HRK: The politics of pretty faces
Pakistani media focused its attention on highlighting Khar’s wardrobe rather than the content of her discussions. PHOTO: AFP
The media coverage of newly appointed Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar’s Indian tour is proving to be equally offensive either side of the border. Given Khar’s youth and her inexperience, there were already plenty of ‘ifs and buts’ floating among Pakistanis regarding her capabilities with respect to her new role, but it appears the media’s fascination with her wardrobe has trounced all performance related concerns.
Indian electronic and print media has recently been reported calling the minister everything from “model-like” (Navbharat Times) and “Pakistan’s Best Face” (Times of India) extending to insinuations about her being “drool worthy” as well as “the bomb” (sic), all puns intended. The Indian media’s behaviour, while embarrassing and lamentable, is nothing when compared to the treatment meted out to the newly appointed minister by her own country.
The Indian media’s preference for casting Khar in the role of a fresh-faced, naive and pretty politician may be underhanded but it is equally calculated. The move allows our neighbours to play on her inexperience and dismiss her as a ‘fashionista’ over a politician. But for the Pakistani media to do the same is unforgivable. Pakistani television channels have focused their attention on highlighting the minister’s wardrobe, from her Cavalli shades to her Birkin bag, almost entirely circumventing the content of her discussions.
I admit to not exactly having been over the moon about Khar’s appointment, owing to both her aforementioned youth and lack of experience for such a key post, but one would have liked to see her rise or fall on her own merit rather than while riding a media frenzy focusing on her attire. The Indo-Pak media is in serious need of a refresher course teaching them to distinguish politicians from Bollywood and Lollywood actors.
One repeatedly hears the nuisance commentary regarding how, if women want to be ‘taken seriously’ they ought to not dress up at all. The age-old discourse about monochrome colours and chadors somehow being a testimonial for capabilities is nothing short of sexist nonsense. One has yet to see columns being penned down proclaiming the ‘talents’ of male politicians being held hostage to the price and swagger of their crocodile boots or their designer suits, both of which are liable to cost just as much as a pair of Cavalli sunglasses.
The Indian media has succeeded in putting on a “pretty face to a Pakistani politician” in hopes that both she and we will not find this offensive and the decision will make her all the more easy to dismiss with regards to substance. Our media has gone a step further by linking the abilities of one of their key diplomats to her sense of personal style.
Hina Rabbani Khar has been robbed of the opportunity to truly prove her mettle as a diplomat and in this particular case, she isn’t to blame. Already armed with her very own acronym in the Indian Press, HRK, (one that purportedly trumps Indian counterpart SM Krishna’s, SMK) a Rediff website stated:
“All eyes on glamorous Pak minister… She is clearly being looked at as a perfect combination of beauty and brains.”
Really? Pray tell, where are the columns and headlines devoted to her brains?
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
We need young leaders like Hina Rabbani Khar to bring a change in our politics, she is a young leader and we need a youth to bring a change in this country because I personally feel that only youth can bring a huge change in this country because youth has new ideas and we are more toward our country and “we want peace not pieces of this country”…!!!Recommend
How can a brand-infested brain be expected to represent aspirations of the poor people of Pakistan and Kashmir?Recommend
Whats the point of defending her, when you have seen the whole media blowing up the face of sara paulin, didnt you notice that ? also , when they come out of their homes to rescue a nation, let them face the music and get out of every unfavorable circumstances and prove that they are suitable candidate for the position.Recommend
Spot on.
Recommend
well i am sorry if i cant take ms khar seriously, yeah she’s good looking, but that has nothing to do with the fact that she is not qualified for the job, so if we criticise anyone else (basically almost every minister) for incompetence and lack of qualifications, i think we shouldn’t let her off easy – same standards as anyone else…
btw….your comment about the indo-pak media is a little wide off the mark….look up the treatment of mara carfagna in italy…..they gotta sell papers man….thats how they do it..Recommend
ohh, comeon, rehan, shes been part of one corrupt government and now FM in the sequel…….Recommend
Pakistan India relations are beset with years of mistrust and acrimony. HRK cannot do anything – neither her old and experienced counter part. So stop assuming that her ‘brains’ would suddenly act as a game changer. Instead what she did, unwillingly though, that she brought the quintessential Pakistani shalwar kameez dupatta back in limelight.Recommend
There has been so much of Khar bashing going around these days that its sickening. Its good to know that the Indian media thinks of her as a fashion icon..it’s a compliment. But to automatically assume that she’s just beauty and no brains is being too judgmental. What’s sad is that Pakistanis are the first to dismiss her as an FM and are not really ready to see if she can prove her mettle or not. We keep complaining about how inexperienced she is without thinking what actually the experienced leaders have given us. When will we ever stop criticizing and give someone a chance? At least go on a bashing spree when she screws up. Can we wait for that, please?Recommend
As far as i know about Ms Khar’s professional skills, she has a degree in Hospitability and Tourism… Dont you think Foreign Minister position is too much for herRecommend
I really don’t understood the point of this blog.
What is the problem if media paid attention to the fashion statement of HRK? It is not that in interview with her jounalists were asking questions about her bag or sunglasses.
The gossip is part of life for any public figure and HRK is not an exception.Recommend
I think yours is the yet the most substantive and mature critique of the media coverage of HRK’s visit to India.
STILL honestly, though I agree to the double standards of the media while reporting on female and male politicians don’t you think we have brought this on ourselves. Firstly I think this was the intent behind HRK’s appointment to such a prestigious/powerful position; to have a ‘showpiece’ of a foreign minister that charms more than she delivers. I mean seriously this ‘girl’ has the political acumen of Zohair Toru, she was Musharraf’s biggest cheer leader only 3 short years ago and singing praises of Shaukat Aziz’s ‘economic/financial reform’. Her specialties are in business, her passion hotel management, it is only her pedigree (and promise to be a puppet) that has landed her this position. And you’re sending this BARBIE doll to face off giants like Hillary Clinton and S M Krishna, people with tons of experience, expertise and diplomacy skills that have won wars and changed the course of history. I mean we brought this on ourselves, we don’t deserve to be taken seriously, we don’t take OUR own country and its image seriously!!!
Secondly HRK wants exactly this attention. Who does she think she is?? Paris Hilton??? Carrying a Berkin, flashing a diamond studded bracelet and watch, while representing one of the most crisis ridden, bloodiest, poverty stricken regions of the world. Trust me she’s no victim, somewhere HRK is gloating over her new found ‘fame’ and doesn’t give 2 hoots about this country’s foreign policy mattersRecommend
Indians were stunned when they got the glimpse of images in TV and newspapers of mohtarma Hina Rabbani Khar‘s landing at Palam Air Force Station Delhi. Indian men googled for her images and wikipedied for info. Katrina Kaif no longer appears as mobile wallpapers in cellphones of Indians, now it‘s of Hina Rabbani Khar.
Had she met some of the family members of the victims of 26 Oct 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Indians would have started worshiping her.
You can also visit her fan pages on Facebook, 90% of those pages have been liked by Indians. I don‘t know how much she will be helpful for Pakistan but it‘s true that she has earned tremendous respect among Indian men. All Indian men are addressing her as ‘madam‘. On the other hand, Indian women were found very jealous of her.Recommend
Well i see this blog among rest of the statements made by Media on either side of the border. It would have been way better if Ms Maria have discussed the pro and cons of dialogue. I had no idea what media has been taking about after her meeting with india but now i know the part i was least interested in. No surprise, she (Maria) herself is part of our BELOVED media :)Recommend
While Maria Amir may be right that the Indian Pakistani Media is in need of refresher courses to be able to distinguish between politicians and Bollywood/Lollywood. But significant reasearch has been done on the subject of a voter bias in Western societies towards a politicians looks and his or her smile which sometimes makes the voter overlook the plans and views of the politician running for election.
In this case even though this young lady has not run on an independent seat but has landed in the National Assembly purely on the basis of her families political ties to the reserved seats for women (22% I beleive reserved for women and the distribution is made on a proportional representation basis).
However, considering that the India Pakistan border is considered the most dangerous flashpoint in the world, between two nuclear armed neighbours. Hina Rabbani Khar, has accomplished what years of tense diplomacy haven’t been able todo, that is create some genuine goodwill between these two constantly sparring nations. The two countries have in fact agreed to boost security, trade, transportation, travel, and cultural links. Analysts across the globe commenting on it today have called it some of the most productive talks between the two sides since Pakistani militants carried out the Mumbai attack in 2008.
One commentator in the US even suggested that the Roberto Cavalli sunglasses, the pearl and diamond and a blue designer dress suggests an glamour icon is born and gives it three and reduces it to two months before America’s premier fashion world magazine Vogue will come calling.
But besides the Indian press gushing over her and despite her first foray into the world of diplomacy she did manage to convey to a youthful India and Pakistan (about 64% of Indians are under 34 and 73% of Pakistanis) about “a new generation of Indians and Pakistanis [who] will see a relationship that will hopefully be much different from the one that has been experienced in the last two decades”.
I think SM Krishnna the Indian foreign minister in fact looked like a grandfather and was completley outclassed by Pakistan’s diplomatic salvo. To paraphrase Seema Goswami, a leading Indian social commentator “She’s incredibly young pretty, glamorous and has no fear of appearing flash. She wore pearls when she arrived and diamonds for the talks. We’re so obsessed with her designer bag and clothes that we forget she first held talks with the Hurriyat [Kashmiri separatists]. She could be Pakistan’s new weapon of mass destruction.”Recommend
You forgot to mention the tight jeans, Indian media needs to get a life !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGCRYfb0qfYRecommend
She is beautiful and intelligent and probably the best Pakistani face to the world!Recommend
This is childish attitude..!
Age has nothing to with post.. and we are done with old vultures in politics.. we need fresh minds and FOR HEAVENS SAKE PEOPLE! at least give her a chance.. stop blogging about Hina Rabbani Khar… let her do the Job…
Then judge.. you cant judge just by her appearance what she has to offer..Recommend
I really fail to comprehend the hue and cry being made over the Indian media going in awe over the looks and style of the young lady,Foreign Minister.Ms.Hina Rabbani Khar ?.It all should go to credit her,for being pretty and gracefully attired.
She maybe young and inexperienced,but that does not imply that she lacks brains !Actually,it is quite possible that their media is jealous while comparing her to their own aged and also physically apparent, female Foreign Secretary and that of the US :)
I personally feel she is a good choice and with a little seasoning in due course of time could excel her counterparts in other country’s.As a matter of fact,I would recommend that in future this job should be reserved for females only.After all not all men know the tact to handle a female and could prove unnerving for some!
My best wishes for our young lady,Foreign Minister,in all her future endeavors.Recommend
@Nurmomad: so if you are brand conscious, you don’t qualify for being a better person? and you don’t qualify for being capable to help others?Recommend
@Maria:
no you don’t!Recommend
she seems to be totally aloof from the reality of Pakistan. Her flaunting of $10000 Hermes bag and other expensive brands is not only shameful but disgusting, when the country is in miserable condition.Recommend
I think the best examples of Muslim leadership being brand conscious and the level of brand consciousness come from Islamic history. There were very well dressed people then also and an many eras followed their examples- its only when one starts thinking of impressing others tht things go haywire!!
if HRK can bring shalwar kameez in Vogue then she can dictate many of her terms- which can be simpler!!Recommend
Oh ! lighten up a bit please. A few comments in the press about her bag or her shades or her dress has only added to her profile. Bottom line is : as an introductory foray across the boarder HRK was a success.Recommend
Pretty!!, our standards have fallen in every sphere of life.Recommend
Great role model for both Pakistan and India and possibly the world. Praise is well deserved!Recommend
@Maria
agree 100%. our media is gushing like high school kids on a young new female teacher. her visit has been a farce. she did a faux pass meeting kashmiri separtists. any other pakistani politician doing this would have got very negative reviews.Recommend
Some of these comments are as if they didn’t even read what the author wrote. There has not been any negative shots at the woman’s abilities or intelligence. The only one getting any form of negative criticism is the media. It’s one of the biggest parts of the concept. The media is not reporting on her abilities and intelligence, no matter the topic. Their articles resemble that of criticism of a celebrity on a red carpet rather than a politician dealing with crucial world issues. For the simple minded, that means “show her competency, not her fashion sense.” Not that she lacks competency. It’s hard to judge that aspect one way or another because the media is completely omitting those things in favor of a more entertainment magazine style. It’s no surprise other women dislike it. But, it’s not out of jealousy. It’s the fact that a woman in that position, instead of her being portrayed as the image and proof of equality in abilities to men, she’s made out to be nothing more than eye candy so much that it seemingly far outweighs the value of her actions. Instead of gaining respect, they’re basically getting nothing new and it implies a woman’s appearance is still the only thing that matters. The hope of progress in equality was almost immediately shattered by the very first articles written about her activities in her new position.Recommend
Abbas from US…totally agree with you!Recommend
excellent piece. exactly my thoughts! if I want to be dressed up that shouldn’t be anybody’s concern!Recommend
Well done Mr. Zardari for appointing such a competitive foreign minister for a troubled Nuclear nation which is at war for almost 10 years.Recommend
@Nurmomad:
A rep of poor people is not expected to talk on Indians on issues like Kashmir, Siachin, water and Sircreek etc unless he is well educated and qual for talks on such issues…….A rep of poor people may be a good law maker and he can rep poor masses well within the country…..but he may not be a prudent choice to rep Pakistan outside espec when it comes to India….we dont want to impress them with our sincerity or rep of poor masses……we want some one who can really deliver……and in my opinion…only a well educated and qualified person can deliver…..HRK is an apt choice out of the aval lot…..ThxRecommend
I agree with you Maria. You’re right on the money with this and thank you for pointing it out. Guilty as charged, ALL of ‘em, including, I may well add, myself. (I never thought there was going to be any ‘meaningful‘ change in the ‘status quo’ so I focused my ‘attentions’ elsewhere.) But you’ve zeroed in on the ‘psychology‘ behind all this ‘media frenzy’ across the border and the ‘apparent’ naïveté of our own media. I say ‘apparent‘ for the Pakistani media’s behavior might have been just as ‘calculated’ – she was, after all appointed as the FM of a largely discredited political dispensation.
Kudos and more power to your pen err keyboard !Recommend
There goes a graceful, Muslim lady, if I ever saw one! She is brand ambassador for the Muslim womanhood.
To all Muslims everywhere: let your women – mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, wives – breathe free! They bring you into this world and are by your side all your life. Give them respect and dignity!Recommend
@Akumen:
Ideologically, I completely agree with you, but that’s asking a much of a pakistani politician.Recommend
what is birkin or cavelli or other precious thing worn by our fm,will please someone tell a poor Pakistani like me who lives hand to mouth sometimes just mouth and nothing in the hands.they say the things are very costly,are they more costly than per head foreighn loan owed by each Pakistani?if not then what is all this fuss about.also what was clinton wearing when she came to Pakistan or India,they say she comes from the worlds richest country.Recommend
@ Sonia
In case someone didint tell u, its a paper read and discussed by serious adults.
For kids like you, the world has things like cartoons, candy bars, babrie dolls etc.
For Heaven’s sake, when wd the ppl here grow up?
What revolution wd Shalwar Kameez bring in the annals of foreign diplomacy?….Jesus!
What has dress got to do with wats being discussed here Sonia?
Can ppl in this country ever think rationally and not unnecessarily drag, religion and morality into every damn thing in life?
Hasan Abidi
hasanwazir1@gmail.comRecommend
I don’t believe the issue is about her being fashionable. She can carry a Birkin and wear Cavalli shades but be a bit more subtle about it. The political realm is contantly under the media microscope and wearing gaudy frames and flashing a $10,000 hand bag isn’t exactly my definition of subtle. All this does is highlight a politician who is obviously from a wealthy and powerful background.
That being said she did have a successful meeting with her counterpart from across the border. In a country that is anyting but conventional an unconventional approach is probably the best bet. Best of luck to her continued success in strengthing Pakistan India relations.Recommend
I really fail to comprehend the hue and cry being made over the Indian media going in awe over the looks and style of the young lady,Foreign Minister.Ms.Hina Rabbani Khar ?.It all should go to credit her,for being pretty and gracefully attired.
She maybe young and inexperienced,but that does not imply that she lacks brains !Actually,it is quite possible that their media is jealous while comparing her to their own aged and also physically apparent, female Foreign Secretary and that of the US :)
I personally feel she is a good choice and with a little seasoning in due course of time could excel her counterparts in other country’s.As a matter of fact,I would recommend that in future this job should be reserved for females only.After all not all men know the tact to handle a female and could prove unnerving for some!
My best wishes for our young lady,Foreign Minister,in all her future endeavors.Recommend
I do not see any role of our young Foreign Minister in resolving issues with India, until and unless our military establishment shows some green signals for breakthrough. Secondly, Ms Khar represents neither the majority poor youth nor the women of the country rather she represents the elites as other politician. Therefore, we cannot expect any miricle from her..Recommend
I think it has become a custom to criticize Indian media in Pakistan. Now that Indian media has appreciate her looks and her fashion sense pakistanis are not happy. If instead Indian media had focused on her meeting with hurriyat, they would be calling it a hate mongering media. Common guys what do you want, really?Recommend
Thank you so much for writing this article!
“The Indian media has succeeded in putting on a “pretty face to a Pakistani politician” in hopes that both she and we will not find this offensive and the decision will make her all the more easy to dismiss with regards to substance. ” – yes so true! We so needed someone to say all what you said.Recommend
@Role “Praise is well deserved!” – She is new, and what exactly has she achieved so far? Dressing well and looking good?Recommend
It is interesting to see how people are comparing faces over policies .. good looking vs grand-fatherly looking … does it matter .. at the end of the day, it is always the war won by brains not brands and age.
It is yet another trick to fool the people of this country who perhaps deserve something more these slapstick goofs. This women has all the potential to become another Benazir.
By the way on a lighter note, she soon might want to create her own line of fashion accessories and HRK will not be a bad name at all.Recommend
Maybe you should stop thinking in these ‘brains are better than her beauty’ terms because that’s where this oppression lies.
- RubyRecommend
She is apparently the new face, but a daughter of political family. So her arrival and emergence is not announcement of youth arrival on political scenario. It is continuation of same old family politics we are suffering already from.
She is representing Pakistan a poor country and she is an MNA from Muzaffargarh, argaubaly the most backward area of Pakistan. Considering the city and country she is representing, it does not look appropriate to carry Rs. 2 Million bag and other expensive stuff… the spirit of Tawaif-ul-Malooki still lives with us…Recommend
m agnstt to it……..i mean everyonee has got a personel life…itss all about her lifee…..what she likes to wear n what not it has nothng to do with politics……..male politician also invest alot ov money for their dressing no one objects then..its all cjeapness of pakistani and indian media these ppl have no brains that what are they sayng …they wanted to have a chace to raisee awar agnst woman………all bcx ov gender dscrimaination dats all……Recommend
While the writer of this article may attest that Rabbani’s clothes aren’t her own fault, I disagree. She’s a politician and needs to dress as exactly that. If she had worked in government and been trained a while longer, an /appropriate/ while longer, she would have been very easily distinguished from a Lollywood or Bollywood actress. If she hadn’t dressed as a movie actress, she wouldn’t have been mistaken for one.
Rabbani was also too angry to speak to reporters who bombarded her with questions on her dress. If she can’t negotiate with the press, I wonder how she’s going to stare down some of the toughest diplomats the world around. . . .? She’s proving to be a weak public figure.Recommend
I’m sorry folks; she is hardly pretty compared to many women in Pakistan. Expensive clothes don’t make someone like Rabbani pretty.Recommend