LAHORE - Today we stand amidst a conundrum of labels that we are forcefully crowned. Be it because of the color of our skin, our language, our body type, or the one recently highlighted by a senior actor in Pakistan – our age.
It’s shocking to see how the media that set out to make a positive impact within the society ended up stripping the subject of its individuality, instead objectifying and honing stereotypes that have been engrained within us. The easiest target to these labels has been the Pakistani woman.
Flipping through channels or watching just a few Pakistani films, one can’t help but notice how our actors are never called out for their age but the actresses seem to be given the motherly roles after they hit 30.
Iffat today is a role model for the younger actresses. She has established herself as a symbol of resilience against the patriarchy ingrained in the industry.
Staying true to empowering young female actors, Iffat has been spotted on various platforms talking about how child actors are not being properly looked after and how important it is to protect the needs of the younger celebrities’ but with good comes bad.
Unfortunate as it may be, the actress has also been a victim of cyber bullying. Most trollers have kept true to their shallowness and picked on her age.
Surprisingly, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Iffat opts not to get affected by unproductive remarks commenting on her age. Instead, this empowered woman is more focused on delivering quality entertainment which she never fails to deliver.
Only blossoming with age, the 47-years old actress encourages all women to have faith in themselves and to never underestimate their capabilities.
There is no denying that our society is obsessed with youth. Feeling and looking young is a goal for many people as they reach their 40s or 50s and with too much focus on unachievable beauty goals forced upon us, Iffat Omar is one of those iconic women who redefines and shuns the cliched perspective of women.
Charged with the aim of creating awareness using mass media, the actress encourages brands to start empowering women of all ages as opposed to promoting only a specific age group.
Using her prowess to empower women around her, Iffat Omar is an intriguing personality we hope the likes of which our industry will keep producing. Kudos and more power to you.