Message From Nadia Jamil on Eating Disorders Awareness Week

زندگی آمدبرای بندگی زندگی بی بندگی شرمندگی

“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” — Rumi

 

Dear Readers!

“Eat healthy, keep healthy and remember your body is your greatest naimat/blessing, protect it and it will serve you well! God Bless.” Nadia Jamil

In Muslim world, the awareness of Eating Disorders is at a very low level. Each year, thousands of people develop eating disorders, or problems with weight. The sad fact is that majority of them are suffering from this illness in complete silence and in isolation due to fear of stigmatization. Eating Disorders don’t discriminate and affect everyone, regardless of age gender and socio economic status. Gone are the days of popular beliefs that Eating Disorders only affect models and rich western girls. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. They are not a “phase” or a “diet gone too far”.  They are complex, and devastating psychological disorders that can have serious consequences for health, and can lead to death.  There is an urgent need for people struggling with an eating disorder to seek professional help.  The earlier a person with an eating disorder seeks treatment, the greater the likelihood of recovery.
In the sub-continent of South Asia, the colossal pressure on women to be perfect wives, daughters, and mothers has gained momentum. This could be due to the fact that the role of women over the course of years has evolved into something which is very difficult to manage, Yes today’s woman is getting education, is going out to work, climbing career ladder, but she is also endowed with a traditional responsibility of being a sole homemaker.

I was in Islamabad in 2010 and I interned with one of the local Human Rights Org. I saw how so many women (apart from the domestic housekeepers/helpers) were under tremendous pressure to be thin, beautiful and passive. Unlike some, majority of Pakistani women cannot shed their role of homemakers that easily. Yes, you can exalt in your career, have independence, go out and work, as long as you don’t neglect your duties to your family.   So many girls who interned with me were expected to excel academically, look perfectly immaculate, get a professional job that guaranteed money and become perfect future wives and model daughter in laws.

In last ten years, the women of Pakistani society have slowly been forced into becoming what media is portraying them to be a media symbol, underweight personas and plastic dolls. Take a look at any tabloid newspaper, flick through your television screens and you will see the extent to which Pakistani women of this day and age are portrayed as. These days beauty is not in the eye of the beholder or in the heart – it’s in the form of a perfect body and perfect face. So women, in their tens of thousands, make daily trips to beauty salons, laser clinics, spas,  feel a new acceptance of the pain, the fear, the microdermabrasion, the chemical peels, the intense pulsed light, just so they can adhere to society’s unrealistic  standards of beauty and perfectionism. It’s unbelievable how most would give anything to be slim and beautiful.

Pakistanis  whether rich or poor have many pressures. Last thing these women need is demands of society to conform to its unhealthy standards of beauty and size zero body image.

Our  media is one of the main reason for a poor body image and for portraying women as a sex symbol. The diets that are discussed on morning shows by morning show hosts are all devoid of aesthetics and are unhealthy, but we are continually exposed to the popular belief that losing weight will make us happier and it will be through so and so Diet Plan. Time and time again it has been proven that, for the long-term, these diet plans DO NOT work, yet we continue to buy into the idea that they do. New trend prevailing in our society is size zero. How can anyone with such a low body mass index be happy or perform their role in any setting? I still remember how Nadia Khan and Shaista Wahdi or Shaista Lodhi proudly boosted about cutting out carbs from their diet.  This just isn’t justified.  This is not fair on our young minds. As Christine Craggs -Hinton mentions in her book: ‘Coping with Eating Disorders and Body Image’ “when a poor body image is combined with low self-esteem- due to a difficult family life or trauma perhaps- children and teenagers can start to distort their bodies or faces in their minds. A girl might be the right weight for her height, but the person she sees in the mirror is distinctly overweight and full of lumps and bumps.”

Though the influence of the media on the proliferation of eating disorders cannot be refuted, but there are celebrities out there who are normal size and display positive image, such as Nadia Jamil and her contemporaries from yesteryear when television was more about displaying your talent then your looks and body. Size Zero has already become banned on many catwalks (Italy is one example) which is very encouraging and a step into future. However, there is still a lot to be done  in Pakistan. We really need to promote healthy body images and body sizes. We all deserve to be happy so why don’t we all accept our bodies and concentrate on things that matter most, such as families, peace, faith, studies etc. rather than engaging in a tiring battle to be something on tabloid cover that we are not supposed to be. To be accepted by society, you don’t have to look good, you should feel good.

I am deeply grateful to Nadia Jamil, a super star from Pakistan for her message on Eating Disorders Awareness Week.  Her twitter profile describes her as: Actor/Anchor/Educationist/Mother/Lover of desi food,art,music,dogs,Nature,in awe of atoms,Universe,written Word,God.100%Lahori Kudi!Proud Paindu/Learning/Barca! Let me tell you, she is more than that. She’s funny, kind, beautiful and a very humble person.

I still remember that summer of Olympics in London and watching Nadia Jamil’s play ‘Taming of the Shrew’ in Shakespeare Globe Theatre. That was my first summer out of hospital and my first social activity in four years. I loved it. And she took a picture with me, spoke to me and she has always always responded to my E-mails in kindness.

A message to Muslim community by Pakistani Artist, Nadia Jamil.

This message goes out to everyone on Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

“The majority of people I know in life, sadly some children and most adults are preoccupied by an on-going battle with their body image & food. People torture themselves to fit into society’s fashionable, mythical standards of perfect body size. They also have little or no control when it comes to food . Thus one way to the happier and healthier world is by removing the pressure on all of us to be a size zero. But if a friend or loved one is suffering from an unhealthy relationship with food and a poor body image, then gentle support and the gradual dis-enabling of bad habits is essential!

Just like you wouldn’t smoke or drink in front of a loved one who is suffering from a drug or alcohol addiction, how one eats around the patient suffering from dangerous eating habits can also have a detrimental effect on them. So eat healthily around them and re-enforce a positive body image so they can come to see their body as their temple & they must stop abusing it. Help them to do that.

Everyday, every meal is a battle and support of loved ones and family means everything to the sufferer. Derogatory remarks and eating unhealthily around them will just help enable their disease.

Eat healthy, keep healthy and remember your body is your greatest naimat/blessing, protect it and it will serve you well! God bless!”

Thank you Nadia Jamil for agreeing to Join me in this war against eating disorders and helping war against eating disorders to create awareness of Eating Disorders in the Muslim world.

I know One Day, with our collective efforts we will make this disorder history, Inshallah.