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Ayesha Omar candidly recalls past instances of harassment and assault

Clout NewsSeptember 25, 20200 Comment0659

Ayesha Omar sent shockwaves down the showbiz with her groundbreaking revelation of being harassed during the early days of her career.

During her Instagram interview with the BBC, Ayesha, along with a number of other prominent figureheads touched upon the rampant issue of rape and harassment within Pakistan and even dived into detail regarding the victim-blaming mentality that is heavily rooted within the crux of the culture.

The short clip began with Ayesha reiterating a number of questions that usually sprout up in people’s minds, some of which include, “What was she doing, what was she wearing, what did she say, how did she act?”

Other stars also popped up for a cameo in the video, adding how people “blame the woman for being irresponsibly leaving her house a later hour” and constantly ask, “Well, why did you go to the market alone, why did you not cover yourself up properly?”

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. Thank you @ahmenkhawaja @bbcnews for this extremely important piece. May we keep standing up for ourselves and the oppressed, against the patriarchy and misogyny around us, fighting for change and expose the sick mindsets that enable rape and harassment culture. It’s time to speak up. It’s time to press reset. It’s time to talk. . . #ayeshaomar #addressrapeculture #nomercyforrapists #stopvictimblaming #stoprape #waragainstrape #enough #nomore #pakistan

A post shared by Ayesha Omar (@ayesha.m.omar) on Sep 25, 2020 at 1:45am PDT

The featured women in the BBC clip all had one thing in common and it was there disdain towards the atrocities being inflicted upon women across the country.

The short clip featuring the actress, is part of an interview she did with director Rose McGowan. In that conversation, Omar claimed that she had finally gathered the strength to speak about what had happened to her all those years ago.

Omar admitted, “A huge powerful man, twice my age. I had just entered the industry, I was this young 23-year-old, fresh out of college, and bam, this started happening. And it went on for years.”

“It wasn’t a one-off incident, and I just didn’t want to process it. I put in a box, and I said okay, this is happening in my life, I have to deal with it. I didn’t wanna share it with anybody. I let it stay there for 15 years, and I finally spoke about it to someone two years ago.”

“A friend of mine from the industry also came out with her story, and TV channels started calling me up and asking ‘Do you think she’s telling the truth?'”

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. In 2017, Rose McGowan decided to break the silence about Hollywood and one of the most powerful men in it, Harvey Weinstein. She decided to tell her story to the world. Did the world believe her? Not really. As is the case with most silence breakers. “Time” magazine, though recognised her as one of the Silence Breakers and their Person of the year, for speaking out about sexual harassment/assault. Soon after, several other actresses started sharing their stories of assault by the same monster. Her book “Brave” tells her story in her own voice. A singular voice that stands in a large arena full of women with similar stories of assault and rape. . In my eyes, Rose is one of the bravest women in the world today. I have watched several of her interviews and the way she articulates her feelings, emotions and thoughts is mesmerising. She hits the nail on the spot. Every single time. Rose is also an angry woman. A woman who allows herself to feel and feels no need to justify her emotions to anyone. Her fight is to allow all women in society to feel angry for what they have been through. For what they have been made to go through. Two years ago, I finally allowed myself to acknowledge and talk about my own sexual harassment story by a powerful monster, twice my age. When Rose agreed to go live with me, I felt I was dreaming. It was unreal. I thought non-stop about everything that I wanted to ask her, everything that I wanted to tell her about Pakistan. But she’s been asked everything and she’s answered everything…. that’s why I decided to chat with Rose about how she is doing right now, at this moment in her life, let the conversation flow freely…. and it did… it was real and honest, probably uncomfortable for some…. I did think of some solid questions to ask but never got around to them… they are all still floating in my head. We plan to go live again in a week, and this time go deeper into the various layers and constructs of societies all over the world. Would love for you all to join. Until next time folks! ????????‍♀️✨❤️ . . #ayeshaomar #rosemcgowan #metoo #feminism #feminist #womensupportingwomen #timesup #speakup #crazy #keepitreal #hereandnow

A post shared by Ayesha Omar (@ayesha.m.omar) on Jul 31, 2020 at 12:06am PDT

Ayesha Omer is a Pakistani actress, model, singer, and painter. She is one of country’s most popular and highest-paid actresses, and is often considered as a style icon. In 2019, she was awarded the Tamgha-e-Fakhr-e-Pakistan (Pride of Pakistan) by the Warsi International Organisation

In 2012, she released her first single “Chalte Chalte” and “Khamoshi” which, although a commercial success in Pakistan, was met with a mixed reaction from critics. Omer went on to win Lux Style Award for Best Album.She made her film debut in the lead role with successful romantic-comedy Karachi Se Lahore in 2015, followed by supporting characters in war film Yalghaar (2017) and the drama Kaaf Kangana (2019).

Early life:

Omer was born in Lahore, Pakistan.She was one year old when her father died and her mother raised Omer and her brother as a single parent. She described her childhood as ”tough” and ”independent”.

She attended Lahore Grammar School, and went to the National College of Arts for her Bachelors and Masters qualifications.While in school and college, she participated in co-curricular activities and learnt dance through theatre plays.

Career:

Ayesha Omer started her career as a model. She has done many commercials, including for Kurkure, Harpic, Capri, Pantene and Zong. Omer first hosted the show Meray Bachpan Kay Din on PTV at the age of eight. She then hosted Morning show Yeh Waqt Hai Mera on CNBC Pakistan, Rhythm on Prime TV and Hot chocolate on ARY Zauq. In 2018, she participated in New York Fashion Week as Pakistan’s Spokesperson for beauty brand Maybelline.

Acting:

Ayesha Omer with fans at Lahooti Melo in Sindh University
Omer made her acting debut with serial College Jeans which aired on PTV, after which she appeared in Geo TV’s drama serial Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat alongside veteran actors like Bushra Ansari,

Saba Hameed and Jawed Sheikh. Since 2009, she appears on popular sitcom Bulbulay as Khoobsurat, opposite actor Nabeel. Bulbulay become the most watched sitcom of Pakistan. Following the success of Bulbulay, Omer received strong media coverage and became a household name.Its second season currently airs on ARY Digital.

Omer then appeared in PTV serial Dil Ko Manana Aya Nahi opposite Amanat Ali, and Geo TV’s drama serial Ladies Park alongside Humayun Saeed, Azfar Rehman, Hina Dilpazeer and Mahnoor Baloch.