If you’ve been anywhere near social media in the past few days, then you’ll know that Amna Ilyas has been creating quite the stir. Social media platforms have been abuzz with talk of the model-turned actor and how she has been handling a certain situation. After being lauded for speaking out about brands using fairness creams and celebrities endorsing them, Amna Ilyas went off on a tangent and has now gotten herself stuck in a bit of a pickle.
After talking about the issues pertaining to fairness creams, an old interview surfaced in which she can be seen making fun of former model Aamiah Haq with Sadaf Kanwal. The two laughed and joked about her weight gain which irked netizens and left her fans disappointed. Over the weekend, Amna Ilyas took part in a live Instagram session with HSY in which the whole issue was brought into light.
Morning show hosts and hosts of other talk shows and chat shows have often been called out for their insensitive comments or for their attitude towards a guest who glorifies public harassment. Case in point, Nida Yasir’s insensitivity towards a family who had suffered a huge loss; for the sake of ratings.
And now, while speaking to a leading Pakistani daily, the designer spoke of how ethics are sometimes overlooked when it comes to entertainment talk shows, and explains how one can steer clear of making similar mistakes. “I don’t believe that I’m doing anything better than anyone else. But I do believe that when you call someone on your show, you are bound to respect them,” HSY said while speaking to The Express Tribune.
He also explained how whenever he calls someone on his show, he is sure to discuss the topic with them before it goes on air. “If something happened in a person’s life, I will ask them beforehand whether they’d be comfortable talking about it on my show or not. I would never insult someone by making them uncomfortable on air,” he asserted. He further went on to add the importance of valuing the time of the guest and the audience. “Your guest and audience is just as sensitive about its time as you, so while they spend that time participating in your show, they need authenticity and conversations they can relate to.”
A model friend of the designer and another designer friend recently told HSY how they felt humiliated at a talk show they were called to partake in. “It was because some questions made them uncomfortable,” he added. He further asserted that people in Pakistan lack basic manners like saying sorry, please and thank you, adding that “it makes a huge difference.”
He went on to emphasise how words are phrased makes all the difference to the level of comfort a guest feels. “They could’ve said, ‘If you don’t mind, could you please tell the audience what happened?’ and after the guest was done speaking, they could’ve said ‘thank you for sharing that with us and I’m so sorry you had to go through it.” Whereas, the incident which he recalled was more along the lines of, “‘Acha phir batao, phir kya hua? Acha!? Phir?’ it’s like you’re forcing a story out of someone. Those days are long gone, and no one appreciates it.Today, neither your opinion matters, nor mine – it’s the audience whose opinion will always matter,” HSY emphasised.
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During the chat, HSY also opened up about his venture into acting and whether he would change his career altogether. “I never anticipated myself to be a designer or to be on the Oscar’s committee. I didn’t foresee hosting talk shows, nor did I imagine becoming the youngest designer to direct fashion weeks. So I certainly never thought I’d be on the big screen either,” the couturier said.
Lets see what else HSY has in store for us!