Four faces

There are stereotypes. And then there are stereotypes that are awfully close to reality. Roam the streets of urban Pakistan and you are likely to meet one of these women...

There are stereotypes. And then there are stereotypes that are awfully close to reality. Roam the streets of urban

Pakistan and you are likely to meet one of these women:

8226;

Usually clad in homespun cotton or khaddar, the NGO aunty is a formidable type. She will be a member of the Women8217;s Action Forum WAF and be present at important rallies on Lahore8217;s Mall road, coming up with rousing

slogans off the cuff: 8220;Bhookhe mar gaye mein aur tu/ Loot ke khha gya GHQ!8221;

And: Is khule jhoot ko/ Zehen ki loot ko/ Hum nahin maante/ Hum nahin jaante. Or: Zara zor se bolo 8212; AZADI!/ Zara hosh se bolo 8212; AZADI!/ Zara shor se bolo 8212; AZADI!/ Zara josh se bolo 8212; AZADI!

If middle-aged, this NGO lady will be healthy-looking and will have seriously considered the 8216;To Dye or Not to Dye8217; question. Phrases such as, 8220;There are two solutions to get out of this national quagmire8221;, and 8220;All issues are women8217;s issues8221; feature prominently in her vocabulary. Leather-chappals and silver jewelry are her hallmark accessories.

8226; The Social Butterfly:

By turns vilified and envied more, perhaps, for her latest Louis Vuitton bag than that ready wit, this ambitious lady8217;s dream is to become a fixture on the social scene. Will be seen hobnobbing with Lahore8217;s glitterati 8212; event managers, fashion designers, models 8212; all of whom will be 8220;close friends8221;. When asked what trait she most deplores in others, 8220;hypocrisy8221; will come up and her favourite motto is, alas: 8220;Live and let Live.8221; If married to a reader-writer type, the butterfly8217;s remarks 8212; 8220;I must say, I do support Musharraf; he8217;s a liberal type8221; 8212; will draw amused titters from hubby8217;s 8220;intellectual8221; friends.

8226; Yummy Mummy:

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She has a deep, almost academic belief in the sanctity of motherhood 8212; 8220;there is no such thing as a non-working mother.8221; Her daughter8217;s 10th bubble-gum pink 8220;Mulan8221; themed birthday will be the event of the month. Other mummies will be very impressed by the imaginative choice of sweeties in the doggie bag. Yummy Mummys are acutely intuitive: on demand, they can furnish from their bags foil-wrapped healthy snacks and felt tip pens for their bratty progeny.

8226; Hijabi Mummy No pun intended:

These mummys are not to be messed with. Reared on a diet of stoical reserve, they meet and greet with care. Social and political discussions take on intense colours. Instead of the customary 8220;Khuda Hafiz8221;, they take pride in saying 8220;Allah Hafiz8221;.