FROM COLONIAL TROPES TO CONTEMPORARY SCREENS: EVOLUTION OF THE SUBMISSIVE PAKISTANI WOMAN IN MEDIA NARRATIVES

Abstract

This research investigates the enduring representation of Pakistani women as submissive characters in media, and follows the development of these depictions from colonial discourses to the present-day television dramas and films. Employing secondary data analysis, the study critically analyzes how strong gender ideologies still influence the representation of women characters within popular culture. The research points to ways in which colonial patriarchy and religious conservatism-inspired narratives have been transformed and replicated through contemporary media, in turn reifying traditional gender constructs and obscuring empowered feminine identity. Examples from popular dramas like Humsafar, Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan, and Pyar Ke Sadqay show how these representations naturalize the silence, sacrifice, and submission of women even within purportedly progressive narratives. The conclusions are that Pakistani media operates both as a representation and a reinforcement of patriarchal systems, and that a conscious shift in narrative practices is needed to combat such restrictive representations. The study concludes with recommendations for more representative and empowered media representations of women, highlighting the media's potential as an instrument of social transformation.