Zayn Malik somehow found his way onto the cover of Billboard’s January 16th issue. I recently bought One Directions new album Made in the AM and I am not embarrassed to admit that it was good. So I decided to read Zayn’s article. I found myself shaking my head and thinking ‘Good riddance’ in regards to his departure. Women are some of the many people victimized in this interview. In the interview, he gives digs at his former One Direction band mates, his ex-fiancé Perrie Edwards and his fans. And it gets even worse, he made several concerning comments regarding women’s bodies and personalities.
Malik stated "I like girls that are a bit chunky in certain areas — the nice areas. I like a fuller woman," Chunky is how you describe salsa, peanut butter or a sweater, not a person. Not only that, bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Zayn, what areas are the nice areas and who do you think you are to define where fat is attractive or not? Zayn can say he likes fuller girls all he wants, but he is currently dating Victoria’s Secret model Gigi Hadid. It’s no secret that these models are notoriously thin. If Hadid is his ideal girl, this is a standard most girls can never dream to achieve. Zayn should be aware of the fact young, impressionable girls will see his comments. I don’t care if he actually believes what he is saying. What I do care about is the implications of his words on young girls.
He continued on saying “I enjoy an intellectual conversation as well, where someone can construct a sentence beyond what hair and makeup they're wearing, and talk about something political or about the world," he continues. "I like an opinion." He implies here that girls as a whole only discuss hair and makeup. This is a damaging stereotype that plagues women of every age range. So good job Zayn, you are perpetuating a stereotype that so many feminists are trying to combat. FYI, his former bandmate Harry Styles identifies as a feminist. Harry is probably cringing as well.
When asked how he feels about girl’s adoration, he alleged 'If people can’t have something, they want it'. Um. No. Maybe the girls admire him because they believe he is talented. They don’t necessarily want him in a sexual way. It says a lot about his ego that he thinks that every girl who attends his concert wants him in a sexual way. Making generalizations like that is not okay.
He also added “I was raised by a lot of women, so there’s nothing any fan girl could’ve ever taught me about any woman. I fully understood every person who’d come and see the band, because I have crazy aunties and crazy sisters who would fan-girl over actors.” Once again, he generalizes. And frankly calling your female family members ‘crazy’ is disrespectful and unnecessary. Those crazy (dedicated) female fans are the reason he isn’t out on the street even though he hasn’t been working for nearly a year.
Zayn made his bed when he agreed to join One Direction. For the rest of his career (however long it will be) he will have young girls who listen to what he has to say. He should choose his words carefully and think about the implications of his words on young girls and the reaction of angry college girls who write articles for online magazines.
At the end of the day, if he really believes what he is saying it is him I feel bad for. All we can continue to do is to correct comments that vilify women and set ridiculous standards for girls. People like Zayn Malik are not helping matters so it is up to us to create a culture that respects all body types and does not stereotype women.
Watch out Zayn, your ignorance is showing.
