This is a lesson for all of us.
TV star Padma Lakshmi thought she was just dieting – but it turns out her daughter had noticed.
And when the Top Chef presenter told the seven year old that she’s now “too heavy to lift” because of her growth spurt – she was listening.
Krishna told Padma – who was dieting in a bid to fit into a dress for the upcoming Emmys – that she was now not going to eat as she was “watching her figure”.
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Padma told the Hollywood Reporter that it turns out words really do matter.
Padma told how she consumes up to 8,000 calories a day while filming a season of Top Chef.
She said:
“Once I get home, what’s taken me six weeks to gain takes me 12 weeks to take off.”
And while the mum said it was “truly an honour” to get an Emmys nod, she was feared she wouldn’t be able to “fit into anything nice”.
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But her preparation for the awards show was having an effect on her daughter, too.
She explained:
“Recently, I realised my daughter, who is 7½, has been listening to me talk about my weight.
“When we have taco night, I have taco salad with just a few crumpled chips.
“No tortillas, sour cream or cheese. When we order pizza, I get it for her, but I have leftovers of brown rice and lentils.
“When we make pasta, I have only ragu with greens.
“While I’ve been working to lose weight, she has been going through a growth spurt.
“She still asks me to carry her, but now she’s 4 feet tall and weighs nearly 60 pounds.
“So, I’ve inadvertently been telling her, ‘You’re too heavy now to lift.’
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“She’s noticed, and suddenly she’s told me and others in our circle, ‘I don’t want to eat because I’m watching my figure,’ or, ‘I weigh too much.’
“I wasn’t thinking anything of the sort when I was 7 or 10 or even 13.
“Her comments stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Her words scared me. Language matters. We send signals to our daughters every day. And I am her first touchstone of femininity.”
Featured image via Getty.
