Aaminah Haq remains unfazed in the face of body shaming by Amna Ilyas

Defined as the act of making inappropriate and negative comments about another person’s appearance, body shaming is ubiquitous in our society.

Whether it is weight-gain or fat-loss, the way we look to the way we dress —constant criticism of our bodies is a grave fact of life; and what's worse, women are subjected to it at a far worse scale and intensity than their male counterparts, often by other women themselves.

An old clip from Hassan Sheheryar Yasin's talk show that is making the rounds on social media speaks to the heart of the problem: in it, models Amna Ilyas and Sadaf Kanwal (not known for being politically correct) are seen engaged in a 'harmless' game of Guess the Celebrity.

When asked about a certain former Pakistani supermodel, Aaminah Haq, Ilyas points out how she has gained weight in a rather appalling manner. Proud of their little comment, the models can be seen high-fiving each other.

Sadly, this is exactly how body-shaming is perpetuated.

In a world where appearances can be powerful and cliques are seen to be influential, standing up and speaking for yourself is an act of rebellion; as appearances can be deceptive and cliques can often be vacuous — and it seems Aaminah Haq remains unfazed by both.

Taking to her Instagram story, Haq responded, "A few of you have tagged me in something a model/actress said about me. Truth be told, if body shaming me made brought some small shred of joy in her life, then your welcome!"

She continued, "Unhappy people tend to gravitate towards hate instead of kindness and compassion."

Haq is no stranger to unwarranted and unnecessary comments about her appearance on her social media, but by handling it with intelligence and poise, she has shown that beauty is more than thin bodies and young faces— it's about being gracious and kind.

A fact a lot of these new faces forget.