Style Over Substance

Posted: Thursday 20 June 2013 by Hellllbender in Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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“So what will you wear at the convocation ceremony?” asked my friend.
“The blue dress I recently got stitched.”
“But that’s a lawn suit. You can’t wear that. If it has to be lawn then get a designer lawn at least. You will feel confident when you are dressed well. Change the dress.” she added hastily.
I ignored her advice. But when my aunt came up with somewhat similar advice; that my dress should be comparable to my expensive degree; I grew a little perplexed. Was it really true that I needed a better dress to help me lift my electrical engineering degree?
Going back several months I remember another friend asking me “did you see the kind of attention that Hina Rabbani got in India? The entire Indian media was amazed at her elegant dressing and style. She is so impressive yar!”
I told her that the more important thing to consider is how well she is going to project the Pakistani diplomacy knowing well that her age is less than the experience of her counterpart.
My friend still thought her designer watch and bag showed her elegant taste. “She has made us so proud in our enemy country.”
My cousin was somewhat agitated at the dismissal of our former prime minister saying that “at least he had an impressive personality. He dressed up so well.”
Meanwhile I now have to bear the lectures of my aunts and elder cousins on the importance of grooming myself as I have now stepped into the “marriageable age.”
I would argue that I am well educated, can speak well, have tremendous knowledge of history and the world, and have a classy taste in literature. Above all I am friendly and a pleasant person to live with.
“That’s not what we mean. See to your dressing. People like well-dressed girls”
All these incidences have forced me to wonder. Is looking good that important in almost every field of our society? Can’t we hope to achieve anything without the support of a stylish wardrobe?
Looking at history I see many great people who lived a life of simplicity and contentment. We don’t have to go very far. Our prophet spent his whole life in simplicity despite the immense wealth of his wife Khadija. Did people refuse to follow him just because he didn’t follow the up-to-date fashion? Did he feel any less confident about the essence of his message while preaching the wealthy traders of Mecca?
Take the example of Gandhi. Did he not manage to throw the fashionable English out of India? Did he not succeed in becoming the leader of millions of Indians whilst living the life of utter simplicity?
What kind of norms have our society adopted? Why do we have to respect Hina Rabbani more just because she happens to wear the most expensive clothes? Why don’t we question her intellect and sincerity? (No offence to Ms. Khar, I am only answering my friend).Why do we feel our leaders should look nice in the eyes of the world, ignoring their deeds? Why do our leaders have to wear the super expensive clothes when 24% of the Pakistanis live in poverty? Why do we have to dress up for job interviews? Why can’t we prove our capabilities without dressing up ‘appropriately’? Why do we have a booming fashion industry when possibly every other industry is doomed? Why do we need beautiful trophy wives who may be careless mothers? Why do we see girls admiring the likes of Kim Kardashian and not Joan of Arc? Why do we need a good-looking cast and glamorous outfits for the success of a drama irrespective of being void of any social message? (Yes I am talking about Humsafar). Why do we feel less confident in ordinary clothes? Why do we judge the people solely by their appearances? Why have we become so shallow to prefer style over substance? Why have we forgotten the famous English saying that “don’t judge a book by its cover”?
  
I don’t have the reasons behind this change of attitude. Maybe it’s the media that tells us every day the big NO NOs of dressing which change with every season. All I know is that this bodes ill for our way of living. This is only making people run into an unending race that’s consuming a lot of precious energy, time and money not counting the mental stress that we all have to go through just to look presentable. When the world is stuck in the worst economic crisis and the developed nations are coming up with measures to cast away the luxurious life, when it’s hard to make both ends meet amid the unbelievable inflation, we are putting another burden on ourselves. It is hardly surprising that those who can’t afford this “necessity” within their legal income revert to corruption.
Yes I will wear the ordinary blue dress on my convocation. No one can convince me otherwise!

Written by: Anonymous

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