Aagha Ali, Hina Altaf called out for body-shaming

Agha Ali and his wife Hina Altaf have landed themselves in hot waters over insensitive comments made on a local morning show.

Talking to the host, Nida Yasir, about their life as a newly-wed couple, actors Agha and Hina decided to share a request that the former had made right before their marriage. “Right before our wedding, Agha showed me a picture on his phone and just asked me one thing. He said, ‘If you ever get this fat…” relayed Hina, before being cut off by Agha.

Agha then explained what he ‘actually said’. “Before our marriage, I only asked for one promise. I said that I don’t want anything else except this one promise,” he said before turning to Hina, asking her to share the ‘promise’. “Please don’t get fat,” said Hina, as Agha and Nida laughed along.

The one-minute clip was shared on Twitter by confused viewers, who criticised the couple for promoting ‘body-shaming’ and normalising it. Some also called them out for showcasing ‘conditional’ love.

“Appalled at how men dismay women in the name of love. Love is supposed to be with you through thick and thin but sadly it has become trafficking for men to begin with. They start from objectifying your body to controlling it,” wrote one user.

Another shared how the issue hit close at home. “I’ve seen fat-shaming happen openly. It happened to my sister in front of other people. It is not okay to ask for something so unrealistic when weight gain can be caused by a number of things,” they said.

One user pointed out how there were more layers to be pondered over. “We should also talk about how this was probably normalised in his house growing up which is why he thinks it is okay to continue to process. Disgusting.”

Indeed, the clip has left a sour taste in many mouths, in a society where men and women, both, are judged by their appearances. The cycle needs to end and it is high time that celebrities rise to the challenge and make good use of their platforms.

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