- Wael Hussein El-Sayed and Elsa Maichmann
- BBC News
2 hours ago
Enas Taleb at the Babylon International Festival
An Iraqi actress said she decided to sue the “Economist” magazine over the use of a picture of her in the British weekly magazine in a report on the fact that Arab women are “more fat than men.”
Inas Taleb said that the use of the image came out of its context and that the matter was done without her permission, which constitutes a violation of her freedom and privacy, noting that the image was modified using Photoshop.
The famous actress and talk show host said in an interview that she had started legal proceedings in Britain.
The magazine did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A photo of the Iraqi actress, taken nine months ago at the Babylon International Festival in Iraq, topped the report titled “Why are women fatter than men in the Arab world?”
The report argues that poverty and societal restrictions that keep women at home are among the causes of Arab women’s weight gain compared to men.
There may be another reason, the report says, is that some men view “curvy women” as more attractive.
“Iraqis often cite Inas Talib, the actress with a plump figure, as having the perfect beauty,” the report said.
Taleb described the report as “an insult to Arab women in general and Iraqi women in particular,” wondering why “The Economist magazine is interested in obese women in the Arab world and not in Europe or the United States.”
Speaking from Jordan to Al Arabiya, she said she faced “bullying comments” on social media because of this report.
She also told New Lines that she is healthy and happy with her current form.
“For me that is all that matters,” she said.
Enas Taleb, 42, is one of the most famous Iraqi actresses, with nine million followers on Instagram.
In her interview with Al Arabiya, she said that The Economist was not lucky because it angered her.
“They didn’t know that I was a celebrity and a public figure,” she said. “I can turn crises into gains.”
The Economist article also faced criticism on social media, with some users accusing it of being “racist”, “sexist” and “defaming” Arab women.