I recently heard a story regarding 911 that had been entirely unknown to me. When the twin towers were hit, the majority of
journalists who were close to the scene and therefore able to report on the
horrific mayhem, were those in the city for New York Fashion Week, The Fashion
journalists.
These were not trained professionals used to reporting in combat areas and yet their reporting remains at the fulcrum of piecing together an accurate account of the events.
I recently stumbled across an interview
with UK journalist and beauty expert Sali Hughes,
describing the unfair scrutiny women (particularly those who make it their
profession) who dare to have an interest in beauty or fashion face. To many
these are viewed as vacuous and trivial pursuits and only the interests of a
person who is shallow and of no intelligence.
This is a topic I feel particularly
strongly about, as it is something I have experienced first hand as someone who
has had a keen interest in fashion for as long as I can remember. My most
poignant memory is sitting in my careers advisor’s office and sighting fashion
as an interest for the future, to which I was told ‘clever girls can do more
than fashion.’
I find this assertion quite frankly
ludicrous and parochial, why is it that a man can be interested in football or formula one and never have
his intellect questioned? But if a woman dares to have a love of makeup or
clothes she must therefore be unintelligent and vain.
Amongst the various web pages I looked at whilst researching for this post I stumbled across a story that to me is a clear example of the value of
beauty and fashion. It relayed a story from the end World War Two when some Swedish
nurses came to rescue of the women still remaining in concentration camps. Amongst
their bundles of basic toiletries they were each given was a lipstick. Surely
this is testament to the cheering and uplifting power and worth in fashion and
beauty.
