“…Women like me who chases her dreams in this worl- ugh I’m sorry I meant in the man’s world…” Mehwish declares to a crowd full of zesty young Pakistanis who roar an applause.
Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat was invited by the Pakistan High Commission and Queen Mary’s University in London to speak about female empowerment in Pakistan’s misogynistic society. The premise of Mehwish’s speech is simple: as a woman, you will face incredible hurdles to make it big. “So if a woman has to chase her dreams, she has to step into this man’s world, play by the set rules and follow the decorum of patriarchal values.” Mehwish correctly goes on to express how despite abiding by this male-centered doctrine, it’s still far from an easy breeze.
“…And yet [an actress will] face adversity, ridicule, objectification, pay gap and possibly sexual harassment to make it big in life. It’s quite a price to follow your dreams, but I have done that and I have faced all of that”
Mehwish Hayat speaking up comes as a comforting parallel to what’s happening in Hollywood. Sexism has been crippling the industry from the age of the dinosaurs, and while it’s 2018 and robots might just take over, there’s still a wee little problem in giving women equality and not oppressing them. Harassment tied down Hollywood for decades, and after the recent Harvey Weinstein scandal that shook the entire world came about in full storm, it catalyzed a formidable thunder of women across the world mustering courage to speak out against personal shaking encounters. Initiatives like ‘Time’s Up’ began shedding light on previously trifling topics like pay gaps and sexual harassment in the entertainment realm too. It’s caused a domino effect, with actresses speaking out not just in Hollywood, but a sparked flame transcending borders and spreading like wildfire into Lollywood too (Frieha Altaf and Nadia Jamil being one of the firsts to speak out).
“There is no gender-neutral world anyway, it just doesn’t exist,” Mehwish says
What Mehwish saying isn’t anything new, but the fact that she’s bringing it up in a Pakistani context where chauvinism and patriarchy bleed through our soil with incessant threats that loom overhead, it’s commendable that she’s voicing herself. Gender pay gap and sexual harassment isn’t a problem confined to the entertainment industry. They’re poisonous plagues spreading beyond Lollywood, Bollywood, and Hollywood – if you’re a woman and you want to become a sportswoman, you’ll be handed a lower paycheque and probably molested along the way (remember disgraced US Olympics doctor Larry Nassar) – if you’re a woman and you’re a banker, same goes too. There really isn’t any leeway for women in this world, whether we’re mansplained on how to tie our shoelaces or being told we can’t do x y z because, well we’ve got vaginas – oh and all the while harassed by our male counterparts.
“Because my dreams were priceless. They meant a lot to me”
When tragic news of Zainab’s rape and murder broke out, celebrities spoke up, bearing the flag for Pakistani women who had long been fumbling in the dark. Sexual harassment is an uncomfortable familiarity, sprouting everywhere and while there’s been a sudden influx of women unraveled their painful experiences, significant change seems too far off, fading away into the horizon. There’s hope though, that’s clear – even for an utterly hopeless and man’s Pakistan.
Here are a few snippets from the inspiring speech
What are your thoughts on Mehwish’s speech?