Am I Worth It?: Female Beauty Standards in Balochistan, Pakistan

Pohana  Maqbool; Ghina Saleem; Ammara Shahid

doi:10.52131/pjhss.2025.v13i4.3062

Authors

Pohana Maqbool Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.
Ghina Saleem Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7045-0647
Ammara Shahid Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52131/pjhss.2025.v13i4.3062

Keywords:

Beauty Perception, Patriarchy, Women, Power Relations, Gender Roles

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the perception of female beauty standards among women in Balochistan and its effects on their self-perception and life choices. For this purpose 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with females aged 18 to 45 years. Thematic analysis yielded eight superordinate themes; beauty is in the eye of the beholder, faith over facelift, good morals complement beauty, health driven choices, beauty on a budget, the pretty woman privileges, chasing western shadows in the digital age. The implications of the themes were discussed for further research.