Sadaf Kanwal has put herself against Pakistani feminists with her regressive remarks.
âThat is, after all, what patriarchy does; it pits women against women,â in the words of Arwa Mahdawi, a columnist for the Guardian based in New York.
Sadaf Kanwal, the model and budding actress, has found herself in the middle of controversy thanks to her regressive response to sexual harassment
Sadaf Kanwal, a renowned model, made an appearance on the show âTonite with HSYâ that aired on September 9 on Hum TV. The episode became problematic when Hassan Sheheryar Yasin (HSY), the host of the show asked the model about her views on the “Me Too” movement.
Kanwal, in response to the question had rather ignorant remarks: âYou know aap ke saath Me Too jab ho, tab boldo. Baad mein apko yaad aa raha hai Me Too. So, I think jab ho boldo,â she said.
She kept referring to âsexual harassmentâ as Me Too throughout the conversation.
Naturally, these regressive remarks did not sit well with feminists all across Pakistan
People on Twitter are now advising the model to “get well soon” since the Me Too movement is not the only thing she had nothing good to say about. They’re pointing out the hypocrisy in her statements about Mahira Khan being famous because of her looks when Sadaf is professionally a model, a career that’s driven by just physical attributes.
Sadaf kanwal on Tonite with hsy saying Mahira is famous just because of her fair complexion and she doesn't have anything unique like seriously dude ?what are you saying ? you are reducing a successful woman to just her fair complexion .Mahira is not the only woman in Pakistan
— Durray shafaq (@shafake_durray) September 18, 2018
People were expressing what impact her comments might have on victims of sexual harassmentÂ
After this whole Sadaf Kanwal incident, I realize how difficult it must have been for @itsmeeshashafi to take a stand for herself and point a harasser in the same media community which harvests people like Sadaf.
— Javaria (@JavariaWaseem) September 18, 2018
Even remembering some of her not-so-funny jokes she made earlier
Iâm disappointed how Sadaf Kanwal made light of #metoo movement, how I was her fan, how her privilege blinds her to ordeals of sexual abuse victims who find courage to fight the evil, how all this education and exposure doesnât bring empathy, how this is how she uses her impact. pic.twitter.com/XqY4u4Fw55
— Maryam (@maryamful) September 18, 2018
Sadaf Kanwal clearly doesnât understand what the #MeToo movement is about.
These privileged women will benefit from the movements but refuse to be a part of it. @HSYCOUTUREKING #tonitewithhsy #humtv
— đ (@pkpopculture) September 10, 2018
Meesha Shafi, took it to twitter to express her disappointment, as well, in a very cryptic tweet that many have taken to be shade thrown Sadaf’s way
Because Sadaf is known for her “iconic” eyebrows, this shade appears to be thrown her way:
Strong eyebrows.. do not a strong backbone make đ€·đ»ââïž Pfffft
— MEESHA SHAFI (@itsmeeshashafi) September 19, 2018
It is also ironic that Kanwal posted a photo on her Instagram just five days ago that talks about kindness and empathy
And people in her comments aren’t holding back from explaining what they think about this, either.
Kanwal, do not PREACH; PRACTICE.
Also what is âagar mere saath #metoo hoa haiâ ???? Have you been living under a rock, Sadaf Kanwal? You know itâs a movement, right?
— Zaibi (@Zaibii12) September 18, 2018
This is not the first time, however, that Kanwal has displeased her fans or the fraternity
Not so long ago, she was in the news for not appreciating the Pakistani Cinema and the work of her fellow colleagues for movies that released on Eid-ul-Fitr this year. She even got in an argument with actress Sonya Hussyn whose movie ‘Azaadi‘ was playing on the box office that week.
Sadaf, darling. Lesson: Read up on women’s empowerment. If you need help you can always check this out. And the best thing, if you can’t say nice about something is to not say anything at all. Toodles.
People Are Scandalized Beyond Repair Because They Saw Sadaf Kanwalâs Bra In This Photo