Following her fat-shamming controversy
Last week, Egyptian presenter Reham Saaed faced a wave of criticism after her controversial comments regarding obesity. In the aftermaths of it all, it has been announced that the TV personality is banned from appearing on any media platform for one-year.
Last Friday, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation interrogated the presenter after the National Council for Women (NCW) filed a complaint against her. The complaint said that Saeed’s comments humiliated Egyptian women and contained inappropriate words and descriptions, demanding the council to take necessary measures in this regard. Now, they issued a decree banning the controversial presenter from appearing in media for a year.
According to a statement by the committee, Reham “committed a media crime by insulting Egyptian women, mixed between her personal opinion and her media duty, and violated the professional standards by using expressions, words and descriptions that represent a clear and explicit insult, in general, to Egyptian women.” Moreover, the statement also said that she lacked a sense of media and humanitarianism where the following violations were committed:
- She confused between obese patients and owners of fat bodies (overweight people).
- She caused frustration for the patients and the dissatisfaction of the viewers due to the use of phrases and descriptions that represent big implicit and explicit insults to the Egyptian woman.
- Her remarks during the investigation session were inconsistent; she sometimes apologised, while at other times she confirms she was not mistaken, which means she is unable to distinguish between the clear media rules and the “cheap” personal opinions, and between advice and insult.
The presenter has been accused of body shaming, after she made some controversial comments regarding obesity on her TV programme, Sabaya. Reham’s statements centered on women who are overweight, saying that women who wear long dresses or ‘Abaya’ does not look nice or feminine enough. “You lose part of your femininity if you are fat,” Saeed said, “they are burdens on their families and on the state, and are an eyesore.”
Last Friday, after facing backlash from Egyptians and public figures on social media, Reham announced that she will be retiring. She made the announcement in an Instagram video, where she wrote: “I am not coming back. You helped me with your choice. I was stopped many times before, but I never said that I am not coming back. I need to get closer to God and take care of myself, my kids and my husband.”
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