BONDING FOR FASHION!!

Let’s begin with a question. Are you familiar with that “Oh ya, take it for granted” feeling? Yep, that very same feeling which settles in when you have an age old friend, who has been at your side for, like forever. If your answer’s YES, then join the club. Friends, cronies, buddies, amigos, dudes, sisterhood, chums, whatnots!! Each of you will have your own version of a friend.

And, especially, when you are a girl, aren’t these friendship bonds damn precious? Oh God, I have these two nutcases around me who have been with me for as long as I can remember – D and NANI!! With an unfathomable bond that can scan zeniths, I cherish and hold dear, a ten years worth of Girl-Talk, Fashion Advice, Pep Talks, Pinky Promises, Sisterhood Rules, Crush Control, Gossiping Titbits and so many more crazy moments.

                But.. Fashion Advice???? What do you think a bunch of rustic-girls (in their teens) in India will know about fashion? Err, pretty much nothing actually. Living in a small town called “Virudhunagar” which was more a world in itself, our parents preferred to keep us ignorant about how fashion and clothing was an integral part of a real woman. Well, you can’t blame them either, for their parents raised them up the same way. Now, at the threshold of our 23^rd year of age, I guess we are still old-school in fashion when compared to an 8 year old American kid. Nevertheless, proud we are to have at least mastered the art of applying eyeliner without smudging itJ..

I have just chronicled below a few of our own “Fashion“ moments when we tried climbing up the cosmetic ladder and our rural homeland started calling us misfits J J J...

FASHION MOMENT #01:

                Growing up in this town, D was the first among us to get attracted to fashion in the 5^th grade. Watching actresses take down the show with their rosy cheeks and coloured lips captivated her. She became obsessed with them. And suddenly, one day, she turned up for school with her cheeks puffed with talc outta her mom’s dressing table. That moment of fashion was outrageous, for Nani and I dropped down laughing till our stomach hurt. That was D’s wake-up call. She realised she was lagging behind and had to stack up her own facial collection.

FASHION MOMENT #02:

                Being the only child to her parents, D had it damn easy when it came to satisfying her wishlist. And soon enough, she had her own make-up kit. During our 6^th grade, we used to have study sessions at D’s home. So, there was this one study-session, when Aunty was out. We grabbed the chance to explore D’s brand new kit. It came complete with two decks plus three pull-out plates. We were thrown by the mix of colours inside. But, sadly, all we could recognize during that moment of revelation was lipstick. Everything else looked alien to our eyes. Wasting not a second longer, D started reading a list that detailed the items in the kit (All Greek and Latin to me :P) – Powder Foundation, pencil eyeliner, red and green glitter, bronzer, eyeshadow, lip gloss, mascara, blush.. Green being my favourite colour, I pounced on the green glitter and peppered some on my cheeks (Well, it made me look like a circus clown). Nani was trying to shadow her eyes with a blue tint. But, Oh my!! D was the pro amongst us. She had carefully applied foundation and only then moved on to the next items. Nani and I paused midway and went over to help D. We made her try the blush, mascara, and the peach lip colour. The final touch was the red glitter and just as Nani leaned over to pepper it, the door opened and D’s mom peeked in. Nani shrieked in shock and dropped the glitter flat on D’s face. Well, you can imagine what happened next. D ended up looking like a tin foil sheet besides getting double grounded (No telly + make-up set for a week).

FASHION MOMENT #03:

                Post the experience that got D grounded; we learnt better and controlled ourselves. Occasionally, D used to sneak out to Nani’s home on Saturday evenings. Those were the days we spent trying out odd lip colors and blushes. Anyway, we were soon into 8^th grade and make-up kits were not so intriguing anymore. But, count on D to get the next bizarre idea and sure, it happened. She wanted bangs like Reese or Zooey. I was interested too, but the thought of my mom reacting to my bangs gave me a reality check despite D’s coaxing (BTW, my mom would have fried me alive). Anyhow, D was still stuck with the idea and went ahead with it. I still remember how she whisked a scissors outta her bag that day at Nani’s home and snapped a few strands. It was a very bold statement except for the fact that it was nowhere near the bangs style. It kinda more resembled cockroach antennas. Even after 8 years, she still sports these so-called bangs.

FASHION MOMENT #04:

Jus Dapper, ain't it??? :)

                I was in my 11^th grade and tensed. I just had a week’s time to get my costume ready for the school play, "The Taming of the Shrew" and I had hit dead ends with every tailor. Getting the lead role was exciting, but not having a matching costume was embarrassing. On the verge of nerves, I rang up Nani and D for help. They came to my rescue and we started turning my wardrobe inside out. Nothing seemed apt for the play. My hope had almost been wiped out when Nani’s grey cells clicked. She rushed home and came back with one of her mom’s old saris. It had a glistening floral design with a satin touch. The colours cream white and baby pink were heart-warming and I fell in love with the material. Wasting no time, we met a tailor and requested him to make a maxi out of it fitting my size and also lace a few frills here and there. The maxi materialised looking just swanky. And Yeah, that play was a big-time hit (I tell myself that I set the fire on stage :D) and I still have that costume hanging around for old times’ sake (Doesn’t fit me though :P).

FASHION MOMENT #05:

                While almost every Arts college in Tamil Nadu put down dress codes for girls, we were lucky to study in Lady Doak College – An awesome all-girls institution in Madurai with no dress codes. Away from our hometown as hostellers, the leeway that fell into our hands thrilled us. Jean and tops, regular outings, student council titles, all-nighter at hostels introduced us to a brand new life that was definitely a greener pasture than in Virudhunagar. But, some wise geek said Time waited for none and we were in our final year in 2011 before we knew it. That was when I stumbled across the movie, “Sisterhood of theTravelling Pants” and I was allured towards forming our own sisterhood. So, during a deepening twilight at hostel, we held hands and took a Pinky Promise to cherish our bond forever along with rotating a maxi skirt as a symbol of our sisterhood. We also decided that we can bedazzle it or embroider or add any artefacts to the skirt that would be a remembrance. Till now, we have always followed this sisterhood rule and the skirt passes hands every 3 months. Right now, D has it and I am next in the pipeline in January.

FASHION MOMENT #06:

                     Sometime during December in 2011, there happened this debate show called, "Perithinum Perithu Kel", hosted by Vijay Tv. It was a platform for college folks to show their debating skills over real-time topics. Believe it or not, but I was also a member of our college's debate team  for the show. And just when we about to go live for our first debate show, the camera guys felt our faces lacked lustre. So, we had to get make-up done. Pouncing on the chance, Nani and D promised to bring in that missing sheen and make me look gorgeous. Doggone me for handing over my only face in their hands. Just look at what I had to go through - A FIASCO :-O.. It took a long-sight look for those morons to realize that and call for the artist guy to reset it. Phew!! Somehow saved from the predicament of facing the camera with that mortifying look.

FASHION MOMENT #07:

By the end of 2011, we were aware that we had to part ways by mid 2012 for our post-graduation. I wanted to experience something big with Nani and D that would give me a magical memory to treasure till our reunion after UG. And Lo and Behold!! Fate provided us with a fat stroke of luck in the form of a College trip to Sri Lanka. The trip was planned in such a way that we could witness the beginning of 2012 in Sri Lanka at a 5-star rated Rooftop party. Securing permission was easy on the grounds that our parents were acquainted with our 10 year long friendship. Each and every minute of the week-long Lankan stay was rocking but the New Year’s Eve tops my memory chart. On New Year’s Eve, we were signed in for a Rooftop Party at 10pm. Realizing it was a party befitting only those with a royal demeanour, we sprung into action as early as 7pm. After 2 hours of Fresh baths, more shampooing, blow-drying, and costume matching frenzy, D and Nani were all set to begin their facial. But, somewhere along the way, my shampoo had failed me and my hair still had heavy traces of the oil I had applied at 4pm. It made my hair fall on my shoulders limply. Hysterical over the turn of events, I ran to the girls. They were quick to act. D made me bend over the basin and started washing my hair again with Dove shampoo and conditioner. Then, a few minutes of blow drying and straightening did the job and I was saved. Nani had dressed up by the time D finished cleansing my hair. So, she took charge while D rushed over to don her attire. Only when Nani had got me through facial that I decided to give my nerves a rest and cooled down. Had not these girls been with me that night, my hair would have been a mess and I would have bailed outta the party missing all the sizzling fireworks and New Year Tree loaded with gifts JJ

Fantastic are our times of dayouts

   For we haunt the coolest of hangouts,

We dress up like total smarties

   To sweep away the funkiest of parties,

You have seen me with blushes

   In front of my smartest of crushes,

Didn't guys chase our good books

   When we had our prettiest of looks?

At times, my laugh almost chokes

   For we crack the funniest of jokes,

We ping infinitely without any goals

   Our hands hitting the craziest of LOLs!!

                Despite all these funky moments together, we had to bid goodbyes to move ahead with life after B.Com. Currently, I am pursuing my higher studies in Coimbatore and meet the girls about once in a month to catch up with each other’s life. Plus, I have already decided what the next fashion moment is gonna be: Tattooing!! Not D, but ME :D..!!

Check out how Dove can nourish your skin: 

http://www.dove.in/en/Products/Bar-Body-Wash/default.aspx

kAy..!!

To win, I need your LIKES!!

                         Hi all, I have participated in an online writing competition - IS SHE SAFE TODAY. To win, I need facebook likes as they count for 50% of final scores. So, YOUR LIKES will help me win. Please like the post in the following link.

https://www.facebook.com/events/183605251839824/permalink/184941238372892/

Please share the word.. :).. Thanks in advance..

IS SHE SAFE TODAY??

Negative, under no circumstances are women getting safer. A decry like this requires introspection. Well, to begin, take a glimpse at some recent happenings.

Dec 02, 2013 – 40 yr old IT professional from Bangalore raped at Kerala resort
Dec 04, 2013 - Teenager gang raped in Bhind District, Bhopal
Dec 07, 2013 - Seven-year-old girl raped by three minor boys in Mahbubnagar, AP

Dec 11, 2013 - Youth rapes teenager after promising marriage in Hyderabad

Dec 15, 2013 - 20-year-old raped by cousin in Bhopal

Dec 16, 2013 - Goon rapes 18-year-old girl in Nellore

         

Indian heinousness in crimes seems to have irrevocably found a new identity for itself, especially after the gang-rape of Nirbhaya in Delhi. A brutal rape and murder by a stranger, gang-rape of a girl by her acquaintances or in many cases rape of a girl by her own father or elderly relatives – We see it on the papers everyday. While India seems to have finally opened its eyes to the muted struggles and the silent cries of women, this is just the first ignorance gap that has been bridged. Realization isn’t just enough; there is still more to be done. A full retrospect of this one whole year that has run by after the Delhi incident brings into purview a few discussions about whether womanhood finds in India a safe haven or our nations is slowly becoming a ‘No country for women’.

First, have the rape incidents in India increased over years? It is indeed true that rape has doubled between 1990 and 2010. Also, the Delhi government in October 2013 recorded 1,330 rape incidents in the city as against 706 in 2012. Molestation has climbed to an alarming high of 2,844 from 727. Now, these figures have led the mob to believe that the occurrences increased post the Delhi incident. But, that is not the case here. The gang-rapes in Delhi and Mumbai were so brutal and inhumane that it made the media tail in. Few headlines became catalysts and set to fire a series of media coverings all around. As the nation empathized and demanded justice for these victims, 2013 saw an increase in assaulted women gain courage and blow the whistles. Approximately, only about 1-4% of Indian women are estimated to come forward to report whereas the probability of an American woman coming forward is about 13 times higher. So, this just points to a blatant truth that there are dark figures that go unreported and uncovered. This number, I believe, is frighteningly large and still counting.

Second, are women subjected to these abominable practices only in the impoverished sections of the society? Definitely no. It is prevalent also in the high-end of it. The cases of Tarun Tejpal of Tehelka, Asarambapu, Phaneesh Murthy, and Ashok Ganguly have revealed how both society and corporate women face molestation even from the crème de la crème. These immoral activities high up the society strata are mainly due to the westernization effect. Late night party cultures, discos, dating clubs, fashion shows and beauty contests are on the increase and so, are the chances for the rapists with women in proximity. On the other hand, the plight of rural women is even ghastly. Inadequate access to sanitation facilities along with benighted minds makes these poor souls an easy prey for rogues. Unless these grassroots issues are sorted out, women will remain vulnerable anywhere and everywhere.

Third, has there been resulting actions for justice? Not really. Women help lines, creation of women help desk in police stations, surprise checks in public places and public transport, CCTV cameras in markets, increase in patrolling, establishment of all women police stations, liaison with rape crisis intervention centres, and many such safety measures are said to have been taken by the police. But only a handful of them have shown results so far. Others just create confusion. Moreover, distress call apps (Circleof6, Nirbhaya) or pepper sprays do give us surety but to use it with a threat under your nose seems impossible to me. Looking at the legal side, while rape cases have risen from 16,075 in 2001 to 24,923 in 2012, the rates of conviction have dipped from 40.8% to 24.2% in the corresponding period. 15 out of 16 rapists see no time in jail for their action.

Finally, what is the real thing that has to change? The chauvinistic attitude. A patriarchal society still continues to prevail and shape men that way from birth. Attitude shapes perceptions. Perceptions model values. Values sculpt character. Characters create society. And is it not from a collection of compassionate societies that a HUMANE NATION is born. So, until an intrinsic quality to respect women blossoms and a crescendo of convictions are called for, rape will remain unbridled. With media having done its part by making heads turn and take attention, it is time for us to call the change. As thousands of women seek justice on the roads, I solicit the same and ask of you just one thought: Have you ever put yourself in the shoes of a woman who has just been raped?

Women’s Day Celebrations do not even

Matter anymore; CELEBRATE WOMEN!!

The day we join hands to make it happen,

Mother India will become a safe haven!!
She is not safe today, but one day she can be if we decide to stand together!!!

Let the change begin with us,
kAy..