You have to have your own money: Nabila

Salon queen Nabila, who has dedicated her life to conquering the world of Pakistani hair and makeup, knows exactly what all women need above anything else: financial independence.

The no-nonsense Nabila, who needs no surname for recognition, spoke out her mind as a guest on the FHM podcast, recalling the origins of her own financial independence. "I sold my wedding diamonds to go to London and learn how to cut hair," she began.

Nabila recalled that people would remind her that she had a rich husband who precluded the need to work. However, the passionate and driven Nabila would respond to such observations with an emphatic comeback of her own.

"I said I don't need to work. I want to work. I always had the passion to do it," she explained. "I got the technology and the precision so that I could have the confidence to talk to people. The rest is history."

In Nabila's eyes, having a profession is of paramount importance for a woman - and that there are no excuses for not having one. "I would always tell my mother, if a woman knows how to make achar, she should sell achar," explained the artist. "If she only knows how to teach the Quran, she should teach it to the neighbourhood kids."

Nabila lamented, however, that women in Pakistani society take a backseat when it comes to their finances. "Women need to be financially independent, but unfortunately in our society, the mindset is that they will find a good man who will bring in the money," she noted. "He is responsible for bringing in the money and keeping her happy. He can't do it all, and that is where all the problems begin."

According to Nabila, the only way for women to get ahead is if they look inward and are honest with themselves. "The first thing you have to stop doing is to stop lying to yourself," she urged. "You have to have your own money. Do whatever you need to have a profession. Every woman should know that she is worth something."

In Nabila's eyes, her own success story would not have been possible without the encouragement she received from both her family and her country. "I think the family has been very supportive, and the country has been very supportive," she maintained. "I always say that everything I have has come from Pakistan."