Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Fashion or FaSHUN?
|
Are fashion parades and ramp shows taboo? M. ALLIRAJAN and RAYAN ROZARIO visit colleges and find out
|
A FASHION show scheduled for the evening gets delayed and is finally cancelled, thanks to the last minute pull-out by participants. Stones are pelted on a group of elegantly dressed girls sashaying down the ramp. Sensing danger, the organisers call off the event.
A parent wants his daughter to take part in a fashion show. The college grants permission, but with a rider - Participate, but not as a representative of the college.
Another event hardly had any participants. Isolated events, yes, but they are symptomatic of the current trend in colleges.
It is not necessarily due to the changing mindset of the students. These incidents have more to do with what colleges want their wards to do. Fashion and modelling are no longer considered bad. That in itself is a radical change from the days when taking part in a show was considered an indecent act. Now, the buzzword is moderation.
Most colleges now splurge money on inter-collegiate competitions and fashion shows have become an integral part of these events. Of late, private shows by event managers are on the rise. It is with regard to these that colleges are pulling in the reins now.
A firm "no" is the response by most college administrators to requests for participating in shows conducted by outside agencies and event managers.
Pics: K. Ananthan & Siva Saravanan
But, some students who are passionate about fashion have taken part in shows without obtaining permission from the college. They feel all contests should be treated on a par.
"In college shows, the restrictions are far too many, affecting performance. That is not the case with outside shows. So, we fare better on stage," opines a student of Visual Communication (VC).
The views of principals differ. "Modelling is no longer seen as being indecent and is popular," says K. Palaniappan, Principal, GRD College of Science.
However, he feels decency and decorum should be maintained. "Earlier, students used to copy the costumes of leading film stars. Now, it is the turn of the stars to borrow some ideas from students," he quips.
"Parents like to see their children in attractive costumes, but not at the cost of education. It is our responsibility to mould them appropriately," says Palaniappan.
As for criticism that such shows deify glamour, Divya Mohan, a final year VC student of the college, says: "We respect the dress code as well as our culture. However, glamour does not mean indecent exposure. It depends on the way you carry yourself."
The notice boards inside campuses are filled with posters of inter-collegiate meets. Fashion shows find a prominent place in most and carry the highest prize money. Maybe, why students crowd the ramp.
However, Neeta Chandrasena of GRD College of Science from the same department feels the city is not the right place for fashion shows. "When there are hardly any designers in Coimbatore, why conduct fashion shows at all?" she wonders. "What we have here are not fashion shows," she affirms.
The manner in which shows are conducted either lend or take away respectability from these events. "If fashion shows are done professionally, our colleges will support us," say most students.
N. Yashodha Devi, Principal, PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, states: "Fashion shows can be encouraged. Let students enjoy, but within limits. We are liberal and our students have always weighed the pros and cons before deciding on participating."
"It's not that the college stops us from taking part. But, we gauge the audience before taking a decision,," says C. Swetha, Secretary of the Fine Arts Club of the college. Since the college team is experienced, members have a fair idea about the audience. "We know how the crowd will behave in certain places. We cannot perform in front of a hostile audience. We are talented, but need the right place to exhibit our skills," Yamuna Rani, a student.
Certain bitter experiences have made them all the more wary. Instances of misuse of photographs taken at such shows have also been reported.
"At a recent show in the city, we could not even move around safely. We feel bad when other students brand us as conservative, but we have our reasons," says M. Priyadarshini.
Interestingly, some colleges restrict participation in shows conducted by co-educational institutions. "It is not that we are against fashion parades and modelling. But, outside crowds indulge in hooting and shouting. So, we usually don't send our students there," asserts the principal of a city college.
"We are not saying that students should not be fashionable. But you must remember that ours is still a conservative society," points out Mrinalini R David, Principal of CSI Bishop Appasamy College of Arts and Science.
"We have a beautiful outfit in a saree. And, it also lends respect. Our fashion designing students come out with creative collections and we allow them to take part in quality shows," she states.
The Bharathiar University has also sent a note to colleges asking them to regulate the conduct of cultural programmes.
But, it cannot be denied that these extravagant shows have helped publicise colleges.
Thanks to that, even prudish ones have joined the bandwagon. "Earlier, our programmes were low-profile. Now, we are adding colour to them," says Yashodha.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
