President Sisi denies fat-shaming Egyptians after weight-loss call

President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi is denying that he fat-shamed his own people after his recent calls for Egyptians to lose weight prompted a torrent of jokes online, AP reports. In televised comments on Wednesday, Sisi asked “How can I shame my own family? Egyptians are my family. How can I watch them [putting on weight] and stay quiet?” He noted the “incredible” number of jokes in response to his call and, chuckling, suggested people “take it easy with the jokes at my expense.” Egypt has one of the world’s highest rates of obesity. Millions of people rely on government-subsidized bread and other staples. The price of healthier foods has soared following recent austerity measures.