There are people who look alike in our community, but does speaking it out constitutes as face-shaming?
Recently, Opposition MP Hannah Yeoh came under fire from UMNO Puteri chief Zahida Zarik Khan for face-shaming one of the state legislative assemblies (ADUN) of Barisan Nasional (BN) by saying that she looked alike to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
In the tweet, Yeoh attached a news report with a picture of ADUN of Sungai Tiang, Datuk Suraya Yaacob and wrote: “A quick glance, I thought that was Rosmah and wondering what she was doing in Kedah.”
However, that comment did not sit well with Zahida, who later accused her of face-shaming Suraya.
BiaDAP!
— Zahida Zarik Khan (@ZahidaZK) October 14, 2022
‘FaceShamming’ daripada seorang berpangkat YB, juga bekas Timbalan Menteri Kerajaan PH.
Biarlah berbeza idologi politik, namun tindakan mengaibkan lebih lebih lagi sesama wanita adalah satu tindakan yang amat menjijikkan. pic.twitter.com/Xj4KxqTJDQ
Zahida said she did not expect someone with a YB title to make such a statement. She added that despite their difference in political stance and ideologies, she should not have insulted Suraya.
“Insulting fellow women is uncalled for and disgusting,” she tweeted.
Responding to Zahida, Yeoh clarified that she has never face-shamed Rosmah or Suraya and is merely stating that they look alike.
“So what if someone looks like Rosmah, Najib or Zahida? I don’t get why UMNO is upset is someone looks like Rosmah,” she said.
However, Yeoh also refused to be bogged down by the matter and retract her statement about “Rosmah’s lookalike”. “According to UMNO politicians’ logic, it is rude to say that someone looks like Rosmah,” she explained.
Ikut logik Puteri UMNO dan pemuda mereka, saya biadab kalau saya katakan wanita lain kelihatan seiras dengan Rosmah. Baiklah, saya tarik balik tweet sekali pandang wajah Suraya seiras dengan Rosmah. Saya tidak mahu panjangkan isu ini. pic.twitter.com/6BDd2U2QfH
— Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) October 14, 2022
Mixed reaction
Meanwhile, netizens were divided on the matter, with some criticising Yeoh for face-shaming, while others said she did nothing wrong.
“We all know your intention. What if someone compared your family with someone that you do not like? It might not be face-shaming but you know their intention is not good,” a netizen said.
“Female politicians tend to receive unnecessary comments about their appearances, much more than male politicians. I love what you’ve done to champion gender equity, but this tweet of yours doesn’t seem to do justice to your stellar track record in the area. Let’s do better,” a netizen said.
On the other hand, a netizen pointed out that Yeoh had not mentioned that any of them look ugly but it was the thoughts of those who read the tweet with an ugly intention.
At the same time, many netizens also said that UMNO had indirectly agreed that either Rosmah or Suraya isn’t that photogenic.
What do you think about this? Share your thoughts!
 of Barisan Nasional (BN) by saying that she looked alike to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.){kind=link}