Cricket super star, Sana Mir, just recently took to social media to rightfully criticize Veet’s advertisement featuring Mahira Khan. She stated that girls need strong, not smooth arms on a sports field; in response to the advertisement.
The advertisement features a basketball player who isn’t playing because “her arms aren’t waxed”. Mahira Khan then steps in the advertisement to give the girl Veet hair removing cream so that she feels empowered enough to play again. The girl magically becomes confident after she gets the smooth arms every girl needs to have (according to Veet) to play basketball.
Sana Mir feels that the ad magnifies a girl’s concern about how she looks on a basketball court. She stated that 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.
Mir shared a collage of women from her team with the post and said, “Are the talent, passion and skill of a girl not enough for her to play sports?”
She also called out to endorsers and celebrities who are a part of such campaigns while they claim they are against this mindset. “We – corporate spo nsors 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.”
Mir revealed that during her 12 years as a sportswoman in Pakistan, she has 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.
