This Women's Day, celebrating 4 Pakistani stars who inspired us with their vulnerability, strength

From Nadia's candid account of battling cancer to supermodel Mushk's struggle with body image issues, here's a list

March 8 marks International Women's Day and on this special occasion, we recall the times when several Pakistani stars didn't hold back from speaking their minds and publicly sharing their vulnerabilities. Time and again, they have made us realise how their experiences aren't all that different from ours.

From Nadia Jamil's candid account of battling breast cancer to supermodel Mushk Kaleem's struggle with body image issues, here are four female stars who opened up about their lives.

Zara Noor Abbas on miscarriage

Actor Zara Noor Abbas last year spoke about suffering from depression after she lost a baby. In an interview with PR mogul Frieha Altaf, Abbas, while addressing her miscarriage, revealed, “Looking at it now, it is a lot of support from the family, very less [from] friends, I think one or two, maybe four. It has to do a lot with my family. Asad, of course, because he was his child also."

She went on to discuss her support system during that time. “When you have a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful but when you lose a child together, it makes your bond extremely beautiful also," she commented. "I think me and Asad have seen the worst now, we ask, ‘What else will we see? Okay, it’s God’s will.’ Everything for me and Asad [Abbas' husband] ends at whatever God wills because whatever is His will is His will. Yes, there’s an extreme sense of loss and I think I’m still grieving.”

Sajal Aly on finding her own

Sajal Aly is arguably one of Pakistan's most successful artists. The star's fruitful career comprises several local hits, a Bollywood film and an international project. Aly is on the go. In an interview, the actor, who hadn't publicly shared her divorce, shared how women should be taught to hold their own and not rely upon men.

"Women already know they are complete without men. It's a beautiful thing to be in love and to feel whole with another person but that shouldn't be the only goal," the renowned actor said during a conversation with Rida Khan on Reel Life.

"I personally don't feel the need for a man as I celebrate my life to the fullest due to the love, respect and admiration I receive every single day. I don't really crave being with anyone but If I do end up being with another individual, that's fine too. In the end, I'm the cherry on top of the cake, no one else," expressed Aly.

She then noted how women are trained to think that marriage holds the most value in life. "I think we need a bit of tweaking in our culture. Since childhood, women are taught to think that they just have to get married after graduation. What if you don't want to? What if someone doesn't want to commit this early in life? I believe marriages restrict women in a box, which should not be the case," explained the Yeh Dil Mera actor.

Nadia Jamil on cancer

Nadia Jamil's praise-worthy journey of being diagnosed with breast cancer and her coming out victorious is an inspiration on its own. In previous interviews, Jamil spoke about how cancer, and the chemotherapy that follows, spark some unpleasant bodily changes, which make it difficult for one to love oneself. In a tell-all with Muniba Mazari, Jamil stated, “When I looked at myself in the mirror for the very first time after turning bald, I focused on how beautiful my eyes were. And that’s funny because I didn’t love myself before cancer.”

She asserted how something that could have killed her, turned into a “blessing” because how it taught her how to really love herself. It also stripped her of the obsession she, and most of us have developed with confusing self-love and the need to fit into beauty standards. “It’s like my cancer told me, ‘Nadia, you don’t need to hide behind your hair anymore. This is your face, and it's all you have. So look at it and love it.’ And I was very proud of my long thick hair back then by the way. But when cancer stripped away that pride from me, I learned to love everything else about myself, which I had been hiding all along.”

Mushk Kaleem on body image issues.

One would assume that supermodel Mushk Kaleem has it all - a successful career, few accolades, a loving partner and a body to kill for with stunning features to match. However, the model, in 2020, had opened up bout her struggle with body dysmorphia.

Taking to Instagram, Kaleem shared pictures from her journey, in an attempt to empower those who go through similar struggles while failing to appreciate their body. "2019, was probably the most rewarding year of my career, but when I look back and think about all that I went through last year, I realise that my mental health had completely taken a back seat," she wrote. The model then recalled how during the time she was adapting to fame, success and accolades, everyone naturally thought she was "living the dream."

On the contrary, Kaleem "knew then, that to complain about anything would be unthankful." But she admitted that she was hospitalised on her 25th birthday last year. "I was almost 48 kilos and suffering from severe body dysmorphia. I would spend hours obsessing over my weight, about losing those few inches on my waist, about getting those perfect hips, or about just looking the part," she said.

"I had started starving myself, not eating for 24 hours and more, I was abusing drugs, I was unhealthy. I was a 6ft girl suffering from severe anorexia. I would occasionally blackout. I needed help. I think it had less to do with my field of work and more to do with how I was okay with being so self-destructive." Kaleem then expressed how she had become comfortable with being unhappy, but assured that hers was a happy story. "Now, a year later, I’m a happier person. I’ve been clean for more than a year. I have found support and happiness in my family, friends, and pets. I have set boundaries that I never let people cross."

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.