Each time a girl dares to spread her wings and fly across the horizon pre-decided for her, some orthodoxy finds its way to cut her feathers bit by bit. This story proves it over again. A rising fashion star was harassed by her ‘so-called’ relatives for wearing a bikini in a beauty pageant. But her post slamming everyone who insults her, proves that she is much more than just her beauty.
Despite all constraints she faces being a Muslim girl, she keeps cutting down vibes and keeps heading forward. As girls like her challenge taboos every now and then, we doubt when can our society be able enough to see the grace of a woman that lies beyond her attire and in her soul.
Andleeb Zaidi is fbb Femina Miss India 2016 Bangalore and Campus Princess 2016, season 1 finalist. In a Facebook post, Andleeb went on to share the shame she had to go through after her relatives saw her bikini pictures that were clicked as a part of the pageant.
Read her FB rant here :
“Life of a Muslim girl turned model.
No journey is easy and especially when you belong to a Muslim family, things become even worse. Most of you know about my Miss India journey and also about my modeling career but what you all need to know is about the shaming and the boycott I have to face along with my parents.
After the Miss India pageant my bikini picture went viral and the ‘oh-so-not-literate’ relatives found the best opportunity there to pass a judgment for me. They called themselves my ‘well-wishers’ but hoped for the worst for me. Ever since my parents had to listen to comments like “your daughter is shameless”, ” she won’t find a place even in hell”, and the most important one “She has brought disgrace to the family”.
Till this day I kept quiet, did not talk back to them because I respected them but it has to end now.I am one educated person who is legally eligible to decide her fate. It is my decision to be or not to be a model. To wear or not to wear whatever I want. I do not give anybody the right to correct me except for my parents.
Nobody has the right to judge me for what I wore in a beauty pageant.
This is my open letter to all those who think that I’ve committed the greatest sin of the time.
It’s my life. I can not be you and you definitely can not be me.
And seriously, even if I was you, I’d wanna be me too.”
– Andleeb Zaidi
Let her spread the wings society , will you??
