Not sure he appreciated that one! At the final stages of this new venture, he resembled an over-grown sheep and I was beginning to worry he’d have difficulties getting out the door in the mornings.
Yesterday, I awoke to another surprise”¦His bedraggled curls lay in the bath and apart from a few tufts here and there, he had a clean shaven head. It seems that sibling taunting had taken its toll and whilst a part of me felt sad that all that cultivating had been in vain, we can only be grateful that he didn’t reach the shaggy yak stage.
A few months ago, he was following a new trend at his school, the wearing of two T- shirts, one on top of the other. Now, I still fail to see the point of this- it didn’t serve to regulate body temperature and seeing as one completely covered the other, it wasn’t showing off two brand names either. Maybe they all do a Bollywood-style costume change after each lesson..?
And I won’t even start on what his facial hair’s doing!
The point of these musings about my brother (I love him really) are to expose the ever- changing world of fashion. I find it funny that fashion designers only have to say something’s “Ëœin’ and people instantly find it attractive. How is wearing a dead animal attractive, and how is wearing clothes so tight you can’t breathe, comfortable and how do girls in miniskirts become immune to the cold?!
The truth is, man’s perception of beauty is a driving force in today’s society where a woman is judged according to the amount of flesh she’s prepared to show. Whilst most women will argue they choose to dress the way they do because it makes them feel good about themselves, they ignore the fact that most of the top fashion designers are men. It suddenly makes sense why all tops are low-cut, skirts so short and jeans so tight!
An ICM poll revealed that 68% of girls under the age of 16 are unhappy about their appearance. I strongly doubt that all these girls are ugly witches. A more likely explanation is that they are all trying to conform to the unrealistic image of a 5ft8″, size 10 barbie doll with legs up to her armpits.
I can only be grateful to Allah for defining beauty as something far more superior. So whilst some people may wonder what beast lurks beneath a burka, or run a mile out of fear of a hidden bomb, Muslims are safe in the knowledge that beauty can also be found in thoughts, actions and deeds.
When the pleasure of Allah swt becomes the measure of attractiveness, the societal pressures are lifted. Brand names, hair styles, inches on a tape measure no longer hold meaning and there’s suddenly a lot more beautiful people in the world”¦
January 3rd, 2006 at 4:35 pm
Wow, that was beautiful. Sad so many of us only appreciate on the interjection of all things superficial. God Bless.
January 4th, 2006 at 2:29 am
I think the most shocking thing is how much pressure women are under to look a certain way. I remember listening to a discussion on the radio about the influence of the media and entertainment industry on women and their looks. One of the experts on the panel was explaining that a remote island in the Pacific had recently received MTV. Before it had there were no reports of bulimia, but within a few years almost 30% of the island’s women were bulimic. This is because the men on the island took a great liking to the impossibly maintainable figures the women on MTV were showing off. If this is not slavery and oppression then what is?
January 4th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
massive attack:
Notice it was the ideas that held beauty.
be humble:
I couldn’t agree with you more. It seems that in return for natural resources and colonialisation of their lands, the Muslims receive an import of Western values.
After the invasion of Afghanistan, America funded the building of a Western beauty school, using products donated by the cosmetic giants MAC and Revlon.
Whilst lives were destroyed, infrastructure ruined, medical resources depleted and an already unstable economy further shattered, America had the audacity to pump money into a project so superficial.
To form a class of women who will unknowingly bow down to nothing more than man’s demeaning desires, believing themselves to be ‘liberated,’ is certainly a guise for a meticulously fashioned form of slavery…slaves to ideas.
January 4th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
I came to a country where the population is approximately 95% Muslim expecting to see women covered in a Jilbab and Khimar. However then I realised that Khimar has become a cultural dress rather than Islamic. Then only a few weeks ago I visited huge popular shopping centre dominated by foreign outlets. As I entered the shopping centre, the first thing I noticed was it being full with young boys and girls. It honestly felt like I was back in London. The women were dressed not much different to the women in London. Unfortunately the western fashion has become part of these people’s lives.
I have spoken to many women, from young girls to aunties and many of them argue that when they go out they dress in revealing, tight, and the latest clothing “for themselves”. I wonder whether they’ve actually ever thought about what they are saying? There’s nothing wrong with looking after yourself but why not just do that at home if it really is just “for yourself”?!
January 6th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
Subhanallah. Very true.
January 9th, 2006 at 6:57 pm
One common theory among Westerners who oppose the culture of ultra-thin fashion models is that most fashion designers, being homosexual men, prefer to design clothes for boyish figures.
Also, what do most people find beautiful anyway? A lady in a jilbab who entered my university library a few days ago moved me to tears! Given this, I wonder if Islamic dress is actually counterproductive in the West…
January 10th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
It had a strong emotional effect on me for sure, but I find it very hard to describe exactly how I was feeling.
Some of my thoughts may have been:
“Why do I find this woman so beautiful, when the purpose of Islamic hijab is to avoid attracting men?”
“Why have modern non-Muslim women defeminized themselves in their dress?”
“Am I a misogynistic creep for thinking that a woman so dressed is attractive?”
January 10th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
A lady in a jilbab who entered my university library a few days ago moved me to tears!
That’s a very uplifting comment.
The conception of beauty amongst individuals is pre-dominantly determined by societal factors. Even in the Muslim world the impact of Western definitions of beauty is evidently visible in the ‘fair&lovely’ advertisements. Where being light skinned is the vogue and beautiful, whilst being dark will lead the women to the inevitable outcome of never being successful or getting married.
January 10th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
George:
Here’s another theory - Most fashion designers, being slimy slugs, prefer to design clothes for stick insects :o)
In the context you presented, counterproductively suggests that the reason women wear the jilbab is to repulse men! The average man in this society may well feel repulsed, or at least disappointed as the amount of visible flesh is restricted to the hands and face and the woman’s figure is hidden. You, obviously are not that average man.
If the aim was to scare away all men, a more successful tactic would be to dress up as a gorilla. The wearing of the jilbab and khimar however, has a far greater purpose for the Muslim woman to seek the pleasure of her creator.
People may argue that a girl who covers, protects herself from the gaze of men but as you have pointed out, it IS possible for a woman in an oversized dress to still be attractive.
And what if society redefined beauty overnight and men started chasing those women wearing the most cloth?
The point is, Islam is obedience and when a command is known to a Muslim, it is incumbent on him/her to hear and obey despite man’s attitudes toward it. This was certainly the case when the verse of the Qur’an was revealed in which women were commanded to cover themselves. They tore down curtains that instant to fulfil the order.
Furthermore, Islam is able to regulate so when a man does find a woman attractive (and vice versa), he is required to lower his gaze thus protecting both the male and female from harmful thoughts and actions.
What’s truly counterproductive is dictating a set of rules regarding appearance, motherhood, relationships, success etc which is subject to change due to man’s flippant mind…wouldn’t you agree?
January 15th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
People may argue that a girl who covers, protects herself from the gaze of men but as you have pointed out, it IS possible for a woman in an oversized dress to still be attractive.
I remember seeing someone else mention a similar reaction that they had on another website.
I think it was the fact that she was wearing a dress - something which very few women do nowadays in everyday life, due to the influence of western feminism (more accurately “androgynism”). My measure of a woman’s attractiveness depends little on the amount of skin shown.
January 18th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
“An ICM poll revealed that 68% of girls under the age of 16 are unhappy about their appearance”. I think these days a similar percentage would apply to males. It seems that pressure if put on both genders these days to look in tip top shape. Just take MY brother for example. I think the mirror has become his new best friend. At his age, I was the same though. SubhanAllah you learn to grow out of those things, and learn to accept what Allah swt has given you.