Every year, when the calendar turns to August 1st, something changes in Pakistan. The billboards turn green and don patriotic campaigns. The markets become filled to the brim with pop-up stalls selling just about every size of flags, badges, bands, sunglasses, shirts, whole outfits, and more. People hang said flags on the roofs of their houses and lay them down on the bonnets of their cars and on the spot where the side mirrors are supposed to be on their motorbikes. This year was no different on Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day, and I hope the coming year isn’t any different either. Having said that, the love for Pakistan, its culture, heritage, or languages is just not there as it should be in the depths of our hearts.
Foreign Goods Bias
Have you heard or seen people prefer foreign-made goods over those made in Pakistan? Though this is justified in cases such as cars, as Pakistan-produced cars are often not as good as those produced in other countries in terms of features, safety, or build quality. However, the problem truly lies when people badmouth perfectly consumable Pakistani products while overtly preferring foreign-made goods just because they’re not local. This isn’t always about a verifiable difference in quality.
Consider the widespread preference for Nestlé Pure Life water over locally established brands like Next Water or Pakola, even when both meet health standards and offer comparable taste and purity. Local manufacturer Pakola even exceeds Nestlé on some International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certificates.
Eurocentric Comparison
This internalized inferiority complex is also evident in how we describe our natural wonders. The summer and winter vacations bring out adventurers from around the country and the globe to visit the northern areas in Pakistan. However, when we visit the breathtaking natural beauty of Pakistan, such as the Swat Valley, we term it the “Switzerland of Pakistan” and take pride in this title. Terms like these invalidate local beauty. Every region, like Swat, has its distinct language, customs, cultural practices, history, art, and architecture that deserve to be admired on their own accord rather than filtered through a Eurocentric or foreign lens.
When we use terms like “the Switzerland of Pakistan,” it displays an internalized inferiority that is visible across Pakistan. Subtly, it can reinforce the idea that Pakistan’s beauty, natural or otherwise, needs an external validation or benchmark to be considered truly beautiful or worthwhile, implying that “Pakistani beauty” isn’t enough on its own. These terms say that even if it’s not Europe, it can still be beautiful and worth your time. Think about it as the fact that the Swiss mountains and valleys can look like those in Pakistan, but they will never be termed the “Swat of Switzerland.”
Internalized Inferiority, Racism & Colorism’s Legacy
This is related to internalized racism, a massive problem in Pakistan that is rarely addressed. Internalized racism can be defined as believing in negative stereotypes about one’s own and other people’s cultures and races. This type of racism is more subtle than others. It is so normalized that most people don’t even bat an eye at it. Do you remember the last time someone you knew was sad because they did not fit European beauty standards? Do you remember the last time you saw someone with a darker skin tone on your TV screen in much of the content you consume that is made in Pakistan?
Fair & Lovely may have changed its name to Glow & Lovely to fit more with the contemporary world. However, each ad campaign continues to show a woman with the brightest and an unrealistically white skin tone. Brands like these are a result of centuries-old colorism that persists in our society. We might call ourselves “brown” people, yet having a dark brown skin tone is undesirable. Sentiments like these are a result of centuries of oppression, as the Indian subcontinent has a history of invasions from people with a lighter skin color.
The English, being the latest of said invasions, solidified these beliefs. During the occupation, the British brought their racist and colorist ideas of lighter skin tones being more intelligent and “pure,” while darker ones were inferior. Wealthier people stayed out of the sun and therefore were significantly less tan than people with lower incomes, giving people a reason to be like them. This led to a divide between Indians because people with lighter skin tones were given better treatment than their counterparts. Media representation matters; seeing more diverse skin tones and traditional lifestyles portrayed positively on screen can challenge internalized stereotypes.
Tradition Shaming
It is common to see people disrespecting or thinking less of those who dress, speak, or live in more traditional ways. Maybe someone has laughed at your accent, or your friends have used “paindu” to insult someone. The word “paindu,” also spelled “pendu,” literally means a person from a village; however, it is used in a derogatory way that implies that said village dwellers are uneducated, mannerless, and uncivilized. This dismissive attitude is a direct legacy of the colonial era, where aligning oneself with the British brought social and economic advantages, fostering a damaging separation from native traditions.
This narrative needs to be challenged urgently. It is not merely because we need to uplift and identify more with our cultures, but because historically the Indian Subcontinent has been just as, if not more, advanced than any other civilization. Additionally, language choices also reflect this internalized racism. In a more contemporary manifestation of this phenomenon, millennial parents have a growing trend of teaching children the English language from the get-go rather than their native tongues.
And it’s not just English; there’s an increasing desire among some Pakistanis to identify more closely with Arab culture, further distancing themselves from their unique heritage. The psychological impact of internalized racism on individuals and society is profound. It can lead to low self-esteem and shame, as people internalize negative stereotypes about their own worth, leading them to believe they need to be like others in order to be worthy.
Our need for white validation and validation from foreigners in general is erasing who we are at our core. Our distinct identities and cultures are what make us unique, and it would be a shame for them to disappear because other people told us they weren’t good enough. This involves actively consuming and promoting local products where quality is comparable, acknowledging the distinct historical and artistic heritage of each region, and dismantling the ingrained bias that associates foreignness with excellence. True appreciation stems from recognizing and valuing our own unique identity, history, and achievements, rather than viewing them through a borrowed, often colonial, lens.
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The views and opinions expressed in this article/paper are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Paradigm Shift.
Manhal Zaka Khan is a writer currently interning at Paradigm Shift. She is pursuing a bachelor's degree in social sciences at SZABIST Karachi, majoring in international relations. Her writing interests encompass all areas of the social sciences, as she explores and examines the world through a critical and analytical perspective.