Padma Lakshmi, at 53 years old, has become a big fan of spray tans, realizing that they can look good on everyone. She shared that she used to think they were only for white girls but changed her mindset after her hairdresser, who is Filipino, explained that they are like body makeup. Embracing faux tans helped her cover nicks and bruises, something she often struggled with due to bruising easily. She also made it a point to refrain from retouching her photos, including her stretch marks, scars, and inoculation marks, as she felt it would come across as fake.
Despite now embracing her body and legs, Padma Lakshmi shared that she used to hate her legs, especially during her teenage years. She revealed that she felt very self-conscious about her appearance, feeling like a stick bug with a long neck. However, as she grew older, she began to appreciate her flaws and scars, embracing her unique features. During her early days as a model, she revealed that she once dreamed of appearing in Sports Illustrated, which eventually became a reality in 2023. In preparation for the photoshoot, instead of focusing on dieting, she prioritized eating well to feel fit and confident.
During her journey to appear in Sports Illustrated, Padma Lakshmi realized that she didn’t want to be smaller but instead wanted to be super fit and toned. She emphasized that being happy with her size and having firm, toned skin was more important to her than being a certain weight. She expressed that even if she was 10-15 pounds heavier, she would still be content as long as she felt strong and confident in her own skin. Lakshmi now feels that she is in her sexual peak and doesn’t care about others’ opinions, wanting to empower others to feel the same confidence and comfort in their own bodies.
Padma Lakshmi emphasized the importance of feeling comfortable and confident in one’s own skin, sharing that it is essential to feeling beautiful. She mentioned her new lingerie line, expressing her desire for people to feel happy and confident when wearing her designs. Regardless of how aesthetically pleasing one may look, true beauty comes from feeling comfortable and confident in oneself. Lakshmi’s journey towards self-acceptance and love for her body serves as an inspiration for others to embrace their flaws and scars and to prioritize feeling strong and confident.
