Zara Noor Abbas does not need internet’s approval

Actor slams trolls criticising her eclectic fit

To be a celebrity and have an online presence means one thing is certain: you are going to attract unsolicited opinions. It is an unhappy truth that actor Zara Noor Abbas has recently discovered to her cost, as unpalatable comments on her clothing have begun littering her Instagram handle.

On Friday, Zara posted a carousel of four pictures on her Instagram handle, three of which featured Zara out and about wearing an eclectic mixture of a T-shirt slung on top of a sheer black long-sleeved shirt, a pair of denim jeans, and a casual cross-body bag. To complete this vision, Zara added dangly earrings and a beaded braid extension to her tightly made bun, looking for all the world as though she had stepped out of an eighties east-meets-west fusion time warp.

It was precisely this unconventional clash of clothing that signalled to commenters that it was time to fling scorn and ridicule upon the Badshah Begum actor. “You have no dressing sense,” read one of many, many similar comments.

Whilst Zara, who is also a mother to six-month-old Noor-e-Jahan, most likely does not have the time to address every unflattering comment, she made sure to hit back at a select few. “Just because you are in a box of conventional experiences, doesn’t mean I have to be in them too,” she penned in response. In Urdu, Zara added, “Do I have to seek your permission to live the way I want and dress the way I want?”

The lone non-Zara photo in the carousel featured her mother and actor Asma Abbas. With Asma clad in a far more conventional-looking brown outfit, the matriarch, at least, was allowed a reprieve from the onslaught of criticism. “Daughter’s dressing sense zero, mother’s dressing sense 10/10,” observed one withering commenter. Zara’s fans and supporters, however, rose in defence and hit back.

“You have no manners,” wrote a follower. “You didn’t even take a second to insult someone on a public forum. You deserve the same. Extremely shameful behaviour.”

The tactful criticism, however, could not stop the tactless comments that continued to flood in. “Change your dressing,” urged a keyboard warrior. “You have no dressing sense,” However, whilst Zara may have appreciated the support from the fans who rushed to her aid, she proved she is capable of fighting her own battles. “Change your mind,” replied Zara. “You have no mind.”