Approach of the Study
women smoking in Pakistan, entitled “Is smoking banned for women in Pakistan?
” Women seen smoking in public are automatically stereotyped as being
cunning charlatans with no morals or respect for society — a person who
will most definitely be seen partying it up into the wee hours of the night with strange men and, of course, if she smokes, she probably drinks, too.
http:blogs.tribune.com.pkstory14815is-smoking-banned-for-women- in-pakistan
The quotation above clearly shows that women smoking in Pakistan stereotyped as an immoral person and have no respect of society. However, in any condition a
smoking woman often gets a negative image in the society. Women in Pakistan should wear decently dress, as the Muslim women
should wear; they wear long dress or trousers that made of fabric to avoid showing the shape of the body. As Becher said on the book Family Practices in
South Asian Muslim Families, Traditional South Asian clothes were commonly worn at home in the
families in this study, especially girls and women. Most wore shalwar kameez baggu trousers and tunic as well as a dupatta scarf around their
shoulder and sometimes over their head. Men and boys more often wore English-style trousers and shirts although a few wore shalwar kameez.
These slothes met the cultural and religious standards of modesty in covering the body, and also the head for women Becher, 2008:63.
This rule is important because this is the teaching of the religion that should be obeyed by the followers of Islam. Particularly in Pakistan which has strong
Islamic culture and some different social control of women. Isran stated on his journal entitled Patriarchy And Women In Pakistan: A Critical Analysis,
“
In South Asian societies, of which Pakistan is part, there are different social controls applied to
control women’s social and economic behavior at every level of society.”
2012:835
Since Bindia live in western country, her paradigm about life and gender equality become wider and open. At the moment, when she went to her home
country, she ignores the tradition. It shows when she bluntly shows her habit as a smoker in front of her relatives, this kind of situation is not acceptable in Pakistan.
In western country, women smoking in public might be seen as an exceptional view but not in Pakistan. As Chaudhry and Rahman states on the journal “The
Impact of Gender Inequality in Education on Rural Poverty in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysi
s”, that Pakistan women in Pakistan is different from women in western countries, it states on that journal, “The status of women in Pakistan is
somehow different from that of western countries. Gender is one of the organizing p
rinciples of Pakistans society”. Different condition happens in America, everybody is free to do what they want to, with the situation in western country
like in America, the country where Bindia live currently 2009:174. Therefore woman who smoke in Pakistan will get negative image from the society.
The play footage above shows that Bindia is a rebellious person, she wears jeans and that not such an appropriate ways in Pakistan. In fact, she considers that
her style cannot be accepted in Pakistan but Bindia shows her own rule, she has her own thought. Her westernized thought make she does not care what others
have to wear even though she is not in America anymore but in her homeland, which has different culture. Bindia answers the questions from her sisters briefly,
without any arguments or comments, therefore, it shows that she is actually ignores what her sisters say about her appearances and habit.