Harnaam Kaur is an English social media personality, postpartum coach, life coach, and motivational speaker who lives in India.
She has battled PCOS for years—and endless abuse for her body and facial hair. Her journey to being confident in her own skin and body positivity saw many hurdles and societal bounds.
Women Fitness India joins her for a candid chat over her journey and embracing womanhood!
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Harnaam, you are a freelance model, motivational speaker, and a well-known personality known for breaking stereotypical norms, but tell us how has this journey been for you, what was it in your childhood?
Ms.Harnaam Kaur
My childhood was pretty ‘normal.’ I attended school fairs, trips, sports days and even took part in plays. I had amazing family trips to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and India, I was a pretty happy child until Puberty hit.I was always bullied for being a chubbier child, I was made to feel ashamed of my weight by school peers, and I didn’t notice the facial hair until I was bullied for it- it then became an issue. After years of removing it and trying to conform to what the ‘norm’ was, I decided to embrace my facial hair fully at the age of 16. This all happened after being diagnosed with PCOS during my early teens.
FULL INTERVIEW ON NEXT PAGE!
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar
You have talked about being PCOD positive and accepting it beautifully, how do you manage it now? Tips you would like to share for our readers
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
PCOS was a diagnosis that I was afraid of. No one spoke of it so therefore I thought I was dying of a rare disease. It was only after my school nurse sent me pamphlets explaining the condition in which I realized that 1 in 5 people with ovaries has this condition. As far as I am aware, the condition itself is not curable, but the side effects such as diabetes, infertility, irregular periods, weight gain, or loss can be treated.
So many people have PCOS, this condition is not rare at all. I use my voice to raise awareness of this condition in whichever way I possibly can
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You have walked for London Fashion Week as a model, how was the experience?
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
It was an awesome experience. I was nervous at first. All the models were taller, thinner, and looked the part. I didn’t want to be there after feeling anxious. Had to have words with me and remind myself that I have a purpose, I am needed, I am worthy and I am valuable- this show has to happen and I need to walk this runway. I opened the show and was the first model on the runway. I know photographers made comments such as ‘why would you let a freak open the show?’ Well, it was this ‘freak’ that made headlines over all the other ‘normal’ looking models. HA!!!
The experience taught me to never shy away.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Women Fitness India, talks about diets and fitness regimes, do you follow any particular diet? What is your favorite cuisine?
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
I don’t like the word ‘diet.’ Why would I follow something where the first three letters spell the word ‘die?’ Rather I prefer the word Lifestyle because I want to live. I eat everything, am a big foodie. I absolutely adore food. If I have eaten and someone offers me food, I will never say no unless I am bloated! HA, I love Panjabi Khana, and I adore Italian food.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
Social media is both a boon and bane, you have a transparent feed on your social media handle, how do you go about dealing with trolling and negativity?
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
Block. I block and report people. If and when I see death threats, I send all proof and the person’s account and name to the police. I take death threats very seriously. They mostly come from narrow-minded people who have not yet experienced the wonders of this world fully. We are all diverse and different, I love and accept myself, why wouldn’t I love and accept the world- of course, I do. If I place barriers on my life and loving this different world, then I am stopping myself from experiencing this world to its full extent.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You have always spoken about body positivity and mental health, do you think it is still more of a taboo, in some places of the world
Ms.Harnaam Kaur
Absolutely. In our culture, people don’t see depression or anxiety as what it is. There is a massive stigma around the topic of mental health and suicide. ‘Eh, Pagal a’ is what people say when you speak of depression. ‘Someone’s done something to you.’ ‘It’s black magic,’ there are so many excuses that people make and don’t actually deal with the real problem.
Ms. Namita Nayyar
You have been on Teen Vogue, Guinness book, and recently with Cosmo India, how do you feel about being a brand name for body positivity
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
I know that the young Harnaam is proud. I never saw anyone that represented me on billboards, campaigns, tv, magazine, until I became that person in the magazines, on tv, in campaigns and billboards. It’s been life-changing, and I’m doing it for the young girl inside of me that suffered, and I am doing it for the people out there who feel how I felt when I was younger. I am doing it to create a conversation to help tackle what the norm is, and I am doing it to create a movement of self-acceptance- let’s show people that different is worthy of celebration
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Lastly a piece of advice you would like to share for our readers especially in India, on how important it is to love oneself over anything else
Ms. Harnaam Kaur
Self Love is deep to talk about. We first need to start by self-care, need to look after ourselves and our mental states. We need to get back to ourselves and start lighting the fire inside of us again that we somehow lost. Let’s find our drive for life, lets start doing things that we have been putting off for months- like the trip you’ve been wanting to go on with your family or friends.
Why don’t you take that course that you’ve been researching? We need to start doing things that make us happy and content. Go out there and tell the person that you’re crushing on that you love them. Do things that spark the life in you.
Only once we start to understand who we are as people, what our purpose is, and why we are on this earth, we can start the journey of self-love and acceptance- but that can only happen once we understand ourselves.
Our difference is what’s needed for this world to flourish, and be what it is- Amazing!
Fitness and health go hand in hand. The early you understand the better your life will be. Do not take your health for granted!
This is something I tell my parents every day, you have to exercise for at least 30 mins a day. Keep your body moving, try to eat healthy if you can and it’s better to start a healthy lifestyle early in age so you don’t go through unnecessary issues or diseases as you start aging.
Your body is your temple, if you don’t nurture it well nobody else will!
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This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar, President womenfitness.org, and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.