Women frequently find themselves burdened by the ubiquitous idea that they must keep their appearances despite juggling multiple tasks such as maintaining the family, having children, and occasionally even holding down careers in Pakistan’s complicated web of social expectations. This load is especially noticeable for women who experience social shame, particularly when their spouses cheat.
Strong patriarchal traditions have long pervaded Pakistani society, where women are expected to exemplify virtues like modesty, elegance, and beauty. The pressure placed on women to meet society’s ideals of beauty is still evident, despite recent progress in identifying and combating these expectations. Women who play many roles and balance work, family, and household responsibilities are under even more strain.
The shame that wives experience when their husbands commit adultery is among the most upsetting effects of this social norm. Rather than laying blame on the unfaithful spouse, the guilt is frequently placed on the woman, with accusations that she neglected to take care of herself or her husband’s needs. Because of this deeply rooted cultural mindset, victim-blaming is perpetuated, and women are unfairly and unrealistically burdened with the responsibility of keeping their husbands faithful.
It is still expected of women to keep up their beauty as they work, have children, and take care of the home. This assumption is frequently the result of deeply ingrained societal standards that value a woman’s physical attractiveness. Fearing that a perceived decrease in attractiveness would affect their relationships or their status in the community, women may feel pressured to put their appearance first.
Furthermore, as social media has grown in popularity, unattainable beauty standards have spread throughout online spaces, intensifying these demands. Images of perfect influencers and models are always showing up for women, which creates an impossible standard and adds to the ongoing criticism of their beauty. When combined with the demands of raising children and keeping the home in order, this pressure to appear a certain way is intensified.
The most heinous example of this social expectation is when a married couple commits adultery. Women are frequently made to feel guilty and ashamed of being betrayed rather than having the underlying reasons addressed. This strengthens the damaging idea that a woman’s physical beauty is closely related to her husband’s faithfulness, in addition to exacerbating the emotional pain of betrayal.
It is critical to support a culture transformation that celebrates women for their intelligence, resiliency, and contributions that go beyond physical appearance in order to confront these deeply ingrained expectations. Men must likewise take responsibility for their acts in order to destroy the false notion that a woman’s alleged inability to maintain her looks serves as justification for adultery. Education is essential to this process because it raises people’s awareness of the detrimental effects of unattainable beauty standards and the unfair burdens placed on women.
In result, it is a strongly ingrained societal standard in Pakistan for women to preserve their appearances, regardless of the multitude of roles they play. This expectation is unjust and adds to the unfair stigmatisation of women who experience marital infidelity. It is also unrealistic. It will need a community effort to reframe cultural values, emphasise women’s value beyond outward looks, and hold people accountable for their behaviour in order to challenge these expectations. Pakistani society can only advance towards a more just and compassionate view of women’s roles and duties through such initiatives.
