From Fat Shaming to Body Positivity: Resilience and Identity Transformation in R. Chaitanya’s The Cursed Curves

In contemporary society, self-perceptions, bodily appearances, and beauty norms, resulting from the external and authentic identity, have defined selfhood. Societal standards have a notable impact on one’s emotions, identity, experiences, and perceptions. The pursuit of thinness has influenced the minds of society, particularly among women who face discontentment with their body colour, size, and shape. This societal pressure has followed a harmful pattern, leading to women's suffering over time. Society propagates violence in the form of bullying, body shaming, and verbal discrimination. This paper attempts to illuminate the protagonist Naina’s resilient journey towards body positivity in the novel “The Cursed Curves” by R. Chaitanya. This descriptive analysis articulates the profound struggle of a young woman who is experiencing body shaming and fat discrimination, presenting an intense emotional journey of self-doubt and isolation. The protagonist's journey of self-transformation highlights her resilient agency, evolving from a victim of fatphobia to the founder of a body positivity centre. By employing psychosocial resilience theory, this paper illustrates the literary depictions of body image and how self-worth and emotional resilience can be restored by reshaping the personal trauma into a space of acceptance and healing. It also highlights the psychological consequences, the journey from criticism to self-acceptance, and the empowerment of advocating for self-worth and body positivity. Keywords: body shame; beauty standards; resilience; body positivity; self-acceptance DOI: http://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2026-3201-16