In a candid new viral video, a group of courageous Pakistani women open up about being body-shamed since childhood and how it has shaped how they see themselves.
The video was shot by lawyer Zainab Chughtai, who is also the founder of BullyProof, a social awareness campaign that works to prevent bullying among young Pakistanis in schools. It was recorded as part of a session on battling body shaming by sharing stories and healing.
“If she doesn’t slim down, then I will get her surgery done. Have you looked at the way you lie down? You look so vulgar,” a woman says. “Looking into the mirror every morning was a nightmare. I hated who I was,” another one says. “Even now the person that I’ve become is someone who is always questioning her self-worth based on her physicality,” a third adds.
On Facebook, Chughtai saluted the women who participated in the video and dedicated it to “all the youth, especially young women, who are body-shamed by teachers, students, parents and who are struggling to make their bodies a home for themselves”.
Towards the end, the women speak of their journey towards accepting themselves. “The validation that I get from the people that I love is enough to keep me going, and the pledge that I am taking here today that I am enough in my own skin,” one says, “and that I am beautiful regardless of what anyone has said to me.”