Back to India: Clothes Make the Woman, Somewhat
TweetYou may have been following my Back to India series. To give you all a different perspective, i had requested Priya Raju to give her views and she turned this in one written in her inimitable style. Check it out.
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Whenever I buy “Western” clothes in India, I’m chagrined by this: There are only 5 sizes of clothes: XS (US 0), S (US 2, UK 10), M (US 4, UK 12), L (US 6, UK 14) & XL (US 8, UK 16). Many shops don’t carry XS & XL, narrowing their customer base further down. If you are not any of these sizes: you can run around naked for all they care.
In the US, for e.g. the “Juniors” section (teenagers) is never mixed-up with the “Miss” (adults) & “Women” (larger women) sections. The cut is different for each of these categories. It makes sense, since each of these represent different size ranges, styles & different body shapes.
Not so in India. It felt absurd buying a blouse that a 13 year old was eyeing lustily. Perhaps this is why most women in India – especially the South – stick to traditional gear.
I have nothing against the Salwar or a Saree – in fact, a woman can look smart, glamorous, sophisticated, refined, professional in either of them. Or not: just like any other raiment, you say. Not quiet. Here is my pet peeve. Ok, yet another peeve of mine. Stay with me, I make some important inferences at the end. <!– D([“mb”,”
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Why is it that my native South India has the frumpiest women in the world? Any fool will tell you that looks have nothing to do with it. If anyone says any different, why then s/he is a bloody racist, that\\\’s all. The trouble is: a significant portion of the women are guilty of having no taste at all. Forget coolness, style, attitude, élan & all that stuff.\n
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I\\\’m not asking women to be connoisseurs. I\\\’m just expecting a smidgen of taste, so that the person is reasonably well turned out. I\\\’m not asking women to dress like Daria Werbowy or Beyonce Knowles. Just don\\\’t look like a bag lady, or a throwback to your mom\\\’s generation.\n
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You know the kind I\\\’m talking about. If you want some help in identifying them, here are some markers. If anyone scores "Yes" on all the bullet points, you know I\\\’m talking about them.\n
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- They only wear very badly fitting salwars, or at times, sarees. Either the color, pattern or embroidery on these said apparels will be ghastly. \n
- They generously oil their hair & wear it in a single braid. Their hair is not thick & the ends are not trimmed. They adorn it with strings of flowers. (Braids look beastly if you have thin hair)\n
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Why is it that my native South India has the frumpiest women in the world? Any fool will tell you that looks have nothing to do with it. If anyone says any different, why then s/he is a bloody racist, that’s all. The trouble is: a significant portion of the women are guilty of having no taste at all. Forget coolness, style, attitude, élan & all that stuff.
I’m not asking women to be connoisseurs. I’m just expecting a smidgen of taste, so that the person is reasonably well turned out. I’m not asking women to dress like Daria Werbowy or Beyonce Knowles. Just don’t look like a bag lady, or a throwback to your mom’s generation.
You know the kind I’m talking about. If you want some help in identifying them, here are some markers. If anyone scores “Yes” on all the bullet points, you know I’m talking about them.
- They only wear very badly fitting salwars, or at times, sarees. Either the color, pattern or embroidery on these said apparels will be ghastly.
- They generously oil their hair & wear it in a single braid. Their hair is not thick & the ends are not trimmed. They adorn it with strings of flowers. (Braids look beastly if you have thin hair)
- <!– D([“mb”,”You can see a thick once-yellow thread on their neck – the most orthodox version of the Mangal Sutra. They will also wear ugly toe-rings (never the dainty, pretty kind) as further proof of their marital status.\n
- They think that a deodorant is something that you keep in the bathroom. They never use the arm-pit variety. \n
- They unerringly choose sensible (read plug-ugly) footwear.
- Any jewels they wear will be the staid, old fashioned kind that was all the rage 30 years ago & isn\\\’t the coolest retro bling-bling now.\n
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I know I\\\’ve been cruel & catty in my description. Why should it upset me so much?
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To have a taste, you should be capable of forming opinions & drawing inferences. You should know that you have the freedom to dress well. You should find it important enough to look attractive & you should have some idea of what is considered fashionable. For that, you need a broad enough perspective of life. All these are the hallmarks of individuality. \n
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And unless these women get enough individuality, equality is just a pipe dream. And that bothers me terribly.
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\n\n”,0] ); //–>You can see a thick once-yellow thread on their neck – the most orthodox version of the Mangal Sutra. They will also wear ugly toe-rings (never the dainty, pretty kind) as further proof of their marital status.
I know I’ve been cruel & catty in my description. Why should it upset me so much?
To have a taste, you should be capable of forming opinions & drawing inferences. You should know that you have the freedom to dress well. You should find it important enough to look attractive & you should have some idea of what is considered fashionable. For that, you need a broad enough perspective of life. All these are the hallmarks of individuality.
And unless these women get enough individuality, equality is just a pipe dream. And that bothers me terribly.
Priya, I liked the way you linked back size of clothes to gender equality. I can’t help but recall the connection to a recent ICMR study on prophylactic rubber and its relation to Indian men (I dont want this website to be spammed by all kinds of nonsense, hence the euphemism. I am not sure if medical equivalents result in spamming, though). Anyways, both the stories have an common theme, lack of correct fit or size makes one feel inadequate and hurts self-confidence. People tend to think its their fault, while it is market that doesn’t cater to everybody. YES, Choice is vital and thanks again for bringing up the story.
Thanks for the comments Kesava. Interesting correlation with the ICMR study. I actually think women need more self confidence to even have a shot at gender equality. The curent dressing & grooming of women i describe above are symptomatic of the lack of confidence and by extension lack of individuality – 2 important prerequisites for attempting equality.
Oops, i missed my name in the previous comment – Priya Raju