DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) 鈥� To Enas Taleb, the headline felt like a spiteful punch line.
鈥淲hy women are fatter than men in the Arab world,鈥� it read in bold, above a photograph of the Iraqi actress waving onstage at an arts festival.
The Economist article ran through possible explanations of the obesity gap of 10 percentage points between men and women in the Middle East, then cited Iraqis who see Taleb鈥檚 curves as the ideal of beauty.
鈥淔at," a word now considered taboo in much of Western media, was repeated six times.
The article triggered torrid criticism on social media. Twitter users blasted it as misogynistic. Local rights groups issued denunciations. Some writers were appalled by what they described as demeaning stereotypes about Arab women.
Taleb, 42, said she's suing the London-based magazine for defamation.
While analysts acknowledge an epidemic of obesity in the Arab world and its connection to poverty and gender discrimination, Taleb鈥檚 case and the ensuing uproar have thrown a light on the issue of body-shaming that is deeply rooted yet rarely discussed in the region.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 a student who goes to school and hears mean comments and students bullying her for being fat, how would she feel?鈥� Taleb told The Associated Press from Baghdad. 鈥淭his article is an insult not only to me but a violation of the rights of all Iraqi and Arab women.鈥�
The Economist did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Fat-shaming is offensive enough in the United States that when two sports commentators called some female athletes overweight on air earlier this year, .
In the Middle East, the report argued, the desirability of fleshy women may help explain why the region has experienced an explosion of obesity.
But the angry backlash over the article 鈥� and Taleb's horror that her photo was used to illustrate growing waistlines of Arab women 鈥� contradicts the oft-repeated belief that being heavy is widely seen as sign of affluence and fertility in the region.
The globalization of Western beauty ideals through branding, TV and social media has long given rise to unrealistic body standards that skew women鈥檚 expectations of themselves and others in the Arab world, research shows.
In a forthcoming study on Egypt, Joan Costa-Font at the London School of Economics said he found that although some older women in rural areas still view rounder women as affluent, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not true in Egypt that being overweight is a sign of beauty. ... Western standards are more relevant.鈥�
Demand for cosmetic surgery has boomed in Lebanon. Some 75% of female Emirati students reported dissatisfaction with their bodies, and 25% are prone to eating disorders, according to a 2010 study at Dubai鈥檚 Zayed University.
And yet, many say, fat-shaming remains widespread and acceptable in the region, compared to the U.S. and Europe, where self-esteem movements have gained momentum and galvanized public discussions around inclusivity.
鈥淥ur politicians in Lebanon keep making these horrible, sexist comments about women鈥檚 bodies. If they come under fire that doesn't necessarily lead to rising awareness,鈥� said Joumana Haddad, a Lebanese author and human rights activist.
Haddad noted that new forays into female empowerment have provoked 鈥渞eactionary discourse and anger鈥� from Lebanon's patriarchal society. Even cavalier public comments about weight can be deeply painful to young women who struggle with insecurity and a pathological will to alter their bodies in pursuit of beauty, she added.
鈥淚鈥檓 a 51-year-old harsh, angry feminist and I still weigh myself every single morning,鈥� Haddad said. 鈥淵ou can imagine how hard it is for people who have been less privileged."
Ameni Esseibi, a Tunisian-born woman who overcame social stigma to become the Arab world's first plus-sized model, said body positivity remains taboo in the Middle East even as populations have become more overweight.
鈥淜uwaitis are plus-sized, Saudis are plus-sized. But people are ashamed. They weren鈥檛 taught to be confident in this judgmental society,鈥� Esseibi said. 鈥淲e always want to be skinny, to look good, to get married to the most powerful guy.鈥�
But, she said, there are signs of growing awareness. After years of ignoring vulgar comments about women鈥檚 bodies, Arabs are increasingly turning to social media to vent their anger.
The Economist article's depiction of men 鈥渟hutting women up at home鈥� to keep them 鈥淩ubenesque鈥� touched a nerve.
The Baghdad-based Heya, or "She," Foundation, which advocates for women in media, denounced the report as 鈥渂ullying鈥� and demanded the magazine apologize to Taleb.
The Malaysia-based Musawah Foundation, which promotes equality in the Muslim world, said the backlash shows that 鈥渨omen in the region are building a collective discourse that rejects and calls out sexist, racist, and fat-phobic acts and their colonial legacies.鈥�
Taleb, a talk show host and star in blockbuster Iraqi TV dramas, said she had no choice but to speak up.
鈥淭hey used my photo in this context in a hurtful, negative way,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 am against using one鈥檚 body shape to determine the value of a human being.鈥�
Her lawyer, Samantha Kane, said she has begun legal action, first sending a letter to The Economist demanding an apology for 鈥渟erious harm caused to (Taleb) and her career.鈥�
Kane declined further comment pending the magazine's response.
Taleb said she hopes her defamation case serves as 鈥渁 message" for women 鈥渢o say, I love myself ... to be strong, to confront those difficulties."
It's a message that resonates in a region where women see the odds as stacked against them. Traditional attitudes, discriminatory legislation and pay disparities, on top of rigid beauty standards, hinder women's advancement.
鈥淲omen don鈥檛 get equal salaries. They don't get high-level positions. They are forced to keep silent when they are harassed. And in media, they have to be thin and beautiful," said Zeina Tareq, Heya Foundation鈥檚 director.
In Taleb's home country of Iraq, where safety is scarce after years of conflict, .
Iraqi journalist Manar al-Zubaidi said the fat-shaming of Arab women comes as no surprise in a world where 鈥渕ost media outlets commodify women and make them into objects of ridicule or temptation.鈥�
鈥淭here is nothing to deter them," she added, except ever-louder 鈥渃ampaigns and challenges on social media.鈥�
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Hyde reported from Buzet, Croatia.
Isabel Debre And Maggie Hyde, The Associated Press
