Celebrities in Pakistan give us ample opportunities to realize how we, as a society, are prejudiced and insecure. And morning shows are sort of a reality check for our morals where every now and then a host or other familiar face makes an problematic comment or statement. The most recent blunder happened when newly-married couple Agha Ali and Hina Altaf appeared on Nida Yasir’s Eid’s special morning show.
In a video clip going viral on social media, the newlyweds were sharing their marriage story and Agha casually mentioned that the only promise he took from Hina at the time of their marriage was that ‘please don’t ever get fat’.
Agha and Hina shared that both of them are foodies. Fans of Agha Ali would know that the actor loves to work out and stay in shape. So when Nida asked if they have a tendency to gain weight, Agha shared about the promise while Hina laughed and added that whenever she is eating and Agha walks by, he remarks, “bas eik hi wada liya tha (I only took one promise).” Hina was also narrating another incident where Agha showed her somebody’s picture and said ‘agar itni moti tum hogaen tou mein aap ko… [If you became so fat then I will…]” but she was interrupted by Agha.
The uncomfortable conversation didn’t end here but the three of them discussed that Hina also took the same promise from him. They also talked about how Agha is looking slimmer these days and Hina will soon work on losing weight.
Now the question is there is enough burden on women who are about to get married or plan to get married then forcing them to fit in a certain size. There are all sorts of unjust demands and expectations from women in our society; and while we all appreciate that taking care of your body is healthy and should be advised but isn’t demanding it at the beginning of a new phase of life problematic? These unrealistic beauty standards, set by men and women of our society, do not take into account that a woman’s body goes through too many changes, especially as a mother. Moreover, it is height of insecurity by any of the partners to expect that something as fickle as physical appearance, won’t ever change.
If a promise like this was made with mutual understanding, the couple should not publicly discuss it so as to not promote fat shaming or fat phobia. Also, you can always articulate your thoughts in better words so as to not hurt feelings of people of any size or shape. What they supposedly consider a romantic exchange may have been the trauma of someone’s life.
