Stop shaming Ayyan!

As the news of supermodel Ayyan being arrested at the Islamabad airport for an apparent crime of money laundering, speculations pertaining to her character and professional career began to take a rise.

None of that sounded lenient. People trashed her with labels such as ‘corrupt’, hinting callously at her character. Wisecrack misogynistic comments were splashed around social media, tarnishing her reputation well beyond what she deserved for any misappropriation of money.

Owing to the gender typecasts that exist in our society, we can easily slam and slander women to whatever extent we like and get away with it. That’s just how our society has been conditioned. Even if we see a girl wearing a sleeveless shirt, we scapegoat her, whisper about her “background”, consider shaming her in a variety of respects to be absolutely kosher. It is not only a problem with the lower strata but even with some of the most educated people in our society. Many people, even those who have known Ayyan for some time, indulged in considerable character assassination over whatever happened at the Islamabad airport.

Looking at her thriving career of four years, Ayyan has modeled for prominent brands and has been one of the highest-paid models in the fashion industry of Pakistan. She ventured into singing in 2014. It might not be possible for one to earn that much amount of money in any of this profession. There might just be some crime involved on her part. But the sexual scapegoating of a woman, any woman, is always wrong no matter what kind of criminal she is.

But no, the moral police existing within our society are always ready to assassinate someone’s character based on their preconceived notions. It has seemed to become our favourite hobby in recent years. Be it a politician, cricketer or celebrity, no one will be spared. We forget about the matter at hand and plunge into people’s private lives with glee. But during this whole process we forget the fact that how we are portraying ourselves in front of the world. And then we conveniently blame others to judge us as a nation. For heaven’s sake, focus on your own life and play your role for Pakistan’s prosperity.

Our moralities have already been contaminated with double standards. Every individual needs to point out his shortcomings before passing judgments about others. It’s about time that we rise above and beyond these matters and stop relying on such people to be our ‘ambassadors’. It is time to be careful in gender sensitive conversations. It is time to cement new sensibilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2015.