Islamabad: Pakistan’s leading woman cricketer, Sana Mir, has slammed beauty products that promote the objectification of females and indulges in body-shaming.
In a hard-hitting Facebook post, she told those girls who aspire to take up sports that they needed strong arms and not smooth arms on a sports field. Mir also said that she had rejected several offers to endorse beauty products.
Following is the full text of her post:
We - corporate sponsors and celebrities - always talk about our concern regarding the objectification of women in different professional settings. It infuriates us most of the time.
We see endless posts and statuses on social media expressing our anger. But when it’s time to walk the talk, I have seen very few sponsors or celebrities actually take a stand to support women being comfortable in their own skin.
One of the ad campaigns that has finally pushed me to come forward with my concern is the latest campaign by a company promoting a hair removal cream.
I have come to know that it’s a campaign for both Pakistan and India. It’s magnifying a girl’s concern about how she looks on a basketball court. The worst thing is that instead of sending a message to young girls that the colour or texture of their skin does not matter, we are promoting body shaming and objectification.
Are the talent, passion and skill of a girl not enough for her to play sports?
There are female sports icons around the world who have made their way to the top because of their skill, talent and hard work, not because of the colour or texture of their skin.
Make no mistake, you need strong arms, not smooth arms, on a sports field.
During my 12 years as a sportswoman in Pakistan, I have rejected several offers to endorse beauty products just for this reason: I want young girls with a passion for sports to know that all they need for a practice session are the will to succeed, comfortable shoes and clothes, a water bottle and a cap if it’s hot.
I request all sponsors and celebrities to ensure that when we engage young girls to fulfill their dreams, we show them a path that gives them actual confidence rather than disabling them by making them self-conscious.
Mir is a former captain of Pakistan's national women's cricket team and has taken more than 190 wickets with a best of 5/32 in international matches.
Mir has led Pakistan to two gold medals in Asian Games 2010 and 2014 and was the Player of the Tournament at the 2008 Women's Cricket World Cup qualifier.
In July 2017 she became the first women player to represent Pakistan in 100 ODIs.
