Egyptian state media suspends overweight presenters
ERTU's chairwoman has suspended 8 female presenters for being overweight and given them a month to drop several kilos; the presenters are outraged at the decision and the publication of their names.
The chairwoman of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU), Safaa Hegazy, has taken the controversial decision to remove certain news presenters because of their weight. A total of eight have been suspended for a month, during which time they are expected to lose several kilograms if they want to return to work.
The presenters who have been suspended were angered both at the suspension and that their names were published on Egyptian social media and press outlets. One of those suspended, who refused to be identified, said, "Hegazy forgot that we have families and husbands who have been hurt by the decision, that it's an internal matter that should have been brought to our attention in the corridors. It's unclear to me what the point of it getting out is and that we've become the topic of the day of people."
Some of the presenters whose names were published emphasized to the newspaper El-Youm El-Sabaa that they were continuing as normal and that an official decision had yet to be taken on the matter, but they were angry nevertheless. Khadija Khattab, one such presenter, wondered, "Did she see me on the screen? On what basis did she take the decision?"
She called to establish a committee of media personalities and experts who will evaluate the presenters according to their professional talents. Khattab even asked one of the news sites in the country to publicize videos from her program so that the public can decide if she suffers from being overweight.
She said to the paper, "I see myself as a natural woman, and, and nothing should prevent me from appearing. There are presenters on channels in Arab countries who are pregnant. A presenter can be thin, but without a presence on the screen, or wearing over-the-top clothing."
Women's rights organizations in Egypt are also angry at the decision, and some have come out against it. El-Youm El-Sabaa reported that there has been a recent campaign on social media to deride the television presenters' weight. A similar decision was taken in 2002, but it was thwarted by ERTU's chairman at the time.
