Dear Sabyasachi, I Shine From Within

Posted: July 8, 2019

Here is an ‘overdressed’ woman’s take on why she will shine – irrespective of what she does or doesn’t wear.

I woke up to a war of words happening against a misogynist post on social media by famous ethnic wear designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has been helping women (including celebrities) turn out as beautiful divas.

Before I further share my views on this, here’s exactly what the post exactly says:

Starting with a quote from the Literary classic Great Expectations, he went on to write,

“If you see a woman ‘overdressed’, caked with make-up, armoured with jewellery, it is most likely that she is wounded. Bleeding inside, silently. Holding on to her pride and dignity, shining for the world, though within her innermost being there is a dark, blinding pain. Take some time off to give her your precious company, heal her with your empathy, because sometimes nothing can replace human warmth. Not even the most precious of jewellery.”

I read it twice, in fact many times, in an attempt to understand if at all I had interpreted it wrongly. However, I understand that he means to say if a woman dresses up nicely, wears a beautifully embellished piece of attire, applies perfect make up, and accessorises it with jewellery she is extremely unhappy within but pretends to be happy and contented to the world. She desperately needs emotional support and a man should offer his shoulder to her in order to heal her broken self. Let me know if you derive a better meaning out of this and if I am mistaken anywhere.

Well, I am in love with the sarees created by Sabyasachi and a strong admirer of his work. However, it is very disheartening to read such lines coming from a man who has been helping women to stand out in the crowd with grace and poise in beautiful attire.

In response to such misogyny, I want to tell him what goes on inside me when I am all dolled up:

I was ‘overdressed’, caked up with the best make-up available and chose to be armoured with precious jewellery and turned into a bride. I was the happiest person inside, containing only love and contentment, looking forward to more of the precious companionship I had already had for few years, accessorising my beauty with that million dollar smile and confidence.
I am overdressed at most festivals, like Diwali, Janamashtami, Teej or Karva Chauth and my innermost self is brightly lit up while I celebrate with my family and friends. Whilst I am still overdressed, I pray for the well being of my family from my inner most core, in peace and calm on these festivals.
I get dressed for someone else’s wedding because I am happy for the one who is getting married. I enjoy the precious company of my near and dear ones and dance my heart out as I share a strong emotional bond with my friends and family.
I wake up every morning and get ready for work. I dress up, apply make-up, wear some small pieces of jewellery and look forward to a wonderful day. I love and enjoy my work and work hard each day. My persona shines from within and I can feel the warmth of the accolades I receive.

I absolutely agree that nothing can replace human warmth. However, buying a precious piece of jewellery with my hard earned money gives me happiness and a feeling of self-gratification. I depend neither on a man nor to own diamonds for emotional support.

I have come across many men nicely dressed in tuxedos. Are they all dark inside, wounded and bleeding silently and looking for someone to take some time off and be with them?

If you see me dressed nicely, admire me quietly, because nothing can dim the light that shines from within. I shine from within with pride and dignity and stand tall for myself, not for the world.

The colour of the attire will fade with time, the make-up will be washed off, the jewellery will be worn out but my beauty will remain eternal since it is not dependent any accessory, other than my smile!

Image via Wikipedia/Instagram

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