HRK: The politics of pretty faces
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 ...
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There’s a mighty pretty book in town
A book of English poems by a Pakistani is immediately suspect. It’s not something you’ll allow into your bookshelf without checks and a passport. And given the pernicious proliferation of blogs and undergraduate bunk (literal and figurative) everywhere, especially of the poetic variety, you will be justified about ten out of ten times in denying it entry. Also, given the present literary mood and climate in our part of the world, a book of good English poetry by a South Asian is really like a dancing eunuch who shows up unannounced at the genteel party of the South Asian ...
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Help! I’m a ‘handsome’ girl
Dear Miss Informed, I have a serious issue. I am a working woman. I go to work bright and early at 8am and don’t come back before 7:30 in the evening. For this reason, I find that I never have time to visit the salon; this means bushy eyebrows, chipped nails, frizzy hair and a pubescent moustache. By the time I’m done from work, every single beauty parlour in the city has closed for the day, which means that I look “handsome” till Sunday (my day off) to go and get de-haired and look pretty. I don’t mean to sound like a ...
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Fashion industry: The ugly world of pretty people
The fashion industry may look glamorous from the outside but it has some serious loopholes. It’s refreshing to see superstars air kissing at award shows and interviewing each other on morning TV shows and it may lead someone to think that this is the only industry in Pakistan where people actually get along. But this friendliness can turn pretty ugly if one knows the right amount of dirty secrets that surround this industry. What are some of these dirty secrets of the fashion industry? Primarily, there is a lot of nepotism and corruption in showbiz. I scratch your back In the Pakistani ...
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Why being hot really sucks
Are good looks a blessing or a curse? Studies have shown that good looking people succeed faster professionally – if two people have the exact same experience and qualifications, everything but different looks (average looking vs beautiful) – more often than not, the better looking one is selected. In all professional recruitment training, we are taught to dress formally and professionally for interviews. Appearance matters, looks matter even more. Good looking people succeed faster. Better looking girls are always sought after for marriage. Everywhere, there seems to be a certain bias in favour of good looks. The eye of the beholder It all ...
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