What is she wearing?

A typical girly conversation will always include question like “What did she wear to the party? Was the outfit attractive? Was it from a boutique? Did she look good?”

I recently joined a firm where most women dress well. But there is one particular girl whose dress sense is admired by many others. As soon as she enters the room all heads turn towards her just to see what is she wearing. Every day she wears something trendy which makes her look different from everyone else.  She wears unique kurtas with jeans, long frocks, shirts and complimentary jewellery.

I often hear comments like “Did you see her shoes? They must be imported!” but some will hiss “Imported? Give me a break…I saw that in Sunday Bazaar!” While still others would stare in wonder and ask “Where is her dupatta?” or “How does she get the time to put all that make-up on?”

I find the comments funny and wonder why everyone is so bothered about her outfits. But every morning, as soon as she enters the office, all eyes turn towards her again and a new wave of comments is unleashed.

This is typical of girly conversation which always includes questions like “What did she wear to the party? Was her outfit hot? Was it from a boutique? Did she looking good?” But its not just us girls! Men comment on each others clothes and on the way women dress up too. I once heard a guy say to another, “That pair of jeans is surely not Lee Cooper. I bet it’s a fake from Zainab market.”

The same exchanges take place at parties and weddings.  Outfits become the hot topic among women and I often hear comments like “Oh my god! She is wearing a banarsi outfit in this heat! She looks like she came straight from Laloo Khet!” While others can be heard whispering “Not again! She has worn the same outfit to three weddings before!”

When I go to the market I hear women from different strata of society commenting on each other as well. From the shocked “Goodness gracious! How on earth can she manage to wear that heavy black  burqa? Doesn’t she suffocate?” to “Astaghfirullah! She is wearing a sleeveless shirt in front of so many men!”

Personally, I can’t understand why people stress their delicate neurons over petty matters like this. Everyone is free to wear whatever they want, though I know some will disagree and consider it a basic right to criticize the way others dress. It is natural for everyone to like people who are well dressed compared to someone who looks shabby and doesn't care about what others say or think. There are even those who don’t follow fashion trends at all and look as if they are still living in the 80’s!

While well-dressed people are admired by both men and women, females are particularly conscious about both the way they dress and about what other women are wearing as well.  So as long as the world has women living in it, this trend of commenting on outfits, whether positively or negatively, will continue to prevail.