With Brown Shuga
WHAT FASHION? I’M TOO SERIOUS FOR THAT
University of Ibadan has a large population of aspiring Wole Soyinkas, very serious minded, history spouting, politics discussing young men and women. As it can be expected, these people cannot be bothered with issues as frivolous as fashion; obviously they have so much more important things to do.
Well, here is a wakeupcall for these my fine friends. Fashion is a matter of what you wear, and since even you cannot leave your home without clothes, you simply cannot escape from it!
So if it’s a matter of just throwing some clothes onto your back, why on earth should you have to read about it? Simple, even you would balk if you came across a student wearing an Agbada to lectures. In the same way the choice between a pair of dress shoes and leather slippers can make the difference between acceptance and rejection, whether or not you realize it.
Fashion is so much more than too thin models cat-walking on runways or ladies running about with coloured brushes. It is the first thing people judge when they meet you for the first time. It can determine if you would get your foot in the door or be left in the waiting room for hours. It is the reason why so many people lose opportunities they did not even know they had a chance at.
It is as important to a busy executive hoping to make a lasting impression on a prospective international client as it is to the eighteen year old girl trying to decide whether to wear jeans or leggings. It answers questions about you that you did not even know were being asked. Is she organised? Does he pay attention to details? Does he take this meeting seriously? Is she to be taken seriously?
How you handle yourself is often seen as an indication of how you would handle others. What you put on your body should be a carefully thought out decision, picking something out of your wardrobe with your eyes closed may be the easy way out, but could also be a disaster waiting to happen. Present yourself sloppily and you would probably be treated sloppily regardless of the content of your mind. Even the most intellectual among us have found that they must give some regard to style!
Does this mean that you should dye your hair pink and start wearing coloured skinny Jeans, probably not.What it does mean is that you should begin to pay a bit more attention to your appearance.
“I have never cared about appearances, and I do not intend to begin now, they are simply not important” I can almost hear you say. In response I would refer you to the bulky literature you spend so much time on. Authors devote quite a bit of time to painting a picture of the physical attributes of their characters in your mind, they hardly ever leave out their clothes. Why do they bother if appearances do not matter?
No! Caring about fashion does not make you shallow or superficial, looking good is not a sign of ’unseriousness’. Even the most serious care about how they are perceived. Ever wonder why the army insists that its officers look smart and well turned out in their uniforms? Would Obama be forgiven for stepping out in bad clothing if he made a good speech? If it is good enough for these people, then it is good enough for you.
So it is time to say goodbye: to the era of not pressed trousers or skirts paired with off colour shirts, tops or blouses, to the dress shoes worn without socks {for guys}, to rough or unkempt hair and all the other little things we do in the process of not caring about fashion or how we look.
To bring my long story to an end, I will ask you one question; do you think that Wole Soyinka’s lovely hair stays so neat by magic?
