Who introduce Body Shaming in Pakistan?

Moti bhaag gayee (the fat girl ran away),’ said my PE teacher when I asked him to excuse me for a washroom break,” remembered MBBS student Zehra Husayn. She was only eight at the time and those words stung.

Body image, or how a person perceives their body and the way it appears to others, is largely shaped by what we see is acceptable around us. Our beauty standards are influenced by the barrage of images and messages we absorb through mass media. Thin women dominate TV screens, Instagram feeds and fashion spreads all over the world, including in Pakistan, perpetuating the notion that only thin should be seen as beautiful.

This narrow perception of beauty leads to feelings of inadequacy among people judged to be fat or overweight as well as the common practice of humiliating them for their size. While the West is slowly growing sensitised to issues like fat shaming, it’s obvious that Pakistan has a lot of progress left to make.

For her part, Zehra founded the Facebook group Plus Size Pakistan – Xera | Curvy & Co in 2015. “Growing up my confidence had been shattered. I worked on it little by little by reminding myself every single day that I am worthy, beautiful and confident.”

She hopes PSP will help other women make the same mental and emotional journey. Currently comprising a membership of 1,200 women or so, PSP is a “highly exclusive” Facebook group that is intended to be a body-positive platform for plus size Pakistani women to collectively nurture their confidence and resolve their body image issues – all the while keeping their struggles confidential.

“The struggles of a plus-size person can be better understood by people in the same boat,” said PSP member Yumna Sadiq. “Many of my plus-size friends aren’t happy with their bodies. Since attitudes are contagious, this group changes that by encouraging women to accept and love themselves.”