Iraq: Iraqi actress Anas Taleb has filed a lawsuit against The Economist magazine after the publication used her image to show how Arab women are more likely to gain weight.

Above a photo of an Iraqi actress waving on stage at an arts festival, it read in bold, "Why are women fatter than men in the Arab world."

The Economist article discussed possible reasons for the 10-point obesity disparity between men and women in the Middle East before citing Iraqis, who see Taleb's curves as a symbol of beauty. Six times, the word "fat" was used, which is now rejected in most Western media.

Social media users sharply criticized the article. Twitter users termed it as anti-women. Local human rights organizations complained that some authors found it counterproductive that Arab women were subjected to such degrading stereotypes.
Taleb, 42, claimed she is suing the London-based magazine for defamation.

While experts acknowledge the obesity epidemic in the Arab world and its connection to poverty and discrimination against women, Taleb's case and the uproar that followed shed light on the issue of body shaming that is widespread but hardly widespread in the region. sometimes discussed.
"How would a student feel if she went to school and faced cruel comments and bullying from other students because she was fat?" From Baghdad, Taleb spoke to The Associated Press. "This article violates the rights of all Iraqi and Arab women, not just mine," she said.
There were several requests for comment, but The Economist never responded.

When two sports commentators called some female athletes overweight on air earlier this year, they were immediately fired because fat-shaming is so offensive in the United States.
According to the report, the desire for chubby women in the Middle East may be contributing to the dramatic increase in obesity in the region.
However, the harsh reaction to the article and Taleb's outrage that his photo was used to depict the growing waistlines of Arab women, debunk the generally mistaken belief that growing up is linked to prosperity and fertility in the region. seen as a signal.

According to research, in the Arab world, the globalization of Western beauty ideals through branding, TV and social media has resulted in skewed expectations of women for themselves and others.
Although some older women in rural areas still view rounder women as wealthier, Joan Costa-Font of the London School of Economics found that "in Egypt it is not true that being overweight is a sign of beauty ... Western The criteria are more relevant.

The demand for cosmetic surgery in Lebanon is skyrocketing. According to a 2010 study at Zayed University in Dubai, 25% of Emirati female students are at risk of eating disorders and 75% of female Emirati students are unhappy with their bodies.
Yet many claim that, unlike in the US and Europe, where self-esteem movements have gained traction and sparked public discussions about inclusivity, fat-shaming is still widespread and accepted in the region.

“Our politicians in Lebanon often make offensive, sexist remarks about women’s bodies. According to Lebanese author and human rights advocate Joumana Haddad, attacking doesn’t always make more people aware.

Haddad noted that the patriarchal society in Lebanon has expressed "reactionary discourse and anger" in response to recent advances in women's empowerment. She adds, "Even casual comments made in public about weight can be extremely upsetting for young women who struggle with insecurities and a pathological desire to change their bodies in an effort to achieve beauty. keeps."
“I am a 51-year-old rigid, irritable feminist and I still weigh myself every morning,” Haddad declared. “You can only imagine how difficult this is for people who have fewer opportunities.”

Tunisia-born Ameni Essebi, who overcame social stigma to become the first plus-size model in the Arab world, claimed that despite rising obesity rates, body positivity still prevails in the Middle East.
Saudi and Kuwaiti are both plus-size. But people feel humiliated. According to Esbi, in this judicial society, they were not taught how to be self-confident. "We've always wanted to look good, be skinny, and marry the most powerful guy."

But there are signs of increasing awareness, she claimed. Arabs are using social media as a way to express their displeasure after years of ignoring lewd comments about women's bodies.
According to the Economist article, the men "locking the women off at home" to keep them "Rubenesque" struck a nerve.

The Hayya, or "She," Foundation, which promotes women in the media and is based in Baghdad, criticized the article as "bullying" and demanded that the magazine apologize to Taleb.
The Musawa Foundation, based in Malaysia and working to advance equality across the Muslim world, claimed that the response reflects that sexist, racism, and fat-fearing acts and their colonial legacy."
Talk-show host Taleb, who also stars in popular Iraqi TV dramas, claimed he was forced to speak.

He used my picture in this context in a harmful, negative way." "I oppose evaluating a person's worth based on their physical appearance."
According to his lawyer, Samantha Kane, he has begun legal proceedings and has already written to The Economist to apologize for the "serious damage done to [Taleb] and his career".
In anticipation of the magazine's response, Kane chose not to say anything further.

Taleb expressed his desire to send "a message" to women in his defamation case, encouraging them to "say, I love myself... to be strong, to face those difficulties."
In a place where women feel the deck is stacked against them, this message strikes a chord. Rigorous beauty standards, discriminatory laws, traditional attitudes and pay inequality all hinder women's progress.
"Women don't get equal pay. They don't get coveted jobs. When they're being harassed, they're forced to keep quiet. To be thin and beautiful.

Outspoken women also run the risk of being targeted to death in Taleb's native Iraq, where security has become more difficult after years of conflict.
The rough-shaming of Arab women, according to Iraqi journalist Manar al-Zubaidi, is not surprising in a society where "most media outlets commodity women and make them objects of ridicule or temptation."
Aside from rapidly escalating the "campaigns and challenges on social media," she continued, "there is nothing to stop them."

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