Mawra, Urwa are not alone in failing to display a sense of social awareness

Pakistani celebrities have in past trivialised sensitive issues by making gross generalisations on public platforms

KARACHI: Ill-informed, brazen statements are in the air from some celebrities who ought to know better.

Sister duo Mawra and Urwa Hocane are the latest celebs to make somewhat ill-informed statements about a sensitive issue. In a recent appearance on Nida Yasir's morning show, the celebrities were promoting their upcoming clothing brand U X M.

Urwa, Mawra think depression, mental health issues exist 'just because of food'

However, when the host started talking about depression and mental health, Urwa and Mawra took it upon themselves to share some advice about how to 'treat' depression. According to them, one's mental health is affected by 'what food you're putting inside your system.'

PHOTO: FILE

Understandably, many have taken to social media to call out the duo for their pointless statement. According to Harvard Medical School, "diet is an important component of mental health." Despite the fact medical studies have shown that a balanced diet and exercise can assist in treatment, the problem lies with Mawra and Urwa's blatant generalisation. "We hear so many people say that they are suffering from depression, they have mental ‘disease’, it’s all because of food. There’s no other reason," they were heard claiming in the now-viral clip.

The real problem lies with the sister's position in society. Whether we like it or not, they are influential people and that demands a certain degree of social responsibility. Not to mention, Mawra and Urwa are not doctors or psychologists, therefore it is almost preposterous for them to be brushing off clinical illnesses like a no-brainier on national TV.

We can't forget model Sadaf Kanwal discrediting the #MeToo movement in more ways than one. On a public platform, the model wrote some problematic post on the issue, despite that she herself has admitted to never experiencing sexual harassment. "You know when you experience a #MeToo incident, say it then. Why are you mentioning it later? I think you should speak up when it happens," she shared. But that wasn't it. "If it ever happens to me, I would say it. And I won’t just say it on social media, I’d tell all of you."

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/SADAF KANWAL

Kanwal also seemingly found harassment hilarious. She earlier put up a picture of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari being hugged by a follower on her Instagram and captioned it as ‘#MeToo’ with a laughing emoji on it.

Even such torrid issues like child abuse can be ill-regarded by our celebrities. Actor Yasir Hussain made a severe mistake of making fun of the abhorrent taboo. The 2017 Hum Award's is forever tainted by his tasteless remarks after Ahsan Khan won the award for Best Negative character in the critically acclaimed Udaari, which tackled child sex abuse. “Itna khobsurat child molester, kash main bhi bacha hota… (Such a handsome child molester, I wish I was a child as well)," Yasir said.

Although he apologised on Instagram after receiving extensive backlash, the damage was done. If celebrities can stoop so low to even joke about child abuse, what hope is there for those who look up to them?

PHOTO: FILE

Let's not even go into the long, arduous issues with morning shows, that have high ratings and therefore extend unimaginable impact on certain segments of society. Talk show host Sanam Jung came under the radar for mocking dark skin, which is, no matter what way you put it, inherent racism. What is more worrisome is that despite the backlash over the tacky controversies these morning shows can create simply for the attention, soon the drama is forgotten and people tune in every morning once again.

PHOTO: FILE

We all have the right to express our freedom of expression, but this becomes problematic if not dangerous to portray issues that people have deeply suffered from in a presumptuous manner.  Not only that, the irresponsible behaviour of such celebrities can prevent society from spreading awareness, creating better understanding and lessen the struggles of those who have experienced such problems.

At the end of the day, thousands silently suffer from sexual harassment, depression, child abuse and racism everyday.

Morning shows and weddings: What is going on?

It boils down to common sense and social decency which celebrities can lack. Perhaps, it is not just the celebrities that are to blame here; rather the culture of the Pakistani entertainment industry at large. Managers, publicists and image consultants need to groom their clients to not only be physically charismatic, but to also display a greater sense of social awareness.

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