Former captain of the Pakistani women's national cricket team Sana Mir has slammed the beauty industry, in a Facebook post criticising a hair removal ad urging young women to have smooth arms to play sport.
The cricket star said the hair removal ad promoted body-shaming and objectification and played on the self-consciousness of young South Asian girls on the sporting field. It's not clear from the post whether the ad was for a proposed campaign or an existing one.
"It's magnifying a girl's concern about how she looks on a basketball court. The worst thing is that instead of sending a message to young girls that the colour or texture of their skin does not matter, we are promoting body shaming and objectification," Mir wrote.
"Make no mistake: you need strong arms, not smooth arms, on a sports field."
Women's sport struggles to attract a strong following in the conservative Muslim country, with women often dissuaded from participating in sport because of scrutiny around body issues and concerns over modest clothing.
Mir's sentiments have been echoed by others in women's sport, where female stars are encouraged to be glamorous in order to attract lucrative endorsements.
"Are the talent, passion and skill of a girl not enough for her to play sports?" Mir wrote.
"There are female sports icons around the world who have made their way to the top because of their skill, talent and hard work, not because of the colour or texture of their skin."
Mir said she has rejected several offers to endorse beauty products in an effort to promote healthy body image.
"I request all sponsors and celebrities to ensure that when we engage young girls to fulfill their dreams, we show them a path that gives them actual confidence rather than disabling them by making them self-conscious," she wrote.
Mir's message resonated strongly on social media attracting 11,000 likes and 473 shares.
Social media user Samee'a Jamal said: "Thank you for saying this! That ad is downright illogical. A woman is able to play basketball with pencil heels and formal dressing but the only thing that can possibly stop a girl from playing is having natural hair growth?...How is that even a campaign? Who approves this sort of shameful objectification. "
Read the full Facebook post here:
