No right to touch me without consent: Amna Ilyas | The Express Tribune
Earlier this week, supermodel and actor Amina Ilyas made an interesting appearance. talk talk show, Many people held up posters and chanted slogans to protest the “controversial” questions on the local talk show. Although an unusual introduction, little did viewers know that it would set the tone for the entire episode.
During the show, host Hasan Chaudhry took the opportunity to ask questions. Ready Steady No star about her views on feminism. “In a recent interview, you said, ‘I’m not a feminist, but I believe in equality between the sexes,'” he recalled. “I don’t get it – isn’t feminism about fighting for equal rights for women?”
Upon hearing this, Elias immediately responded, “I think we’ve reduced the concept of feminism to only wearing what women wear. Every time I read comments on social media, I realize that the famous slogan, ‘My body, my will (My Body My Choice)’ is made about clothes only, though the idea behind it is much deeper. It is about bodily autonomy rights and consent. It’s about harassment, domestic violence and concepts like, ‘Nobody has the right to touch me without my consent, even if I’m married to you’.
She added that whenever I talk about feminism, people always object by saying, ‘Oh, Amina is bold, of course she’s going to spread vulgarity because she’s from the industry, she wants all our daughters. I am like them.’ No, I don’t want that, I just do what I want to do for myself.”
“When we talk about equal rights, it’s about having the same opportunity to flourish in my career as the guy next to me. If you’re a father of four who’s the best at what he does, why should I? Can’t? Honestly, it’s not about whether you’re allowed to wear jeans or not. We really need a space to work on mental capacity,” he shared.
on TV’s strict beauty standards
Moving on to more lighthearted conversation, Elias then revealed that she was on her way to becoming a banker, before landing a job in the modeling industry. She said, “I wanted to be an accountant first, but at the right time my elder sisters introduced me to modeling.” It is thanks to him that life opened its doors for me. I was only in class 10 when I started shooting. She added that at the time, “people preferred slim, tall and dusty women in the fashion industry,” so she was an ideal candidate.
“Honestly, when I got to intermediate, I still wanted to be a banker because it was quite tough. You have to constantly wax, and thread your body hair and I really hate doing that. . But then things got better. I.”
The host pointed out how Elias hasn’t done much in television over the past few years compared to his recent film projects. “I would have loved to be on television more but I was busy working on a number of projects,” the starlet explained. “sister Released in 2019, and then Covid’19 happened, due to which I took a break and only worked in back-to-back films. For me, quality is more important than quantity, which is why I don’t like to play different roles at the same time.”
The model said there was another reason why she wasn’t doing many roles on television. “It’s been quite a challenge for me to be on television because of my height, color and looks, and it’s a reality I have to face with every project,” elaborates Elias.
“Haven’t we crossed that complex yet?” asked the host. To this, he replied in the affirmative, “Absolutely not, especially if we look at television. I have nothing against anybody, but if you look at all the female or male actors that we have on screen. , so most of them are the same height, and skin tone, so there’s definitely a certain standard of beauty in the entertainment industry.”
Before closing, Elias acknowledged that the unhealthy beauty standard is finally breaking down, but it will take time to completely disappear. “Women who look like me and are unconventional to the ideals of beauty here are starting to get more jobs,” she said.
Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.