THE BRUTALITY OF FASHION

Thursday 4th November, 2010
Serfin Achieng takes on her fellow campus ladies on the issue of fashion trends and uncovers what they carry in their handbags

Looking smart, presentable, well groomed accompanied with acting decently, are all manifestations of what distinguishes us from other animals. Expensive or cheap, make-up or no make-up, classy or simple we all aim for one common goal; to feel admired and accepted by how we present ourselves in society.
However, much as fashion is all about looking good and feeling comfortable with what we wear, our dear campus sisters are pushing it a little bit to the edge of the bench. They seem to miss the point. A good percentage of them go through hell just to get the look that they believe will deserve people’s turning heads.
Every stylish girl walks around with the load (handbag) from a trip to buy Sukuma wiki at Soweto market to the lecture hall
They have to put up with wearing dress-tops, mini-skirts, skinny jeans and bear-backs (mgongo wazi) in the coldest weather that God has blessed the Rift Valley with. Even when it’s really muddy you will notice someone with high-heeled shoes struggling to reach their destination. Moreover, it does not matter whether the weave blocks their sight, as long as people say it’s good, then it is.
‘Big bags’ are the order of the day. Every stylish girl walks around with the load from a trip to buy Sukuma wiki at Soweto market to the lecture hall. Let me unveil the mystery behind what is usually carried in those bags .A pair of plastic shoes - just incase the high-heeled shoes become unbearable; a small scarf - incase it rains because a jacket is a big ‘No’; a jelly-comb and pink lotion - of course she has to re-do the hair style after every 2 hours; a shower cape and an umbrella - to protect the hair that cost a fortune from the wrath of the rain; a Dasani bottle filled with water from the filthy washrooms - mind you she lives healthy; earrings and bangles - to change when others become boring; body lotion - for the soft supple skin; face powder - to avoid reflecting the sun; lip-gloss and lip-stick - for sweet irresistible lips; eye-shadow and eye-pencil - to make the eyes demonic; a whole roll of tissue paper - for who knows what and of course the one and only A4 exercise book, with no notes, and an old biro pen - to pretend when the lecturer insists that she takes notes.
My dear sisters it is good to stay ahead of fashion but let us avoid the extreme ends which make us look shady instead of bringing out our classy look.
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(The writer is a second year Media Science student)

Quote of the day:
‘The beauty of an original, lies in the originality of its beauty.’
-Anonymous