News Desk |
Yumna Zaidi, wife of Pakistan-Canadian comedian Zaid Ali shared a thought-provoking post on body shaming. Yumna posted her photo from an adolescent in which she was a dark-skinned and a fat girl on Instagram. The caption spoke about her ordeal she faced as a child for being a fat and dark-skinned person.
Her post addressed the painful phenomenon of body shaming. She said, “When I was five, my family immigrated to Canada. This is a picture of me at the age of 10. Growing up, I was never made to feel ‘fat or ‘dark’ because my family and the people around me never made me feel that way.”
She further added, “The culture in Canada is such that you are not judged based on your appearance, skin colour, or cast but how you act.” Yumna said the first time she encountered body shaming was on her first visit to Pakistan in 1999 after settling down in Canada.
Read more: Zaid Ali condemns trolls commenting on his wife’s look
“I was hit with rude remarks and cunning looks because of the way I looked. I was called ugly, fat, left and right. Some people thought I would never get married. Everyone felt the need to give me unsolicited advice wherever I went. And I was genuinely confused,” she wrote. “I would think, why do these people care about my looks?’ I look great and if I actually am fat, how come no one ever told me before?”
She then decided to talk to her mother about this. “She (my mother) said, ‘Yumnah, don’t focus on what other people are saying. Your skin is something you can’t change. Just remember it’s always about how you carry yourself. And always carry yourself with confidence!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BriOGwCF3oe/
Soon after Zaid Ali took to social media and lauded his wife’s courage to open up about her looks and body shaming. He wrote, “I am so proud of my wife, Yumnah. She’s always been confident about who she is and despite the negativity she received, she always had a positive attitude.”
I am so proud of my wife, Yumnah. She’s always been confident about who she is and despite the negativity she recieved, she always had a positive attitude. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/MHsIDIHDhl
— Zaid Ali (@Za1d) December 18, 2018
Previously, Yumna Zaidi received a lot of backlash on social media for her skin color and looks when Zaid Ali shared their first photo after getting married. Zaid Ali has always taken head on the online trolls mocking his wife; however, it is the first time Yumna Zaidi voiced her thoughts on body shaming.