Female celebrities are more often than not, been subjected to constant scrutiny and body shaming. Over the last couple of years, social media has given these internet trolls a more rampant platform.
As of late, many Pakistani starlets have tried to break the shell society has carved for them. Let it be colourism, sexism or body image issues, celebs have mustered the courage to tackle these issues head-on.
The likes of Hania Aamir, Amna Ilyas and Mathira among others have shared their ordeals about being body-shamed and called names over their skin tones, even something as common as acne.
This has been a welcome change from the picture-perfect facade we usually see on Instagram. The latest superstar to have debunked the social media’s photo-shopped images is none other than Mahira Khan.
Speaking about getting a nose job in a recent video shared on her local venture, the Raees star refuted the assumption and commented, “Okay, you have got to zoom in to my nose. I have not gotten a nose job. If I had gotten a nose job, I would have been like… And Babar wouldn’t have to contour so much.”
She added, “Once I remember maine Asim Raza ko kaha tha (I told director Asim Raza), ‘Asim, you know, a lot of people think I have gotten a nose job done. And I got very excited.’ So, he said, ‘Bete, whoever tells you that you have got a nose job, unse bolo aake mujhse pooche. Kyunki mujhe tumhe shoot karna padta hai (ask them to come and speak to me. Because I am the one who has to shoot you).”
In the video, Mahira was also asked if she has battled body image issues in the past.
“It would be a lie if I said that I struggle with body image issues. But I can empathise with body image issues. Everyone’s on social media, you don’t need to be a celebrity to go through that. Because the kind of images we are constantly putting out is unreal. I struggle with a lot of other things. I struggle with anxiety, stress and sometimes, being myself. Like, I used to be able to laugh and talk and be funny, whatever my sense of humour was. And now everything, even a caption, is taken and blown out of proportion, so it kind of makes you cagey,” she said.
The actor had earlier spoken about ageism in the industry. Mahira, last year, shared on Instagram, “I saw these pictures and thought – ‘Damn I look older’. I do. I feel it. In my bones. On my face. The white strands in my hair. And I quite like it – not nearly as much as I love the kid in me, but it’s getting there.”
The superstar was also asked whether she was secretly married. To this, she glanced at her fingers – looking for a wedding ring – and quipped, “No, I am not secretly married. Do you see a ring?” She added if she ever tied the knot, she would tell her fans.
