Aishwarya’s Cannes legacy is bigger than fashion policing |

Body shaming is ancient. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is G.O.A.T. And it’s time for the trolls to go back in their deep dark crevices they crawl out of every time a woman over 40 steps out on the red carpet. Like clockwork, this year at Cannes, as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the red carpet—as she did for more than 20 years!—in came the trolls with their nasty judgements. In droves. It did not matter that Aishwarya arrived with confidence, grace and a sense of occasion. She should know. She has been a brand ambassador to one of the biggest global beauty brands also for almost two decades. But almost immediately, that thing called social media reacted… well, as it always does. In a sadly predictable way. Instead of focusing on her fashion, her long history with Cannes or the significance of the moment, the online users began analysing her weight, face and appearance.Predictable. The comments were oh-so-familiar. Some actually took the time to go searching for her older photographs and compare them with the ones in 2026. Others discussed whether she had “changed too much.” What exactly is too much here? And who decides it? A few questioned why she no longer looked like she did in the early 2000s. I wouldn’t even know where to go with this one. And as usual, very little attention was given to the fact that she remains one of the most recognised Indian faces in global fashion and cinema.

The reaction exposed something larger than celebrity gossip. It showed how uncomfortable society still is with women ageing naturally. That’s a problem. In 2026. It’s also ironic and tragic. Men are allowed to grow older in public without scrutiny while women, especially famous women, are expected to remain visually frozen in time.Cannes 2026 once again became a reminder that women, no matter how successful, will be judged first by how closely they match impossible beauty standards set a century ago by magazines and the glamour world of Hollywood and Bollywood and everywhere in between.

A mother-daughter moment that deserved better

This year’s Cannes appearance carried extra emotional weight for Aishwarya as her daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, joined her on the red carpet for the first time. Aaradhya wore a ruby-red gown with a matching cape, and the two walked together in a moment that could easily have become one of Cannes’ warmest stories of the year. It was a rare public image of continuity; a global star sharing the spotlight with her daughter, not as a fashion spectacle but as a deeply personal moment.But this too became overshadowed by conversations about Aishwarya’s body. The trolls focused on her face shape, weight and signs of ageing instead of the larger meaning of the moment. Motherhood, which transforms women emotionally and physically, was treated almost like an inconvenience that needed correction. The response reflected a larger social problem. Women are often celebrated for becoming mothers, but are rarely allowed to visibly look like mothers afterwards. If they do, they are criticized. This really is a shame. Because Aishwarya’s Cannes journey really did change India’s fashion presence globally.Her relationship with the French Riviera is bigger than yearly fashion commentary. She helped shape India’s place at the festival long before Cannes became a major social media event in our country. When she first appeared in 2002, wearing a bright yellow saree by Neeta Lulla with heavy gold jewellery, the look stood out immediately. At a time when western gowns dominated the red carpet. Aishwarya went Indian. As traditional as India gets. She arrived in unmistakably Indian clothing and brought Indian craftsmanship into the global spotlight. The appearance became one of the defining Cannes moments for Indian fashion.Over the years, she continued taking risks instead of choosing predictable glamour. In 2016, her dramatic purple lipstick paired with a floral gown created intense debate online. Some mocked the look, while others praised her willingness to experiment. Either way, it became unforgettable.In 2017, she appeared in an icy blue Cinderella-inspired gown by Michael Cinco that quickly entered pop culture memory. The following year, she wore an elaborate butterfly-inspired outfit with a sweeping cape that required enormous craftsmanship.

Then came 2025, when she returned to Indian textiles in an ivory Banarasi saree designed by Manish Malhotra with real silver zari work. The look blended heritage with international grandeur and reminded audiences that Indian fashion could command the same attention as couture from Paris or Milan.Across these years, one thing remained consistent: Aishwarya rarely played safe. Yet despite this remarkable fashion legacy, public conversations about her appearances have always been less about creativity and more about body scrutiny. This became worse after she became a mother in 2011.

The cruel obsession with before/after

Facebook does this every day to us. Almost to an extent that we have begun to see this as normal, decent behaviour in our real lives. “Then & Now”, “Before and After”… the prompts are endless. And we have hardly any control to unsee them. That’s probably the reason why women in public life are often expected to remain unchanged forever. This feeling has strengthened over the last two decades of social media taking over our lives completely. No woman is allowed to gain weight, age visibly or look different from their early 20s. The internet reacts as though they have somehow failed. The language used around these discussions is especially revealing if not downright rude and just unacceptable – “let themselves go,” “lost their charm” or “changed too much.” As if women’s bodies are public properties open for analysis and judgment. Meanwhile, men with grey hair are “distinguished”. Wrinkles become signs of “maturity”.Weight gain is brushed aside or even ignored. Writer and feminist thinker Susan Sontag described this decades ago in her famous essay about the “double standard of ageing.” She argued that society allows men to gain authority as they age, while women lose social value if they no longer appear youthful. That idea feels even more relevant today in the age of social media, where every photograph can be endlessly zoomed into, reposted and criticised.The pressure on women to look permanently youthful has existed for generations, but social media has intensified it dramatically. Celebrities today live under constant visual surveillance. Every public appearance becomes content. Every close-up photograph becomes material for discussion threads, memes and reaction videos.The internet rewards harshness because outrage travels faster than empathy. Aishwarya belongs to a generation of stars who became famous before this culture existed. Her early fame was built through films, pageants and carefully chosen appearances. There was mystery around celebrities then. Public figures were not expected to share every detail of their lives online.

From admiration to surveillance

But today’s celebrity culture thrives on constant visibility. Stars are photographed relentlessly, and audiences often feel entitled to comment on every aspect of their appearance. In many ways, Aishwarya’s Cannes journey also reflects the changing nature of fame itself — from admiration to surveillance. The problem does not begin when women grow older. It starts much earlier.Young actresses entering the industry are already taught that their appearance will be constantly evaluated. Teenage stars are criticised for gaining or losing weight, changing hairstyles or simply growing into adulthood. Women are conditioned to fear ageing long before ageing even begins. By the time actresses become mothers or enter their forties, they are already carrying years of pressure about preserving an ideal version of themselves. Any visible change then becomes magnified. This pressure extends beyond celebrities. Ordinary women experience it too. After pregnancy, some illness, because of stress or simply as they move through life. Basically for nothing at all. That is why conversations around actresses like Aishwarya resonate so widely — these are issues worth talking about. Every day.

Patralekha and the postpartum scrutiny

The scrutiny directed at Aishwarya is not an isolated case. In early 2026, actress Patralekha faced similar comments after paparazzi photographs focused heavily on her postpartum body. Instead of letting her be — she had given birth while continuing to work— conversations online centred around her appearance.

Patralekha clapped back at the paps. Expressing her anger openly over how casually people discussed women’s bodies after childbirth. Her response resonated with many women because it addressed something deeply common but rarely acknowledged openly: postpartum bodies are still treated like problems to be fixed rather than evidence of a major life experience. The entertainment industry magnifies this pressure because actresses are expected to return quickly to public life looking exactly as they once did.Now, coming back to Cannes, Aishwarya’s significance in Indian popular culture goes far beyond beauty or fashion. She represents a generation that carried Indian cinema and identity confidently onto global platforms. Long before international representation became a mainstream conversation, she was already attending Cannes, appearing in international media and bringing Indian fashion into global conversations.For many Indians growing up in the 1990s and 2000s, her Cannes appearances symbolised aspiration and visibility. She stood beside Hollywood stars while remaining unmistakably Indian in style and presence. That cultural impact cannot be reduced to whether she still looks identical to photographs taken 20 years ago. But modern internet culture often struggles with continuity. It values viral moments over long-term legacy. Fame becomes tied to youth, novelty and perfection rather than endurance. In that environment, ageing becomes wrongly associated with decline.

The pushback is here, and it’s getting louder

Women are pushing back though. They are openly resisting unrealistic expectations set by society. During Cannes 2026, actress Kangana Ranaut publicly defended Aishwarya against the criticism. She said fashion is a form of self-expression and that women do not exist to satisfy public expectations. Kangana also argued that society needs to become comfortable seeing older women confidently occupy glamorous spaces. This shifted the discussion away from approval and toward autonomy.Actor Renuka Shahane also criticised the cruelty of online commentary. She questioned why people proudly celebrate Aishwarya as an international icon while simultaneously mocking her for ageing naturally. Her remarks exposed the contradiction at the centre of celebrity culture: society benefits from women’s achievements and visibility, but often punishes them for the realities of living full lives.

There are signs that conversations around beauty and ageing are beginning to shift. More women today openly discuss motherhood, ageing, health changes and body image without shame. Fashion campaigns increasingly include older women. Audiences are slowly becoming more aware of the emotional damage caused by constant body policing. The idea of beauty itself is expanding.For decades, mainstream beauty standards focused heavily on youth, thinness and perfection. But women are now rejecting those expectations and embracing the idea that beauty can also include maturity, experience and individuality. Women in public life still face enormous pressure but there is growing resistance too. Aishwarya’s continued presence at Cannes reflects this shift. She does not appear to prove she still looks 25. She appears as someone secure in her legacy. That confidence itself unsettles people who are used to seeing women disappear quietly from glamorous spaces as they age.Some may dismiss discussions around celebrity body shaming as superficial. But these conversations reveal larger social attitudes. The way society talks about famous women influences how ordinary women are treated too. When the world constantly criticises celebrities for ageing or gaining weight, it reinforces impossible standards for everyone else.Women absorb these messages from a young age. They learn that their worth may always remain connected to appearance. That is why the reaction to Aishwarya matters beyond celebrity culture. It reflects how society views womanhood itself.

In a culture obsessed with perfection, Aishwarya chose self-possession

Aishwarya’s story at Cannes is ultimately not just about fashion or celebrity. It is about visibility. It is about whether women are allowed to continue occupying public space as they age without apology. For more than two decades,the Indian actor and beauty queen has walked the Cannes red carpet carrying not only glamour but also cultural memory. Generations have watched her represent India on one of the world’s most visible stages.

Today, her presence carries another meaning too. She represents resistance to the idea that women must disappear once they no longer fit narrow beauty standards. The internet may continue to dissect faces, bodies and photographs. But none of that changes what she has already built — a legacy shaped by talent, longevity, confidence and cultural impact.And perhaps that is the real discomfort behind the criticism. Aishwarya continues to take up space with complete self-possession, refusing to apologise for changing, ageing or living fully. In a culture obsessed with perfection, that may be the boldest statement of all.