Climate change, gun violence, the very nature of democracy and an angsty little movie star called Forky helped propel existential to Dictionary.com’s word of the year.
The choice reflects months of high-stakes threats and crises, real and pondered, across the news, the world and throughout 2019.
“In our data, it speaks to this sense of grappling with our survival, both literally and figuratively, that defined so much of the discourse,” said John Kelly, senior research editor for the site, ahead of the announcement.
The word earned “top of mind awareness” in sustained searches at Dictionary.com in the aftermath of wildfires and Hurricane Dorian, and mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, and El Paso, Texas. It also reared itself in presidential politics and pop culture.
Oxford Dictionaries picked climate emergency as its word of the year, noting usage evidence that reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year, the company said in a statement.
Dictionary.com crunches lookup and other data to decide which word to anoint each year. The site has been picking a word of the year since 2010.
The word ‘existential’ dates to 1685, deriving from Late Latin’s existentialis. Dictionary.com defines existential as of or relating to existence and of, relating to, or characteristic of philosophical existentialism; concerned with the nature of human existence as determined by the individuals freely made choices.
Meanwhile, last year, Merriam-Webster had chosen “justice” as its 2018 word of the year while Oxford Dictionaries chose “toxic.” “Misinformation” was Dictonary.com’s word of the year in 2018.
Like it or not, plus-size individuals very much exist. Fat-shaming and fatphobia are real and not just in Pakistan but across the world as well. People look down upon those who don’t fit the society’s standard of what a person should look like. ‘Thin-ess’ is equated to beauty and fat is considered ugly, no matter what.
For instance, award-winning singer Adele recently lost 10 kgs following her divorce and people cannot stop praising her for hitting back at her estranged husband by losing weight. Any other reason is irrelevant.
Closer to home, across the border, Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha recently released a powerful video in which she recounted being fat-shamed and shared all the names which were used to describe her. They ranged from ‘Fatso’ and ‘Aunty’ to harsher ones like ‘Motakshi Sinha’. Just reading such terms should be enough to make you uncomfortable.
Despite all this, the world is making efforts to tackle body shaming. You visit any international clothing brand and you’ll find a section dedicated to plus-sized outfits. However, in Pakistan, this is not the case.
Last month, comedian and actor, Faiza Saleem, who is one of the leading ambassadors of plus-sized women in our country, did a campaign with Lulusar for plus-sized clothing. While on one hand people appreciated the campaign for being inclusive, there was a large population of people who wrote degrading comments on social media posts.
Speaking exclusively to The Current about the collection and backlash, Lulusar said: “Initially, this collection was never intended to become a body positivity statement. From our end, ‘Faiza Saleem x LULUSAR’ was just another collaboration in our series. We did introduce a new size-set so that Faiza could be represented accurately and fully.”
“However, the comments and messages we received on the campaign were a shock. We debated on deleting disparaging & hateful comments in the beginning, but they multiplied every hour,” they stated.
“After this, we did release a statement with Faiza standing up for our values and our philosophy, highlighting the fact that Lulusar is for all. As a brand, we realised we have the platform to ignite change and breakthrough social barriers that all of us are bound by in this society,” added Lulusar.
Speaking further, the brand said, “We began to see comments from women talking about how they regained confidence, how they wanted to dress in bright colors and patterns and never thought they could until this campaign, and the overwhelming support that poured in helped us realise the impact we had made.”
On whether plus-sized fashion has made its way to Pakistan, Lulusar said, “We think that there is definitely a dialogue that has started about the concept of inclusivity, but it hasn’t reached the masses yet.”
“Major brands still don’t have options for women of all shapes and sizes and, if they do, they’re not advertised or they are extremely limited. Plus-sized women are not invited to take part in the newest trends, prints or designs and still have to resort to unstitched dresses. There’s a long way to go in local fashion when it comes to making sure it’s available for all women,” they added.
On the other hand, Khadijah Shah, who is the brains behind one of Pakistan’s most successful fashion brands, Élan said that plus-sized fashion has not yet made its way to Pakistan as it should have.
“I don’t think it has as [of] yet. But, I feel like I see the winds of change,” said Khadijah in her interview with The Current.
In the past, Generation has experimented with plus-size clothing and has even received a positive response for it, but apart from a few campaigns here and there, no one has really carried forward the idea or made it a permanent feature.
On why most Pakistani brands resist from making plus-size clothing, Lulusar remarked, “Cost could definitely be a factor since this is a very niche market and the lower return on investment when compared to conventional campaigns wouldn’t be preferable.”
“However, more than that, it’s the fact that our general society is more receptive towards conventional campaigns, models and fashion. Fear of backlash is probably a greater reason why most brands haven’t taken a step towards inclusivity. For most brands, the negative response is just not worth it.”
We’ve always heard of innovative and unusual bridal entries but in this case, a bridegroom made headlines with his extraordinary shaadi entrance.
Bridegroom Akaash Yadav, who was getting married in Los Cabos, Mexico joined the ‘baraatis’ by skydiving from an aircraft.
The video, which went viral on social media showed Aakash, all strapped-in and wearing a black paragliding suit, gliding down with a yellow and white parachute. The excited applause and hoots can be heard in the background of the video as he lands.
Now that’s what you call a dramatic entry.
Watch the video here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lGbI8Bmtu/
In the video, one guest can be heard saying, “Only he would do this!”
According to reports, the couple, who are both professional dancers and actors in the US, tied the knot in a Hindu ceremony in Mexico.
Zainab Abbas’ wedding festivities came to a close Sunday night with a grand valima.
Among those in attendance were PTI’S Jahangir Khan Tareen, Fawad Chaudhry, Dr Yasmin Rashid and cricketer Mohammad Amir. Zainab’s mother, Andleeb Abbas is an integral member of PTI.
Jahangir Khan Tareen
Fawad Chaudhry with the newly weds
Zainab looked ethereal in a lavender outfit by Élan.
The glowing bride being escorted by her parents
Aren’t these two adorable?
Zainab tied the knot with Hamza Kardar in an intimate nikkah last month. Hamza is the son of the former finance finance minister and former governor of State Bank of Pakistan, Shahid Hafeez Kardar and the grandson of the renowned cricketer Abdul Hafeez Kardar. Zainab’s other events included a mayun and a shendi.
Chief Justice Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa has revealed that the judiciary is working towards inducting female judges in the Supreme Court.
Addressing the concluding session of Women Judges Conference in Lahore, Justice Khosa said that more than 300 female judges are working in the district courts of Pakistan and that they are doing a brilliant job.
“Our women judges have proven their abilities through their verdicts and by the way they have handled complex cases,” said Justice Khosa, adding, “We have as many as 300 women judges in district courts and we hope to soon have at least one or two in the Supreme Court. I had the opportunity to propose two names and they are being actively considered.”
Justice Khosa said that the top court is working on women’s rights and with time, the differences between male and female judges will be eliminated, adding that women must be empowered for the society to develop.
Explaining that the Constitution ensures equal rights and treatment to all citizens including minorities, Justice Khosa said that they are encouraging women to enter the judiciary.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Shamim Khan, while addressing the conference, said that “the judiciary plays an important role in structuring and restructuring of the society.”
Justice Shamim said that gender-based violence courts were being established in Punjab to protect the rights of women and children.
A retired industrialist from Karachi sent thousands of saplings to Iraq on Friday to bring shade to pilgrims.
Mohammedi Durbar, 85, wants to plant nearly 50,000 trees along the entire 80-km pilgrimage route between Iraq’s Najaf and Kerbala. In a conversation with Reuters, Durbar said the idea came to him when his relatives returned from a holy site with sunburn.
Millions of people make the pilgrimage every for the religious ritual of Arbaeen. They walk most of the way under a baking sun. Among the worshippers last year were Durbar’s grandson and daughter-in-law, who returned to the country tanned and with photographs showing a barren landscape.
This was when Durbar got the idea and then travelled to Iraq, spoke to officials and got permission for his project, and a promise the trees would be cared for.
He also planted some trees in Najaf to see if they could thrive there.
A first batch of 9,800 saplings of eight types of trees, up to eight months old, set off from Karachi by truck on Friday, for their journey across Iran to Iraq. The shipment was delayed about a month because of anti-government protests in Iraq and last-minute visa delays.
Durbar says the saplings will be well looked after on their journey with the truck stopping to ensure they get regular sunshine and water. He is confident they will arrive in good shape and plans to travel back to Iraq to work on the plan.
The trees will spend the winter in a nursery in Baghdad, with the planting due to begin in March. He said about a dozen people would plant the trees, with the help of small digger he is also sending from Pakistan.
Durbar estimates it will take three years to plant all of the trees at a cost of Rs25 million, which he is paying. He is not sure if he will live to see pilgrims walking under his trees, but he knows he has found his calling after a lifetime in the industry.
“I thank God, at this age, he has put me on the right path,” he said. “Partnership with nature is good.”
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Pakistan, Ali Alizada, has said that direct flights between his country and Pakistan would start from next year, which will help strengthen the bilateral trade, economic relations and people-to-people contact. The capital of Azerbaijan, Baku is a popular holiday choice for Pakistanis.
According to Dawn, the envoy revealed the information while speaking during a meeting with the business community in Peshawer.
The ambassador said that Azerbaijan gave much importance to cementing mutual trade, economic and cultural relations with Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz, who chaired the event invited the business community of Azerbaijan to make investment in hydel power generation, oil and gas, LPG, mines, mineral, gemstones, agriculture, medicine, fruits, livestock, honey and other sectors.
Alizada accepted the SCCI president’s invitation and and assured him they would issue visas to the business community on a priority basis to boost trade ties between the two countries.
So if you’re planning a vacation to Baku, hold that thought because you’ll soon be able to fly directly there. The shortest flight from Lahore to Baku currently takes a little more than eight hours. But according to Google Maps, the direct flight will cut travel time by two hours.
APS attack survivor Ahmad Nawaz received the 2019 Legacy Award for the Diana Award on November 26. Prior to receiving the award from Lady Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, Ahmad attended a tea hosted by Prince William at Kensington Palace, where the Prince interacted with the recipients.
Ahmad shared pictures from the event on his social media, adding that William was delighted to have visited Pakistan.
I’m extremely honoured to be awarded ‘The Legacy award 2019’ for my global campaign. It was an absolute pleasure to be invited by HRH Prince Williams to @KensingtonRoyal for tea and share my work for young people with him. He told me that he loved his recent visit to Pakistan pic.twitter.com/g31oztaMoL
Ahmed, now 18, has become the first Pakistani to receive the Princess Diana Award for his anti-radicalization campaign. He was only 14 when the Taliban attacked his school in Peshawar in 2014. He managed to save himself by pretending to be lying dead but he witnessed the horror of the massacre and his teacher get set on fire by terrorist militants. He suffered multiple injuries on his arm; was given special treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Though Ahmad survived the attack, he lost his brother in the deadly attack.
According to Kensington Palace, the 2019 Legacy Awards from the Diana Award “celebrate the achievements of 20 outstanding young leaders, visionaries and role models from across the world, aged 12-25, who have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilise new generations to serve their communities.”
The #2019LegacyAwards from the @DianaAward celebrate the achievements of 20 outstanding young leaders, visionaries and role models from across the world, aged 12-25, who have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilise new generations to serve their communities. pic.twitter.com/oXEec5tH6n
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) November 26, 2019
The Legacy Award is handed out every two years, and winners are only eligible if they have previously received a Diana Award within the two-year period. This year’s winners included young people from the UK, Pakistan, Canada, Tanzania, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria and India.
Winners are determined by an independent judging panel, which included Baroness Lawrence, Holly Branson, and Alex Cruz.
Ahmad in conversation with Prince William
“This ceremony is about celebrating young people for their selfless contribution to society, their courage and bravery, and demonstrating to young people that we value them,” said Tessy Ojo, the Diana Award’s Chief Executive Officer in a statement on its official website.
“We believe that valuing young people means investing in them so we are delighted that our Legacy Award recipients will have access to our unique development programme ensuring they continue to be positive trailblazers for their generation.”
The inaugural winners were revealed in 2017, and Princes William and Harry attended the award ceremony. This year’s ceremony was attended by Earl Spencer, Diana’s younger brother.
An exotic holiday with your best girlfriends sounds like a fabulous idea and not that you needed any reason to go on one, but new research has revealed that girls’ holidays are actually key to keeping happy – AND they have a positive impact on our overall health.
According to social-personality psychologist William Chopik, friendships “are a way to derive all the benefits of being in a relationship with someone without the enormity of it.”
He explained that friendships enrich a person’s life and generally makes them happier, adding, “These are relationships of choice. You choose to hang out together because you enjoy each other’s company.”
Speaking specifically about a girls trip, Dr Chopnik said that such holidays allow you to connect more with your pals.
“You can sit down, look them in the eye, have a true back-and-forth and read each other’s body language. They can see you and your facial expressions. You’re emotionally responding to things and you can pick up on their emotions. You don’t always get that through a phone call.”
Meanwhile, a recent study by Harvard University also found that going away with friends has noticeable health benefits because “social connections like these not only give pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet and not smoking.”
Shadi season is in full swing and the hardest decision one has to make is what to wear and what not to wear, especially for the bride and groom. While the bride has a lot of options with different colors and styles. Groom has very limited options and the survey shows what Pakistani men prefer to wear on their Shaadi.
26% Pakistanis chose simple shalwar kameez and sherwani. Only 16% selected coat-suit as their option. Then there was the 1% that didn’t even know how to respond. The winner outfit is Shalwar Kameez with a waistcoat. 30% of Pakistani chose Shalwar Kameez with a waistcoat as the best clothing option for a groom.
