ANTHROPOS 115.2020: 405–415 An Ethnographic Investigation of Women’s Perception and Cognition Regarding Skin Color in Pakistan Subaita Zubair, Urwah Ali, and Zuba’a Akhtar Abstract. – The ethnographic study tends to explore female perception concerning diverse skin colors and different conno‐ tations associated with it in Pakistan’s society. It is intended to highlight preferable and judgmental cognitions attached with gender skin tone by exploring the reasons which propagate this kind of thinking in culture. A qualitative methodology of in- depth interviews and focus group discussions was employed. The sample included late adolescents (aged 18–24) and early adults (24–34) from the area of Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pakistan). Purposive sampling was applied and thematic ana‐ lysis was used as a qualitative paradigm. The number of re‐ spondents comprised of 15 females of which 5 were gym-go‐ ers. This culture has its biased and paradoxical ways when it comes to expectations and objectification genders face with re‐ gard to body image, particularly skin complexion. Schemas and biased standards play their role when it comes to judging people on their appearance and attractiveness. Conclusively, according to our study, fair color, attractive looks, and appeal‐ ing personality always received more favors than obese, dark skin colored sexes. Fair complexion is assumed to open gates to opportunities and incredible chances for females, especially when it comes to mate selection or matrimony. [Pakistan, skin color, women, objectification, psychology, anthropology] Subaita Zubair, PhD Research Scholar, Department of An‐ thropology, Quaid-i-Azam University, University Road, Islam‐ abad. Email: subaitazubair1983@gmail.com Urwah Ali, PhD Scholar, Department of Psychology, National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. Email: urwahz@gmail.com Zuba’a Akhtar, Researcher, Department of Psychology, COMSATS University Islamabad. Email: akhtarzubaa@hotmail.com Introduction Today, in the mindset of Pakistan’s culture and so‐ ciety, fair complexioned females are seen as supe‐ rior to those who have a dark complexion. One source claims that “the entire social fabric of Pak‐ istani society seems to be woven around a wom‐ an’s chastity” (Mumtaz and Shaheed 1987) and in this society, nothing expresses purity more than fairness. Different businesses have increased rapidly all over the country which offers aware‐ ness and consciousness about health (slimming clinics, gyms), cosmetic surgery clinics, lifestyle change gurus, and businesses (facial, stomach patching, intestinal and stomach reduction). Along similar lines, the fashion industry boomingly high‐ lighting model careers has grown enormously in Pakistan, especially in print and electronic media. According to Khan et al. (2011) a negative influ‐ ence on the body image of young university stu‐ dents has been triggered by the media. Another study, conducted cross-culturally in eight countries, namely, Austria, Barbados, Britain, China, Cyprus, Pakistan, Poland, and Ukraine, showed that in the most parts of these countries there is a clear association between be‐ ing white and being beautiful and attractive (Swa‐ mi, Rozmus-Wrzesinska, Voracek et al. 2008: 334). Our study has highlighted the female per‐ ception of the preferable skin tone as well as the complexion that is disapproved by this society in both genders, with special tendency to much fair skin color. It has also discovered how women perceive dark skin of males in Pakistan’s patriar‐ Anthropos 115.2020 https://doi.org/10.5771/0257-9774-2020-2-405 Generiert durch IP '207.241.231.83', am 14.12.2020, 01:58:50. Das Erstellen und Weitergeben von Kopien dieses PDFs ist nicht zulässig.