"I empathise with Chethana Raj but actresses deal with unrealistic beauty standards," laments Ramya

The passing of Kannada TV actress Chethana Raj seems to have triggered an important conversation. Chethana, at the age of 21, decided on undergoing a "fat free" plastic surgery but encountered health complications during the surgery and breathed her last in the evening hours of Monday, May 16th. As reports suggest, Chethana Raj's health deteriorated post the surgery due to water accumulation in her lungs.

Soon after, the conversation around unwarranted cosmetic surgeries, and the unreasonable beauty standards that female actors deal with, ensued. Actress and political leader Ramya (Divya Spandana) addressed the same in her latest tweet and spoke of her own weight loss journey that began in 2018, post the removal of a tumor in her foot. Stating that she empathizes with the 21-year-old actress, Ramya added that the same unrealistic beauty standards have never been applicable to men, or male actors and that the need of the hour would be to collectively fight the stigma.

"Read the news about this young actress who passed away after plastic surgery. The industry sets very unrealistic beauty standards on women and there's immense pressure on women to look a certain way. Post my tumor removal from the foot in 2018, I have struggled with my weight. I am on a weight loss journey but at my own pace and on my terms. There are so many quick fixes out there, it's easy to get tempted. I empathize with the actress who lost her life.

This standard btw is not applicable to men (I don't think there should be for anyone). A hero can be potbellied, lose all his hair, and wear a toupee, at 65 is still considered a hero, but it's not the same for women. She puts on a little bit of weight, she's labeled/trolled as an aunty, buddhi, ajji, etc. Women need to know this - there is no way to be - but yourself. Don't let the world dictate to you how to be. The industry needs to be inclusive wrt roles for women. It's time to change the rules. Women & men need to collectively fight these biases - whether it's the pay disparity, roles, beauty standards".

Actor Chetan Ahimsa too echoed Ramya's sentiments and said in his tweet that the burden of "attractivity" on young women in the glamour industry can often lead to toxic outcomes. Actor Sanjjanaa Galrani too condoled the passing of Chethana Raj and sympathized with the family that was kept in the dark.

In a recent interview, it was revealed that Chethana Raj went ahead with the fat-free surgery despite her family's disapproval. She would decide on undergoing the procedure on her friends' recommendation, who would also sign off the medical declaration form at the hospital, much to the everyone's dismay. The family too, still unable to come to terms with her tragic passing, alluded to the fact that a "fat free" surgery never seemed a necessity for Chethana and it is highly likely that her decision was governed by peer pressure.

Chethana Raj, according to recent reports, went to Shetty's Cosmetic Centre in Bengaluru for her plastic surgery which did not go as planned. She was then rushed to Kaade Hospital for the complications she developed post-surgery but despite all the attempts by the doctors to revive her, Chethana was declared dead around 6:45 pm on Monday. ICU intensivist at Kaade Hospital, Dr. Sandeep, is said to have written a complaint to the Basaveshwaranagar Police Station. Her family too has lodged a complaint against the cosmetic centre citing negligence.