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Durefishan Saleem has received widespread praise for her compelling performance as Zaryab in Dar-e-Nijaat. However, in the last couple of episodes, the actor has attracted some negative attention, with some netizens choosing to mock her appearance rather than appreciate her acting prowess.

Thankfully, former Miss Universe Pakistan Roma Riaz stepped in to defend Saleem.

In an Instagram story posted on Sunday, Riaz penned a poignant message, calling out trolls for body-shaming women and trivialising their accomplishments by focusing on their looks.

“It genuinely breaks my heart to see a woman as beautiful and talented as Durefishan being reduced to a conversation about her arms. Imagine giving your heart to your heart to your craft, only to have people pick apart your appearance instead of appreciating your work,” Riaz wrote.

Comments about Saleem’s body started making rounds on social media after she wore a sleeveless dress in Dar-e-Nijaat’s 20th episode, which aired on Friday.

In her response to the trolling, Riaz highlighted “how comfortable we’ve become commenting on women’s bodies”.

“We speak so much about empowering women, yet we’re often the first to make another woman feel like her body isn’t good enough. The pressure on women to look a certain exhausting and moments way is already like these only make it harder for young girls to feel comfortable in their own skin,” she wrote.

Riaz’s words cut to the core of a systemic issue. She noted that the pressure on women to conform to rigid beauty standards is exhausting and detrimental to young girls.

“I hope we’re raising a generation of girls who know their worth will never be measured by how closely they fit society’s beauty standards,” she added.

This isn’t the first time Saleem has been subjected to body shaming. She has often talked about it in her interviews. Unfortunately, it is a pervasive issue in the entertainment industry — one that demands immediate introspection.

When audiences reduce a performer — especially women who are already held to unrealistic beauty standards — to their physical attributes, they undermine the very essence of what it means to be an artist.

To judge them solely on whether their arms fit a toxic mould of beauty is to completely miss the point of their craft.

Also, this obsession with physical perfection has dangerous real-world consequences. It creates an environment of insecurity and anxiety, not just for the actors, but for the millions of young people who look up to them. When we mock a celebrity’s body, we send a clear message to the public that only certain body types are worthy of respect and success.

Riaz’s support for Saleem should serve as a wake-up call for everyone. We must actively choose to celebrate talent over looks and, more importantly, empathy over criticism.