Fat-positive

How plus-size yoginis on Instagram negotiate sexualised images, body politics and brand-building.

- Sneha Bhura

PICTURE THIS: A lean, lithe and well-toned yogini sitting cross-legged in a lotus position (padmasana) atop another yogini who is doing padmasana in a forward bend on the floor of a gym. Paired in hip shorts and tanks, the yogini on top is fair-skinned and pretty, while the yogini underneath is clad in black from head to toe, and has her face on the ground in an Instagram picture dated December 9, 2015. This is a snapshot of AcroYoga, which combines yoga and acrobatics; the two yoginis in a central Delhi gym are #fitfriends #girlswholift #fitbae and other hashtagged state-of-health archetypes. A fitness influencer on Instagram saw this picture floating around and directed it to a fitness brand in the tone of “check out that girl”.

But, Monica Sahu, 27, the girl in black, was bowled over when the company approached her for their brand endorsement. “I did not expect them to be interested in a 70kg plus woman. Till the very end, I was sure they would see me and freak out,” says Sahu. She did her first proper photoshoot with a fitness brand called Shapeshifter in January 2016, next to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and power-lifting athletes across billboards and promotional campaigns. That was her first introduction to fitness as an industry.

Now, she is an Instagram yogini in her own right, with over 32,000 followers who derive their “fitspiration” from her daily vlogs on deep squats, booty-building, headstands, outdoor splits and other yogic contortions.