It seems that many in Pakistan’s entertainment industry are either ignorant or simply insensitive. Iman Aly, a model turned actress, demonstrated this when she mocked the transgender community in an effort to laugh off her own fears.
The Khuda Ke Liye star spoke up about her concerns about her look on the current discussion programme Ghabrana Nahi Hai, stating that she didn’t think she was stunning or appealing despite everyone telling her she was.
“I don’t like the way I look,” Iman Aly confessed. “I don’t like myself even more, especially because people say I’m so beautiful,” she added, saying that she doesn’t see what they see. It was all fine till here.
“I feel like I need a new camera even when I’m not in front of one. ‘Ew, khusra, ew, khusra, “she said, laughing heartily. “How can I take a photograph and upload it when I don’t like my face?” Iman questioned, adding that she is not joking or lying, and that this is why she is reluctant to shoot selfies or update her social media profiles on a regular basis.
Aly’s words may be true to herself and stem from a deep sense of insecurity — she has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, which has affected both her appearance and speech over time and may have had a significant impact on the way she views herself — but equating her own perception of unattractiveness with the trans community is not acceptable.
Such casual prejudice and mocking just adds fuel to the flames and normalises the marginalisation of these groups at a time when trans activists throughout the globe are striving to get their voices heard and fight against the abuse they often suffer.
A gorgeous woman — or anybody for that matter — mocking her physical looks with a phrase like ‘khusra’ invalidates non-binary identities. It instils in non-binary persons the belief that their presence may be used as a negative reference just because a celebrity wanted to make a point, and that point was about how uncomfortable she felt in her own flesh.
While the general public dismisses such incidents as “just a joke,” it’s important to remember that in a country like Pakistan, where transgender people and other marginalised minorities are ostracised and frequently disowned by their families, using such terms can have long-term, often violent consequences.
The fact that Iman got away with uttering such a remark, with the presenter laughing with her and a full production crew adding in laughter sounds as background noise, shows how deeply people have internalised bigotry. Being transgender isn’t an identity for them; it’s an insult and a source of ridicule.
Aly’s statements are disappointing because she is a mature woman, not because she is a well-known model or star. A woman who lives and works in an environment where distinctions in how the trans population is regarded are pretty obvious. Because of this mentality, they do not have the same educational and employment possibilities as other people, and they are sometimes driven into professions that they would not have chosen otherwise in order to live.
It’s unjust, inconsiderate, bigoted, and tone deaf to use their presence to show her own self-loathing. Aly may not have intended any damage, but with so many tools for awareness accessible, it is only fair that prominent individuals who are granted time on national television select their words carefully.
Using the term ‘khusra’ to express how unattractive she seems on the outside ignores the terrible history of a group that has long faced violence, prejudice, and contempt at the hands of society.
It is critical to recognise, not just as a public person, but also as a good human being, that these are real people with genuine feelings, not merely buzzwords that celebrities use to make themselves feel better. The trans community is deserving of more than being the punchline for your jokes.
If you aren’t doing anything to aid the trans community by 2021, the very least you can do is stop ridiculing them.
