Breast cancer survivor Chhavi Mittal: When I show cleavage, it’s out of respect for my breasts

After slamming trolls for their insensitive comments about ‘exposing her body’, on Instagram, actor Chhavi Mittal, also a breast cancer survivor, tells us that the intention behind doing this was quite a positive one.

She explains, “It was not to be harsh to those trolls but to reiterate the message that this is my life, my body, and I am proud of it. Hence, when I show my cleavage, it’s not out of disrespect for myself, but because I respect my breasts and believe they are warriors for having survived such a massive surgery.”

Mittal also reveals that after her diagnosis, she was all the more worried. For the 42-year-old, the treatment for breast cancer didn’t bother her so much as picturing her life after recovery.

Recalling how her doctor assured her about the treatment, she says, “When I was first diagnosed with cancer and my doctors gave me full confidence that my cancer was curable, I was sure that I would be fine. But my only concern was what my life would be like post-cancer. I had 100 questions in my mind such as how would I look post-cancer, how my breast would look, whether I would be able to exercise and go to the gym, would my breasts be sensitive post-surgery or not, and would they look pretty (because I want them to look good). I want to feel pretty and why is nobody talking about it? Cancer can be threatening and the priority is to remove it and save the life, but what about the life after that?”

Thus, Mittal is disappointed when people reduce ‘her story of survival’ and ‘celebration of life’ to a mere display of her breasts.

She continues to explain, “If I share a post, which is so honest, speaks about freedom, being carefree, not worrying about a thing in the world, and somebody only notices the superficial things like what I am wearing in it, it totally defeats the whole purpose of the message that I am trying to communicate.”

Furthermore, Mittal clarifies that she does not mind people leaving comments on her post, as she takes it upon herself to take them positively. “I think everyone has a right to comment. When you put yourself out there on social media for everybody to see, you will get good as well as bad comments and I am very okay with that. I do not get affected by their trolling,” she says.

But the reason why she posted the comments (that questioned her freedom as well as her mental health) is because, she wanted to put out the message that she has survived breast cancer and has come out of it as a much stronger personality.

“I love my body and my breasts are a very important part of it. They make me feel beautiful and confident. So, that post was just a message in this sense,” shares Mittal, who believes that as someone being followed and looked upon by so many people, it’s her responsibility to react to the wrong that happens around her.

Talking about the trolls, the actor says she is never resentful to what they say or write. “I don’t know these people or what they are going through in life. Maybe, they are experiencing some kind of mental or emotional struggle and that’s why are oozing so much negativity on social media,” she opines, citing example of a comment on her post that read: ‘She must be depressed in life and that’s why she is showing off her breasts’.

Mittal notes, “You don’t know what that person is struggling with in his/her life. Maybe he/she is depressed or is body conscious. So, whenever they comment something bad, I understand that they must be struggling through life and may God bless them.”