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Malaysian actress Nabila Huda recently came under fire after netizens criticised her choice of clothing while she was operating a small self-owned business selling pasta.

On Threads, the 42-year-old said she did not expect her attire to be the centre of attention and main topic of discussion on social media as she prepared food at her popup stall.

“I did this because it made me happy to see people come and support me, eat, and chat. The weird thing is, why are so many people trying to find faults?

“Even attire could become an issue. Do those who criticise me expect me to wear a jubah or something?

“Sometimes, it’s kind of sad when something is done with sincerity and happiness turns into an issue where people just want to criticise,” she said in a Threads post.

At the same time, she said that she is more comfortable being herself, rather than pretend to be someone she’s not just to garner praise from the public.

“I’m not a hyprocrite. I don’t have to be fake to look good, polite, or kind just to make people like me or praise me. If you don’t like it, don’t look,” she said.

Not a “serious” food business

Speaking on her business, Nabila said her food business is not a serious one and is just a small side project to meet with fans who want to taste her cooking.

“This is just something to do for fun. I want to meet my fans and let them taste my cooking. It’s not like I opened a fine dining restaurant. I just opened a pop up, cooked everythig myself, drove myself, and I did not expect many would come to support,” she said, emphasising that she runs the business solo and without any staff.

View on Threads

Netizens criticised her attire over food safety issues, not modesty

The criticism she received online were focused on her attire, but not for reasons many would think.

While it may sound like the public were criticising her clothes because of modesty, it’s actually because of food safety.

Many pointed out that she was not wearing a hair net or a hat to keep her hair from falling into the food, which were served in open trays. Aside from that, some also highlighted that she was wearing dangling earrings, which is also a hazard as they may fall off her ears and into the food without her realising.

As for the off-shoulder top, exposed skin including shoulders presents risk of contamination as well. This includes skin particles, dandruff, or dirt that can fall from exposed skin and into food.

Malaysians reminded her in the comments section that as long as she is handling and selling food to the public, standard operating protocols (SOP) for food safety will apply to her by default, and that she should not take it so lightly.

Nabila is currently doing a tour of Malaysia to promote her Amore In Cucina brand Pomodoro pasta sauce, which is a traditional Italian tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and sweet basil.

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