Iraqi star Enas Taleb is taking legal action against British media outlet The Economist over a picture of her that was used to illustrate an article about obesity. Titled, “Why women are fatter than men in the Arab world,” the Economist story was published online on July 28 and featured an image of Taleb at the Babylon International Festival.
Taleb, 42, is a well-known TV personality who has appeared in several Iraqi dramas, and is also a talk show host with nine million Instagram followers.
On Wednesday, Taleb posted a video to Instagram of her attorney, Samantha Kane, who said she is representing the actress in a “defamation matter” and has “issued a letter of reclaim on behalf of my client demanding apology for serious harm.” Kane did not mention monetary damages (see video below).
In an interview with New/Lines Magazine on Tuesday, Taleb said she was “demanding compensation for the emotional, mental and social damage this incident has caused me. My legal team and I are arranging the next steps.”
The Economist article in question noted the health risks associated with obesity and argued that among the reasons more Arab women than men are overweight are poverty and restrictions on leaving their homes with lack of access to sport or passive exercise. It also noted another reason cited by some women is that men prefer them to be on the rounder side, and included a line regarding the actress that reads, “Iraqis often cite Enas Taleb, an actress with ample curves (pictured), as the ideal of beauty.”
According to the BBC, Taleb called the article an “insult to the Arab woman in general and Iraqi women in particular,” asking why the magazine “takes interest in fat women in the Arab world and not in Europe or the USA.”
Deadline has reached out to The Economist for comment.
