Move over Karl Lagerfeld, step aside Galliano, and take a seat Marc Jacobs – the latest outrageous fashionista with something gauche to say has arrived.
Malaysian sartorial eccentric Zaihani Mohd Zain has come under a wave of criticism after she decided that yesterday was the day to announce to her followers that anyone over 60kg shouldn’t bother attending fashion shows.
Why? Oh, well a lot of reasons apparently. Your thighs for one. They overflow to the left and right of the seat. And also, in case you didn’t know, it’s like SUPER uncomfortable for the person seated next to you.
Right. Where do we begin?
How about the fact that weight, obesity, and general health in Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s most obese country, is yet again trivialized into a matter of how someone looks. It’s toxic. It’s dangerous. It’s also very, very wrong, as weight really has nothing much to do with whether you are healthy or not.
Cool. Furthermore, body positivity, mental health, and general contentment with one’s body are GLOBAL movements. With models like Ashley Graham, and fashion icons like Beyonce and Rihanna showing the public that beauty, sexiness, and hot bodies come in multiple iterations, a statement like this just seems regressive.
It’s the equivalent of bringing out a crusty shoulder pad from a 1986 Thierry Mugler show, dousing the room with Dior’s Poison, and then telling us what’s relevant in 2018. Sorry, but we’ve moved onwards and upwards.
It’s also just mean, unnecessary, and an opinion that no one, literally NO ONE, asked for.
Society magazine Tatler interviewed Zaihani in 2016, where she espoused her feelings on curvier figures in fashion, saying: “If you love fashion and enjoy dressing up, then there are sacrifices to be made. Watch your weight. People may say size doesn’t matter but who are we kidding? It does! Why do you think the big fashion houses do not cater to plus sized women?”
Size matters, indeed — Ms Zahini, it seems.
Her Facebook comment comes during a time in Malaysia when many fashion designers are showcasing their Raya collections. Zaihani is currently a mentor on Astro Ria’s fashion television show, Gen F.
While fashion spreads may laud an elderly Zaihani’s “ageless style,” we can’t help but think that her Facebook ramblings seem like a page out of a bitchy teen’s diary.
Reader Interactions