Body shaming has no place in contemporary society

RECENTLY, Malaysian style critic Zaihani Mohd Zain, who is well known for being sharp-tongued, vented on her personal Twitter account that people who weigh above 60kg should not attend fashion shows because they disturb the people sitting next to them with their body size.

The post has since been deleted but not before screenshots of it were taken and circulated on social media, causing a backlash against her for her insensitive statement.

It’s also been revealed that this is not the first time she has made controversial statements about body size. In an interview with Malaysia Tatler in 2016, Zaihani said people who are passionate about fashion and dressing up should watch their weight and implied that there’s no room for plus-sized women in the fashion world.

The public backlash against her over this recent matter is understandable because even though Zaihani is a highly respected person in the fashion industry, it doesn’t give her the right to shame overweight people. The notion that all models have to be skinny has long been kicked off the runway and fashion companies are now catering for plus-sized people.

So what’s the problem with Zaihani? She’s obviously deluded if she thought she would get support for her body-shaming remarks or that the public would treat it as a joke. Response on social media from the public, including local fashion designers, shows that she has lost much respect and would be remembered from now onwards not for her achievement and contribution to the fashion industry but for her bad remarks.

In my opinion, we should not be obsessed with how we or other people look. Fat and skinny are simply labels, so stop feeling bad about your physical appearance. Know your worth instead, and you will be happier for it.

SAFIYYA NUR SAKEENA SALLEHUDDIN Nilai, Negri Sembilan