Heavy/Getty Padma Lakshmi
A few days before Padma Lakshmi was revealed to be in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2023 issue, the host of Bravo’s “Top Chef” clapped back at people who have criticized her choice of attire in the kitchen.
“You know, when you put yourself out there in an open, public forum, you have to expect all kinds of reactions,” she told Page Six. “I have boobs, I have nipples!” she exclaimed. “So does every woman and man on the planet.”
Lakshmi said she thought people “should just be a little more grown-up about it, and also just accept that a woman’s body is beautiful and okay and we don’t have to be like totally perfect and stuff and filtered and everything.” She pointed out that she feels a lot better in her body now in her 50s than she ever did in her 20s, “even though I probably looked better in my 20s, but I feel better in my 50s,” she added.
The “Taste the Nation” host also shared that people are “multi-dimensional” and “complex” and it’s possible to “have a beautiful relationship with your body and your sensuality and be a mother and be a lover and be a friend.”
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Padma Lakshmi Previously Responded to Criticism About Not Wearing a Bra in a Quarantine Cooking Video
It’s not the first time that Lakshmi has responded to trolls who have accused her of being “immoral” due to her cooking attire in Instagram cooking demonstrations. “I got some comments last time that it was immoral for me to not wear a bra in my own kitchen during the quarantine,” Lakshmi captioned a video in April 2020. “So those people should be happy to note that I’m wearing two today. But seriously, let’s not police women’s bodies in 2020 ok?”
Lakshmi received a lot of support from fans in the comments, while others wrote that she was just looking for attention and that the point of the video was supposed to be to teach people to cook.
In another clip Lakshmi posted on January 3, her daughter, who was recording the cooking demo, put a hand in front of the camera to hide the Bravo host’s chest. She told her mother she was censoring her and her mother replied, “You’re censoring my boobs?” She pointed out that she’d breastfed her daughter for a year and a half. Lakshmi also replied to critical comments, telling people, “It’s really not that serious folks.”
Padma Lakshmi Was Recently Named One of Time’s Most Influential People of 2023
Despite the haters, Lakshmi is having a fantastic year so far. In addition to making the SI Swimsuit issue in 2023, the “Top Chef” host made the list of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.
In addition to hosting “Top Chef,” which is in its 20th season on Bravo, Lakshmi also created “Taste the Nation,” a food and travel show. The second season is set to premiere on May 5, 2023. She’s also an award-winning author who’s released several books, including a memoir, a children’s book and cookbooks.
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