‘Women are not public property’, Hania Aamir speaks out on Katrina Kaif body-shaming row
Pakistani actress Hania Aamir has delivered a powerful message against the culture of body shaming and public scrutiny of women, urging people to stop turning women’s appearances and personal lives into entertainment.
Taking to Instagram, Hania penned a detailed note addressing the growing tendency to use women’s bodies, faces, age and private lives as material for jokes and online commentary.
“In 2026, using women's bodies, faces, appearances, age and personal lives as a punchline is ridiculous,” she wrote.
The actress further challenged the common justification that controversial remarks are simply someone’s personal opinion or humour.
“‘It’s my take’ is not a free pass. Neither is calling it humour,” Hania stated, adding that people can be critical or funny, but there is a clear distinction between commentary and turning “a woman’s existence into content.”
Hania also highlighted the influence of large digital platforms, stressing that public figures and content creators are not speaking into a vacuum. “There are millions of people watching what we collectively decide is acceptable to say about women,” she wrote.
According to Hania, words can have consequences long after the original post or comment disappears from the spotlight, particularly when they come from people with substantial audiences.
“You are shaping what other people think is normal, funny and acceptable,” she added.
The Meri Zindagi Hai Tu actress also placed some responsibility on audiences, arguing that likes, shares and views can inadvertently reward the very behaviour people claim to oppose.
“We cannot keep demanding better from society while simultaneously rewarding the very behaviour we claim to be against,” she wrote.
Hania went on to make her central message clear, rejecting the idea that women’s physical appearance should be treated as a subject for public consumption.
“Women are not public property. Their bodies are not public commentary. Their faces are not public discourse,” she stated.
She further urged social media users to stop amplifying content that humiliates or objectifies women, writing, “Stop giving this kind of content your attention. Stop giving it reach. Stop making a spectacle out of women and calling it entertainment.”
The actress concluded her message with a call for greater responsibility, adding, “We can do better than this.”
Hania’s remarks come amid a wider online controversy surrounding Bollywood star Katrina Kaif, who faced scrutiny over her appearance after making a public appearance following motherhood. Recent reports documented social media commentary about changes in her appearance and weight.
Pakistani entertainment commentator Dr Ejaz Waris also faced backlash over remarks concerning Katrina’s appearance, with critics accusing him of body shaming the actress.
Although Hania did not name Waris or directly identify a particular individual in her post, the timing of her message has led to it being viewed in the context of the ongoing debate.
Her comments follow Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar’s intervention in the same controversy. Without naming the commentator, Ali urged men to reflect on their own behaviour and questioned the practice of judging women according to their physical appearance.