Shubhra Chaturvedi is a Fashion Model and the Director at Trounce School. She is an accomplished speaker who has voiced her views on platforms like TEDx and Josh Talks. Shubhra Chaturvedi is the author of the book, ‘A Potpourri of Aha Moments, ‘ which is available on Amazon and Flipkart.
Shubhra Chaturvedi’s confidence has helped her to win numerous beauty pageant titles, including Ms. Curvfidence, Ms. Curvy Queen, Ms. Dancing Goddess, and Ms. Beauty with Purpose for Maven Plus Size India. In her conversation with Icy Tales, Shubhra Chaturvedi spoke about her journey, how she felt good about herself, and her opinion on Body Shaming.
Q) Tell us about your journey to becoming what you are today
Shubhra Chaturvedi: I belong to Allahabad, now known as Prayagraj. I was born, brought up, and did my schooling here. Then I did my MBA, PG, and many other things. During my initial days, I suffered a setback in my personal life, which took me back, and I suffered from depression for a couple of years.
That was when I realized that my parents had not given me this life to be wasted like this. And that was when I recollected myself, and I knew I had to make the most of what I had to return to where I was. So that’s how this all started, and a new Shubhra was born.
Q) You are a TEDx and a Josh Talks Speaker. Tell us your experience and major takeaways while being on these platforms
Shubhra Chaturvedi: To be honest, I’ve lived my biggest dream of being on the TEDx platform because I was so keen. I always used to say I once wanted to witness it live like all speakers speak on this stage. So when the organizers contacted me, for a couple of days, it couldn’t sink in, and I was like, probably it’s too good to be true.
I was blessed that Josh Talks and TEDx happened within ten days. Speaking of Josh Talks, I guess I’ve lived my dream, and I’ve become complacent after that because I feel that there’s nothing much now left to achieve. It is one of the biggest platforms and gives you so much exposure. And when it comes to personal branding, I feel being a Josh Talks and a TEDx speaker feels great.
Wherever I’ve been invited, my introduction has been like, meet Shubhra Chaturvedi, a TEDx and a Josh Talks speaker; it has given you a new identity altogether. Being on that platform, you are open to judgment and criticism because many people know nothing about you, and they would be viewing your videos and leaving comments.
I was a bit apprehensive, but I have learned a lot from a such eminence, and I feel blessed. And that has given another level of boost to my confidence because my confidence has gone another level after being on those platforms.
Q) You have won so many beauty pageants. What is it that gives you the confidence to keep going on?
Shubhra Chaturvedi: One thing that I feel is very important and something I keep telling myself is that it’s not that I don’t face low moments in my life; I do give up. Sometimes it becomes very tough to deal with all that, but I always tell myself that it is natural, right? Even if you are going through a storm, you have to keep going.
‘Keep Going’ is my mantra because you must keep moving forward. You cannot stop or stagnate and must explore and adapt to your personality. I want Shubhra Chaturvedi to be a name; I have that aim in my life, which is why I walk towards it. I can not let go of any opportunity, no matter how busy I am or what is going on in my personal or professional life. Whatever opportunity comes my way, I grab it with both my hands.
Q) You are an advocate for empowering Plus-Size people because, in today’s world, there are so many beauty standards, which always end up in body shaming and bullying. What is your general opinion on body shaming, and how do you think we can all fight this?
Shubhra Chaturvedi: I feel that the concept of beauty is emotional and very subjective. But what is sad is that when people meet you for the first time, they judge you by your physical attributes. The first thing that I would comment on is your physical appearance.
This is so sad that you don’t want to look at an individual as an individual; you only wish to judge that person by their physical attributes, and most people don’t even realize it. If I go to a party and somebody tells me that I’ve gained weight or I lost weight, I would stand in front of the mirror and keep looking at myself and that I was, indeed, gained weight. It takes such a toll on the self-esteem of a person being judged, and it takes that person such a long time to come out of it.
Somewhere it takes a toll on your confidence. But after participating in these pageants and, by the grace of God, winning so many titles, I realized that people see you as you see yourself. The day I accepted myself the way I and my body is, I suddenly saw a change in the perception of the people around me. They also started accepting me the way I am.
So I always tell everybody that if you want the world to value you, you must first learn to love yourself. And of course, it is very important to be physically and mentally fit, but then you need to understand that every individual is fighting a battle you know nothing about, right? So let’s not judge just by physical appearance.
You never know, the person might be trying very hard to lose weight, but the body is just not allowing it. Everybody is different and has a different metabolism, so you cannot judge a person based on that. So I told myself that it’s high time I start accepting myself the way I am, and eventually, the world will accept me.
I try my best not to judge people only by their physical attributes. I’m a human, so I would not say that I never judge people, but I try my best to understand that it’s not just the physical attributes; there are many other things.
For me, beauty is if you are smart and stylish and know how to carry yourself. It also lies in you if you are a good conversationalist; I feel nobody can be more beautiful than you. So that is my idea of beauty, which is very subjective. If a person is beautiful to me, the same person doesn’t need to be going to be very beautiful to you. So don’t be judgmental.
Q) Tell us something about your book, A Potpourri of Aha Moments
Shubhra Chaturvedi: I read somewhere when I was five or six years old that if you want to live forever, write a book. Somewhere it hit him hard because I wanted the name Shubhra Chaturvedi to live forever, right? And eventually, this dream of getting a book published and becoming a published author began.
Professionally, all of us are very busy; we hardly get any time. Nowadays, everybody’s busy because we are multitasking and trying to do many things together. COVID-19 was when I got this break after a very long time because I was at home, and my work profile was such that I was not working from home.
So that was when this whole idea of spinning down my thoughts in the form of a book started. It was more like if there’s a will, there’s a way. Then I came across some publishers looking for authors because they were interested in publishing a book. My plus point is that I generally write four-liner quotes; that is what I am into. My set of 35 and 40 quotes we ready, so I immediately contacted them and emailed my manuscript, and the whole process started.
In the case of book publishing, I did not tell anybody that I was doing this. It was only on the book launch day that my parents, best friends, and all my family members knew I finally got published.
So that book is a collection of quotes that have been known mainly based on various situations because if my readers are going through a tough time in life, they can just read these one-liners and get motivated. They should feel encouraged to move ahead in life. That is what the book is all about.
I was targeting my students. Everything starting from the book’s pricing, was done keeping in mind students. So that is how the whole idea of the book happened. I wanted to live forever, so I am now a published author with my book on Amazon and Flipkart.
Shubhra Chaturvedi aims to achieve more things in life that will make her an accomplished individual. She always urges people to be compassionate and self-confident.
Check out the whole conversation with Shubhra Chaturvedi on our YouTube Channel.
