Real, relatable and refreshing: Mini Mathur gives us a peek into her “unfiltered” life

In the last few years, social media has turned into a “window” for the audience to understand their favourite celebrities better. Although it is a huge advantage, it also puts public figures under the scanner all the time, which can sometimes have a detrimental impact on their mental health. The key is to strike a fine balance between real and reel life. And TV host, actor and mom Mini Mathur teaches us just that! 

We’ve loved her since her VJing days, when her cool persona was the talk of the town! Even today, it’s refreshing to see the Mind The Malhotras actor be herself on platforms that are often accused of perpetuating narrow ideals of beauty. 

In an exclusive conversation with Health Shots, Mini tells us how she believes in “keeping it real”, her idea of self-care, and her views on age shaming. 

Being organic on social media

It’s delightful to see Mini’s feed—she often shares glimpses from her life that make you feel she’s just like you! 

For Mini, social media is all about sharing her beliefs, her aesthetic, her opinion and her life. 

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“It’s not the cover of a magazine that highlights perfection. I want people to see my feed and say “oh, yeah me too” and “oh wow, I should try that too”. I like being accessible , not creating envy or talking about how privileged my life is. I am not designing my social media feed just to gain more virtual following. That only makes you relevant to advertisers. It’s not a testimony to your intelligence, beliefs or work on the ground. Reality is organic and way more engaging. Let’s keep it real,” she says. 

“Social media has killed civility”, says Mini Mathur

There’s no denying that social media has bridged the gap between celebrities and the audience, but Mini feels it has also killed civility. If you’re vocal, there’s a high likelihood of troll attacks, but Mini doesn’t really pay much heed to it.

“I hate the fact that anyone can hide behind a nameless, faceless handle and abuse you or say inappropriate things or troll you. Social media has given license to insensible communication, and it’s the death of stardom according to me. I’m lucky that I’m in a place, where I can live my life as normally as I do and yet enjoy the perks of being recognised and liked for what I do. But I do get trolled by the hate brigade for having an opinion. Mostly, I don’t really care, but sometimes it makes me super angry too. It can mess with people’s mental health if they don’t know where to draw the line. Thankfully, I do,” she adds. 

On defying stereotypes

Women in the glamour industry are often pressurised to give in to demands, especially to look a certain way. Mini has been someone who has defied stereotypes, and always spreads the message of being comfortable in her skin. Unlike many others, she has never believed in propagating unrealistic standards of beauty. In fact, she’s pretty candid about sharing her beauty routine with her audience, and it’s as real and nourishing as it can get! 

“Instagram and filters are ruining beauty benchmarks. I find everyone trying to pout and preen and present themselves as perfect objects of desire. Who decides what’s perfect? And why is it so skin deep? Women need to redefine their own beauty standards. Ageing is nothing to be ashamed of,” adds Mini. 

She also feels it’s a pity that fewer roles are written for women in their 40s and 50s. 

“It’s sad that 20 somethings are still playing 50 somethings. I’ve been saying forever that we need to create separate content for women in their 40s and 50s. You can’t skip going from young to old. There are two decades of life in the middle! As long as you stay healthy, body changes are real. You cannot control them, no one can. I want to motivate women to own their age, their experience, value themselves a little more and feel proud of the kids they’ve raised , the homes they’ve kept, the food they’ve cooked, the professions they’ve been in,” says Mini. 

Her idea of self-care

“I’m a big believer in me time, space and girlfriends. Also I have always worked, been financially independent. To me that’s self care. When you’re not dependent on anyone financially, you take the right decisions for yourself. At a superficial level.. I love spa time. I take detox trips. I enjoy trying out skin care routines, new products in the market, I love essential oils, candles.. a swim. I regularly vacation with my friends. I realise I’m privileged but I think I’d make time for myself even if I wasn’t,” says Mini.