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WORLD NEWS Thursday 18 augusT 2022

Article on ‘fat’ Arab women sparks uproar over

body-shaming

By ISABEL DEBRE and MAG-
GIE HYDE
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emir-
ates (AP) — To Enas Ta-
leb, the headline felt like a
spiteful punch line.
“Why women are fat-
ter than men in the Arab
world,” it read in bold,
above a photograph of
the Iraqi actress waving on-
stage at an arts festival.
The Economist article ran
through possible explana-
tions of the obesity gap of
10 percentage points be-
tween men and women
in the Middle East, then
cited Iraqis who see Ta-
leb’s curves as the ideal of
beauty.
“Fat,” a word now con- This July 2022 photo provided by Enas Taleb, shows Iraqi actress Enas Taleb posing for a picture.
sidered taboo in much of Associated Press
Western media, was re-
peated six times. were swiftly fired. Dubai’s Zayed University. plus-sized model, said body
The article triggered torrid In the Middle East, the re- And yet, many say, fat- positivity remains taboo in
criticism on social media. port argued, the desirability shaming remains wide- the Middle East even as
Twitter users blasted it as of fleshy women may help spread and acceptable in populations have become
misogynistic. Local rights explain why the region has the region, compared to more overweight.
groups issued denuncia- experienced an explosion the U.S. and Europe, where “Kuwaitis are plus-sized,
tions. Some writers were of obesity. self-esteem movements Saudis are plus-sized. But
appalled by what they But the angry backlash have gained momentum people are ashamed.
described as demeaning over the article and Taleb’s and galvanized public dis- They weren’t taught to be
stereotypes about Arab horror that her photo was cussions around inclusivity. confident in this judgmen-
women. used to illustrate growing “Our politicians in Leba- tal society,” Esseibi said.

Taleb, 42, said she’s suing waistlines of Arab women non keep making these “We always want to be
the London-based maga- contradicts the oft-repeat- horrible, sexist comments skinny, to look good, to get
zine for defamation. ed belief that being heavy about women’s bodies. If married to the most power-
While analysts acknowl- is widely seen as sign of af- they come under fire that ful guy.”
edge an epidemic of obe- fluence and fertility in the doesn’t necessarily lead But, she said, there are signs
sity in the Arab world and its region. to rising awareness,” said of growing awareness. Af-
connection to poverty and The globalization of West- Joumana Haddad, a Leb- ter years of ignoring vulgar
gender discrimination, Ta- ern beauty ideals through anese author and human comments about women’s
leb’s case and the ensuing branding, TV and social rights activist. bodies, Arabs are increas-
uproar have thrown a light media has long given rise Haddad noted that new ingly turning to social me-
on the issue of body-sham- to unrealistic body stan- forays into female empow- dia to vent their anger.
ing that is deeply rooted dards that skew women’s erment have provoked The Economist article’s de-
yet rarely discussed in the expectations of themselves “reactionary discourse piction of men “shutting
region. and others in the Arab and anger” from Leba- women up at home” to
“If there’s a student who world, research shows. non’s patriarchal society. keep them “Rubenesque”
goes to school and hears In a forthcoming study on Even cavalier public com- touched a nerve.
mean comments and stu- Egypt, Joan Costa-Font at ments about weight can The Baghdad-based Heya,
dents bullying her for being the London School of Eco- be deeply painful to young or “She,” Foundation,
fat, how would she feel?” nomics said he found that women who struggle with which advocates for wom-
Taleb told The Associated although some older wom- insecurity and a pathologi- en in media, denounced
Press from Baghdad. “This en in rural areas still view cal will to alter their bod- the report as “bullying” and
article is an insult not only rounder women as affluent, ies in pursuit of beauty, she demanded the magazine
to me but a violation of the “it’s not true in Egypt that added. apologize to Taleb.
rights of all Iraqi and Arab being overweight is a sign “I’m a 51-year-old harsh, The Malaysia-based Mu-
women.” of beauty. ... Western stan- angry feminist and I still sawah Foundation, which
The Economist did not re- dards are more relevant.” weigh myself every single promotes equality in the
spond to multiple requests Demand for cosmetic sur- morning,” Haddad said. Muslim world, said the
for comment. gery has boomed in Leba- “You can imagine how backlash shows that “wom-
Fat-shaming is offensive non. Some 75% of female hard it is for people who en in the region are build-
enough in the United States Emirati students reported have been less privileged.” ing a collective discourse
that when two sports com- dissatisfaction with their Ameni Esseibi, a Tunisian- that rejects and calls out
mentators called some fe- bodies, and 25% are prone born woman who over- sexist, racist, and fat-pho-
male athletes overweight to eating disorders, ac- came social stigma to be- bic acts and their colonial
on air earlier this year, they cording to a 2010 study at come the Arab world’s first legacies.”q