A 21-year-old Malaysian student and activist recently promoted her book about sex education but unexpectedly received lewd comments about her “sexy outfit”.
As shown in her pictures, Ain Husniza was dressed in a long-sleeved blouse and a long skirt when promoting her book, Express to Empower: Bodies, Boundaries, and Identities. Ain made international headlines in 2021 after courageously speaking out against her teacher who made inappropriate jokes about rape and said it was okay if the women are 18 years old.
Ain is currently a member of Pocket Of Pink (POP) – an organisation led by a group of nine youths who speak out on women’s rights and empowerment, which published Express to Empower. Ain discovered the insensitive remarks on the Facebook page of one of the local media outlets that interviewed Ain about the book.
Sadly, many men called out Ain for her outfit, calling it “sexy” and “arousing”
“She’s talking about sex education, but her attire is leading to sexual exploitation.”
“She wanted to talk about sex education, but her outfit is sexually arousing.”
“You’re talking about sexual assault, but you’re wearing such a tight outfit.”
Ain claps back
In her X post @ainhsaifulnizam, Ain clarified that she was not even dressed in a sexy outfit as claimed by some of the social media users.
“Still got blamed, policed, and mocked — just for speaking up. This is exactly why Pocket of Pink exists.”
“To fight victim-blaming, teach consent, and build safe spaces with a team that refuses to be silenced.”
While the sexualizing comments did not deter Ain’s will to continue to speak out against sexual abuse towards children, Ain admitted that the remarks made her uncomfortable.
“No matter how careful I am, I would still be attacked”
In a conversation with WORLD OF BUZZ, Ain said that the comments affected her, and she realised that she would face online attacks just for being a young woman speaking up.
“I thought focusing on the work would protect me, but I learned that in our society, women are judged simply for existing. That’s a disturbing reality we need to change.”
Despite the nasty comments, Ain is determined to stand her ground, refusing to change or shrink herself just to feel safe, adding that the comments indirectly affirmed that “her voice and others matter.”
As for Express To Empower, the 20-page cartoon-based module that aims to expose the dangers of abuse and a basic understanding of personal safety for children, Ain also told WORLD OF BUZZ that they are using comprehensive sexuality education to approach the matter.
“It’s combined with art and joy to help young people learn about boundaries, consent, and care in healing, creative ways.”
Through her work in Pocket Of Pink, Ain and her team aim to build a safer world for girls and young people.
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This post first appeared on WORLD OF BUZZ.
