Pakistan culture

Origin:
The first known inhabitants of the modern-day Pakistan region are believed to have been
the Soanian - Homo erectus, who settled in the Soan Valley and Riwat almost 2 million years
ago. Over the next several thousand years, the region would develop into various civilizations
like Mehrgarh and the Indus Valley Civilization. Throughout its history, the region has been a
part of various Greek, Mauryan, Persian, Turkic, Islamic and Indianempires. The region's ancient
history also includes some of the oldest empires from the subcontinent and some of its major
civilizations.

Gender roles and statuses

Men take the more assertive and dominant role and women take the more service oriented and
caring roles. So gender role in Pakistan is more masculine (maximized social sex role division).
The people of Pakistan either came originally from the Indian subcontinent or having been living
under Indian influence from many generations. As a result a large number of customs and
traditions to the society, such as the roles expected of women, the manner in which the child is
raised, and so on, are similar to those of Indian culture. The social set up in Pakistan is family
centered and obligations to the family include both financial and ritual practices. The head of the
family is the mail member who is responsible for earning the living for his family. Great care is
taken in the choice of his education. He grows up learning through many elders surrounding him
and they influence the formation of his opinions. He is expected to be obedient to them. Life is
built within a group; community life and conformity to this group have great value. In this the
member of the group feel obliged to look after each other. But this applies only to in group
members. Others from the out group are treated quite harshly. As the ties between individuals
are very tight the society can be named as collectivist. The members of the family are fully
dependent on their family for making any kind of tedious decisions.
Official language

The official language of Pakistan is Urdu, but most public officials, people, and others in
Pakistan also speak English; English is referred to as the informal official language of Pakistan.
Urdu was created by combining the languages of early invaders and settlers, including Arabic,
Persian, and Turkish. The spoken form of Urdu is the same as that of Hindi but it is written in a
different script than Hindi. While Urdu and English are prevalent throughout Pakistan, a number
of other languages are spoken in different valleys and areas. These include the Punjaki, Sindhi,
Pushto, Balochi, Brahvi, Saraiki, and Hindko dialects, among others.

Food culture

At least 95 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslim; there are two food customs that are
followed almost universally. One is that Muslims do not eat pork (therefore beef, chicken, lamb,
and fish are the basic foods), and the other is that during the month of Ramadan, fasting is a daily
activity. Spices and curry are an essential part of any Pakistani recipe. The most prevalent spices
include chili powder, tumeric, garlic, paprika, black and red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf,
coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, and poppy seeds, among
others. Using yogurt to marinate meats is another typical recipe. Because of the use of spices and
curry for the main dish, the usual side dish is plain rice. Lentils are another common specialty.
The food in the south is more exotic and highly spiced, while that in the north often features
plain barbecued meat as the main dish. Usually any meat, fowl, or seafood is curried, and frying
is the typical method of cooking. Ghee, which is clarified butter, is another commonly used
recipe item and is often used for frying. Wheat and flour products are considered mainstays of
the daily diet and the use of pickles, chutneys, preserves, and sauces along with curried meats,
seafood, vegetables, and lentils and are why Pakistani cuisine has such a unique flavor. Green tea
is the typical drink served at all meals.

Socialization

The addition of a new baby to a Muslim family is seen as a great blessing and there are a wide
variety of ceremonies that take place both at the birth and throughout the different stages of
infancy. To help families with infant care there are a number of child health centers throughout
the country. Most Pakistani families consider it the privilege of the grandfather to name the
baby. Another tradition is that the first garment for a baby's layette is made from an old shirt that
had belonged to the grandfather. The child is usually named within forty days after birth and thus
is generally known by a nickname until then. A baby boy's hair is shaved off, with the belief that
this will then ensure thick growth throughout life. The shorn hair is weighed and balanced
against silver, and that silver is then given to the poor. In Pakistan people are unequal in physical
and intellectual capacities. And the society has let these inequalities grow over time into
inequalities in power and wealth.

The society generally has weak uncertainty avoidance because people feel reluctant to work
hard and earn their livelihood through proper and lawful means. Moreover they just tend to move
with the flow. They wait for things to happen than actually making them happen.
 Ad analysis

Ad: Tibet natural honey lotion

Analysis: The ad depicts a typical Pakistani culture. Pakistan is blessed with all kinds of
weather changes. Normally in this region in winters, the skin tends to get dry and takes away the
softness of the skin. This product shown in the ad helps to provides a solution for those women
whose skin gets dry in the dry weather( winters).The language that has been used in the ad is
Urdu. The women shown in the ad looks conservative and conscious about her looks and wants
to take care of her appearance.
AD # 2: LIPOSUCTION (the art of transformation)
ANALYSIS: The ad is focuses completely on the western values. Where the women always
wants to stay fit , slim and trim not taking into account her marital status. She wants to look
beautiful throughout her life. This ad is made to influence the women of Pakistan who are so
busy in looking after their families , that they just forget about their look’s, their figure and gain
a lot of weight that tends to be a major cause of health diseases. The women shown in the ad is
basically portraying a lifestyle. It gives a feeling that she can do everything, now that she has lost
weight. She is totally independent. Ad has followed a western style, as the girl is wearing a
trouser along with a sleeveless shirt that normally cannot be associated with a pakistani woman.
Moreover the language used in the ad is English and it primarily focuses on women from an
upper and elite class.

AD# 3: AL HABIB MONTHLY SAVER (saving account with monthly profit)

Analysis: The ad is symbolizing towards the Pakistani culture. The woman in the ad shown is
a typical housewife belonging to the middle and upper middle class. The ad might be focusing on
a widow whose husband has passed away and she is just trying to raise her children with the help
of some assets that have been left over by his husband for her. In our society working women are
perceived as women that are outgoing, corrupt and don’t care about their family. That’s why
using a monthly saver account would be the best possible way a woman can earn money by
literally sitting idle at her home.
AD# 4: TONI AND GUY (straight curl texture)

Analysis: This ad is typically portraying the western culture. It’s for women belonging to an
Individualist society. They tend to be independent, have their own way of living and they do not
depend upon others. More over the ad shows a society completely dominant with feminine roles.
The language used in the ad is English, and the clothes that women are wearing are trendy and
western style. Mostly girls in Pakistan don’t go for such hairstyles that are being shown in the ad.
They tend to keep it as simple as they possibly can so that they don’t feel alienated from the rest
of the society.

AD # 5: K&N’S

Analysis: This ad is showing the Pakistani food culture that has been influenced immensely off
late from the western culture. This has happened due to the change in gender roles in the society.
The perception of “only men can drive” is slowly but surely going away as is the “only woman
can cook”. This has largely got to do with the western culture. In the western societies due to the
dual working household women don’t get time to cook food so they have to stick with the
readymade food. The ad shows children who are now used to eating readymade food at their
home are sitting and enjoying their meals.

Ad #6: CACI CENTRE

Analysis: The ad is purely focusing on the western ideas and beliefs. Women of the western
society want to look young even if they are in their forty’s or fifties. So they tend to undergo
huge transformations in their bodies that can help them look young and fitter. They are trying to
influence the Pakistani women to try for these procedures as they can uplift the mental
satisfaction. They can also fulfill the desire of looking extremely fit and attractive at the latter
stages of your life where your body parts began to deteriorate and stop conforming to your body.
Pakistani women feel reluctant in undergoing such procedures as they are against the religion
and social setup. So this ad primarily focuses on the acquired knowledge that a Pakistani
women can attain from the west.