Celina Jaitley's Viral Post On Being Rejected As Model: "Too White, Too Thin"

Celina Jaitley also shared that becoming a runner-up at the Miss Universe pageant 22 years ago was a “moment of great pride”

Bollywood actress and former Miss India Celina Jaitley took a walk down memory lane on Instagram recently and reflected on her journey so far. The actress, sharing that it has been 22 years since she bagged the fourth runner-up title at the Miss Universe pageant, opened up about her health struggles and professional challenges along the way.  In a detailed note, Celina Jaitley explained that while she began her journey as a model and won accolades for her work as a teenager, she was also regularly hospitalised due to issues such as "dysmenorrhea and blood loss". She also battled "severe acne and very severe endometriosis" at a time when she was subjected to body shaming by sections of the industry, the actress revealed. This was coupled with low pay and payment-related issues, Celina Jaitley said in her candid note.

Sharing a video of her walking on stage in a swimwear, followed by an image of her with fellow contestants, Celina Jaitley said in her note, “This year marks 22 years since I became a runner-up at the Miss Universe pageant held in SanJuan, Puerto Rico in 2001 right after India's great triple wins at Ms Universe, Ms World and Miss Asia Pacific the year before (Lara Bhupathi, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza). Amongst 103 contestants at only 5 ft 6 inches ( I was one of the shortest contestants that year) yet I went on to become a runner-up, a moment of great pride for me, upholding my country's legacy.”

Speaking about her journey in the fashion world, Celina Jaitley shared that she was spotted at an “army party” as a teenager. Her journey was not without its struggles, she explained. “I entered the fashion industry at a very young age (15) after being scouted at an army party. The struggles that one went through in a new and upcoming fashion industry in a not-so-open-minded Kolkata was not easy, plus the pressure of studies and competitive exams made my entire teenage a journey of hard work and toil.”