“Beyond Beautiful” is coming to Karachi!

For a very long time, Pakistan has been exposed to a particular idea of beauty. The constructed ‘ideal’ is always fair and thin. As time went on, this ideal became more rigid and given how varied ‘beauty’ is Pakistan, the ideal became even more ridiculous. Even for men, the entertainment and fashion industries have always pushed a hyper-masculine perception of ‘beauty’.

These created perceptions have glossed over many variations of what is beautiful. In recent years, these ideas of beauty have been questioned and challenged. There is still a very long way to go before we can say that we’ve conquered these beauty standards, but at least we’ve started the process.

To this end, there is quite an interesting ‘experience’ coming to Karachi, whose aim is to openly and boldly challenge the set norms of beauty- and it’s called ‘Beyond Beautiful’ 

The brainchild of renowned PR lady and CEO of Catwalk Event Management, Frieha Altaf, ‘Beyond Beautiful’ is a beauty experience to broaden the definition of beauty in Pakistan. Frieha sees it as a movement – a movement to ‘celebrate and enhance beauty’.  The event is scheduled from the 25th to the 27th of January at the Marriott, Karachi.

This is exciting news since a lot of the debate or discussion around beauty and beauty standards has been happening in very select groups and not out in the open. The event prides itself for taking the discussion around beauty standards and making it a public issue, hopefully giving inclusive beauty the platform it so desperately needs.

One of the ways Catwalk and the team behind ‘Beyond Beauty’ aim to be ‘inclusive’ is through the talent they use at the event. They recently held a beauty hunt for this purpose which attracted a lot of attention.

Around 400 people auditioned, out of which three transgender models tried their luck out too. 

These auditions were for the hosts of the event, the models that would be used in makeup and hair shows, as well as talents for performances.

Even the workshops they’ve planned have been done so keeping in mind realistic Pakistani beauty and skin types. These classes around self-grooming and beauty have been customized for a Pakistani audience.

These workshops will include a Masterclass by some of the leading figures in Pakistan’s beauty space.

Their list includes Zeena Feygina, Saba Ansaria (from The Sabs Salon) and the maestro of makeup herself, Nabila from, of course, Nabila’s. These Masterclasses have been constructed to equip people with the necessary tools to highlight their best features and enhance what they already had.

The talks that are scheduled are meant to tackle issues of perceptions of beauty and masculinity, and these are being led by local celebrities; people who have gone against the grain in their careers and still made it.

‘Beyond Beautiful’ is essentially a one-shop stop for all your beauty needs and makes international beauty trends accessible to Pakistanis.

‘Beyond Beautiful’ is not just for women, they’re aiming to attract everyone. The event will include custom makeup and hair shows, panel talks and workshops that everyone can apply for. All of these shows and talk will be headed by local and international experts.

Their lineup is quite incredible; they’ve managed to bring people from the entertainment world, beauty, and fashion industry.

The event is being chaired by ace designer, HSY, actress Zhalay Sarhadi and Frieha Altaf herself. Actor Adnan Malik is also a major part of the event because of his views on masculinity and the area for men in the Pakistani entertainment world.

The show looks all ready to open its doors on the 25th of January, hopefully starting a new chapter in the beauty and entertainment world in Pakistan. The messaging of ‘Beyond Beautiful’ is simple- there’s more to beauty and being beautiful than we have thought so far, let’s explore it and be more beautiful, together. We wish Catwalk and Frieha Altaf all the very best.

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Cover image via dicasdemulher.com.br