News

Egyptian TV Imposes Mandatory Diets on Women Anchors to Maintain ‘Appropriate Appearance’

Egyptian TV Imposes Mandatory Diets on Women Anchors to Maintain ‘Appropriate Appearance’

Photo: Al-Ahram
Photo: Al-Ahram

The head of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) Safaa Hegazy issued a decision on Tuesday preventing eight women anchors from appearing on screen, pending the implementation of a mandatory diet to achieve an “appropriate appearance.”

According to Aswat Masriya, Hegazy also issued instructions to the women anchors in the TV sector to abide by a nutritional plan and to choose appropriate clothes, or be permanently barred from appearing on-screen and be transferred too administrative jobs instead.

Human rights activists condemned the decision, which they deemed as a “commodification of women” and “a discrimination that no man has ever been subjected to.”

In a statement to Aswat Masriya, Salma El Naqqash, director of gender issues at Nazra Association for Feminist Studies, described the decision as a “superficial and demeaning evaluation that does not rely on efficiency or professional standards,” adding that it is “a clear discrimination against women.”

Hegazy, who was appointed head of ERTU in April 2016, was herself the subject of a similar decision in 2007. After 17 years as a prime news anchor on Egyptian television, Hegazy was forbidden from appearing on the screen following a decision that “prevented overweight announcers from presenting the prime news bulletins,” as part of a renovation plan.

Egypt's Nouran Gohar Wins Squash World Junior Championship Title in All-Egyptian Final
Egypt and IMF Reach Preliminary $US 12 Billion Agreement

Subscribe to our newsletter


News

More in News

What Does the Central Bank Raising Key Interest Rates Mean For Egyptians?

Amina Zaineldine1 April 2023

Egyptian and Syrian Foreign Ministers Discuss Political Settlement for Syria Crisis in Cairo

Farah Rafik1 April 2023
Egypt's Central Bank in Cairo courtesy of Reuters

Central Bank of Egypt Raises Key Interest Rates by 2%

Amina Zaineldine30 March 2023

Egypt’s Former Ministry of Interior to be Turned into a Hotel

Dina Khadr30 March 2023

Egypt Joins New Development Bank to Find Alternative Forms of Finance

Egyptian Streets30 March 2023

Egypt Introduces New Measures for Visas to Increase Tourism

Egyptian Streets29 March 2023

Egypt’s Public Prosecution Gives Temporary Custody to Baby Shenouda’s Adoptive Family

Farah Rafik29 March 2023

Egypt Defeats Malawi 4-0 in 2023 African Cup Qualifiers

Marina Makary28 March 2023