Katrina Kaif, now in her 40s, has always created an image of being fit and gorgeous. A fitness enthusiast, diligent about her diet, her reputation precedes her. Yet none of that matters when it comes to motherhood.

A woman’s body goes through a lot of changes before and after pregnancy, and there is no set time frame to ‘bounce back’ in shape. Unless, of course, you are an actor.

Katrina Kaif has mostly stayed away from the limelight since her first birth. It was only in late August this year that she was spotted attending filmmaker Kuku Kohli’s funeral with Vicky Kaushal – and that’s when the embers of postpartum trolling started to subtly glow. The actress was attacked for her post-birth weight and full face. But it was nothing compared to when she stepped out for the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Mumbai recently.

Katrina and Vicky paid their last respects to Kuku Kohli Karishma’s father #KatrinaCafe # Vicky skills pic.twitter.com/J9o5EHP9NN

— Miri Miri (@KatrinauniqueD) August 26, 2026

Soon, videos and pictures of the actress flooded social media – leading to two camps. One trolled her relentlessly, with insensitive collages of her “before and after” pictures making the rounds, while the shallow comments piled up.

When a counterargument surfaced it quickly became a massive online conversation. Peers, women, fans and creators decried the double standards and toxic beauty ideals burdening older mothers. And in fact, it has been going on forever.

Katrina Kaif’s recent backlash only reminded us of what female superstars like Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Bipasha Basu have endured. A magical ‘postpartum recovery’ is expected of actors who must remain glamorous at all times. What is even more tragic is that the definition of beauty lies only in external changes.

Mothers later, ‘glamorous stars’ first

One of the toughest episodes in this context was faced by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Dubbed ‘the most beautiful woman in the world’, the actress has battled the fashion police and beauty critics since her pregnancy – and continues to do so, even in rare public appearances.

She welcomed her daughter Aaradhya in November 2011. The intense, widespread criticism and body-shaming she inflicted was brutal. Negative comments piled up as pictures of her pre-pregnancy figure resurfaced everywhere. As a former Miss World, her titles seemed to overshadow the simple understanding that she was a woman who had just had a baby.

She was expected to conform to society’s beauty standards overnight.

Over the years, Aishwarya Rai proudly responded. She explained that her post-pregnancy weight gain and water retention was completely normal and natural. She insisted that her full focus was on her baby rather than losing weight rapidly to regain shape for external validation.

The criticism never really left him, after his airport spotting and appearance at Cannes. It is constant.

Bipasha Basu is another 2000s listicleer who has repeatedly called out the ‘bounce-back’ culture expected of mothers – criticism that goes double when you’re a glamorous star.

He welcomed his daughter Devi in ​​November 2022. Recently, the actress opened up about the brutal body-shaming and trolling she has endured over the past few years. She was upfront about the unflattering pictures clicked by photographers and widely circulated – a vulnerable phase of motherhood.

Unrealistic expectations also stemmed from how people expected her body in her 40s to magically resemble her 20s, even after becoming a mother.

After going through this, the actress highlighted how the main issue lies in society’s backward mentality and not her self-esteem. People often forget the enormous task of raising a newborn in the midst of personal pressures – something that needs to be improved.

He bravely faced all criticism, saying that no external debate could shake him or his invincible confidence.

Ever popular, but never immune to public scrutiny, Kareena Kapoor Khan welcomed her first son, Taimur, in December 2016. She had gained about 18 kilograms (about 40 pounds), and attention was drawn to her “thick legs”, heavy thighs and wide calves.

Social media buzzed with reactions as, once again, here was a superstar whose glamor was a much talked about attribute of her profession and personality. Sadly, the understanding of a woman going through pregnancy and its difficult changes was overshadowed.

But Kareena Kapoor Khan embraced it all with resilience. She openly accepted her changing body and let the noise flow.

She faced another round of trolling when she welcomed her second son, Jeh, in 2021. Seven months later, she was walking the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week. Once again, visible postpartum weight gain was thrust into the limelight.

Later at a book launch, Kareena spoke about the immense pressure to lose weight. Yet, in the end, self-love triumphed.

There are other names in the mix who have been dealing with postpartum trolling for years.

After welcoming her daughter Rabia in late 2023, Swara Bhaskar faced vicious bullying over her weight gain and looks.

Sameera Reddy has opened up about how postpartum weight-shaming damaged her mental health. After her first pregnancy in 2015, she went from 72 kg to 105 kg and was constantly criticized for losing her ‘glamorous persona’.

Patralekha, actor and producer, and Rajkumar Rao’s wife, faced body-shaming just months after welcoming her daughter, Parvathy — and hit back at critics.

It is an endless loop. Katrina Kaif’s recent reaction is yet another reminder of how the pressure continues to double on new mothers, especially actors. As sad as it is, this reality remains. Then and now, one can only hope that better thinking will prevail.

Also read this | Amid Postpartum Weight Trolling, Katrina Kaif Shares What It Means to ‘Look Her Best’