Public Perceptions of Celebrity Cosmetic Treatments in Pakistan: A Corpus-Based Analysis of YouTube and Instagram Discourse

This study employs corpus-assisted discourse studies (CADS) approach to examine public perceptions of celebrity cosmetic treatments in Pakistan through comments on YouTube and Instagram. Drawing on a corpus of 33,705 tokens from 60 sources (30 videos/posts each platform) collected between 2018 and 2025, the research identifies three key themes: Unrealistic Beauty Ideals, Religion and Morality, and Success and Fame. Guided by theories from Baudrillard (1998), Bandura (1977), Goffman (1956), and Butler (1990), the analysis reveals mixed sentiments, with criticism often rooted in cultural, religious, and authenticity concerns. Findings highlight platform-specific differences, with YouTube fostering harsher critiques and Instagram more polite responses. This contributes to understanding how social media shapes beauty norms in South Asia, addressing gaps in linguistic research on non-Western digital discourse. Implications include promoting media literacy to counter unrealistic standards.