Metro rides always give me food for thoughts. I find those rides so amusing and so heedful. You get to see different types of people, you watch them, you observe them and you, at times, stare them for minutes. (Confession: Yes I do this). Inside scene is always humorous despite you often get no seat during heavy rush hours. Metro has become the second home for many of the commuters who carry a bag full of things to use sitting inside the metro. Mornings let you find girls combing their hair and doing their detail make-up. You can also notice some of them doing their quick breakfast sitting inside the metro although eating is prohibited inside. The evenings are more chatty and noisy. But you never get bored with hearing giggles, gags and loud laughs. Let me tell you one more thing here. All this happens in ladies dabba only.
Okay, enough of the metro scenes, I am back to why I am writing this blog. Last week I got the chance to board the metro for my eye checkup visit. It was short ride but I got something to brainstorm during my metro whirl. When I was standing at the metro station, waiting for my metro to come, I noticed two types of women to idealize and think about. First, there was a girl who looked so modern, edgy and contemporary. She was wearing minimal clothes as Delhi is boiling due to the heat. However, she kept on adjusting her clothes. She knew that something was not okay in her outfit. She was pulling the t-shirt down but I didn’t find her efforts enough to cover what she was trying to do. As if she wanted to cover yet show her lower back tattoo.
Next to me was standing another lady perfectly clad in a cotton saari. With her looks, I guessed that she must be 35 plus. She was also adjusting her saari pallu which she was carrying on her shoulder. She looked cautious about the strap of her bra and she tried her best to keep that inside. I never found her bra strap flashing out but she must be getting hints from her own body and that’s why she was trying to push the strap inside the blouse. Seeing her efforts, I felt like going to her and say "Ma’am, be easy. There is nothing wrong in your saari. You look perfect." However, I didn't do that.
Our clothing choices say much more than we might imagine. For many people, what they wear is merely a matter of habit. But for some, it is a careful decision that they take after paying attention to details like time, venue, occasion and comfort. Our clothes make a huge difference to what people think about us, and without us knowing. We all make an assessment about others with fist sight and this assessment goes beyond from clothes to how tidy and neat one is looking. Now, the counter argument here could be “Is this being judgmental..?”,” The nature of the person is more important than his/her clothes.” ,” You can’t understand a person with his/her clothes only.” However, I feel our clothes say a great deal about who we are and can signal a great deal of socially important things to others. I find it important to choose our dress style carefully because people will make all sorts of assumptions and decisions about us without proper evidence, like I did that day. The girl in short top might be honest in trying to cover her lower back tattoo but I made my guesses.
What we speak volumes in just a few seconds. Likewise, it is our appearance that remains eloquent all the time and we may lose a few decent engagements just because we look clumsy in our attire. Dressing up for yourself is good but dressing up for others also matters, to some extent.
I can totally resonate...I do this at the airports. Infact if I'm travelling alone, I check in early just do do this! Nicely written.
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective. I used to do that.. but stop myself consciously now. Each to his own.
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