Eight female anchors have been suspended by an Egyptian TV station ‘for being overweight’
Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) has told the women they can return to their news reading jobs once they’ve slimmed down to an “appropriate appearance”
A STATE-OWNED broadcaster in Egypt has suspended eight of its female TV presenters “for being overweight”.
Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) has told the women to go on a diet, and said they can only return to their news reading jobs once they’ve slimmed down to an “appropriate appearance”.
The stunt has sparked outrage with women’s rights campaigners calling it an act of violence against women and a violation of the constitution.
The ERTU, whose female director is former anchor Safaa Hegazy, has given the women one month to lose weight.
Khadija Khattab, one of the eight hosts on Egypt’s Channel 2, told the Al-Yawm al-Savi website that she wants to people to judge for themselves whether they think she’s “fat”, according to the BBC.
Other presenters have criticised the ERTU for making the suspension so public and upsetting their families.
Eman Beibers, chairwoman of the Cairo-based Association for the Development and Enhancement of Women, told Gulf News: “Judging anybody on the basis of his or her body weight is not the right criterion.
“Our problem is that we judge people by appearance rather than performance and content.
"I’d have appreciated the suspension decision if those presenters were suspended because they did their job badly or appeared with excessive make-up.
“It does not matter if the presenter is fat or thin as long as he or she does not use nasty words on the air and knows well how to deal with guests.”
Despite the criticism, ERTU sources told the Veto news website that the decision won't be reversed, but that the women won't have their pay or benefits docked.
The hosts have been defended in parliament with male MP and journalist Sayyid Hegazy asking: "Who is an ideal weight in Egypt?"
He told the Sada al-Balad news site that a presenter "might be a little overweight, but she is eloquent".