Our ‘idols’ morals are they ours too?

Jean-Baudrillard, a renowned authors, says fashion corrupts morals, because it gives it dynamism. It has no value-systems, nor criteria of judgment: good and evil, beauty and ugliness, the rational and irrational, it plays within and beyond these, it acts therefore as the subversion of all order, including revolutionary rationality. Those in the industry, have got this sense of superiority and self-confidence in themselves. And when you look at them, you will notice a unique element in them. They do not seem to be ordinary creatures dwelling on earth, but probably from another planet. They are attention-grabbing and careless about their language and dressing. No wonder, their styles and music/movies will say it all that they are suggestive and seductive. They are what many call “idols”. They spread their unique dressing style from America to Europe and now to Africa. Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Shakira and even some male artists like 50 Cent and Eminem have turned skin-exposure into a form of art and fashion. They are using their bodies to catapult their careers and create fame. Barely dressed, during their gigs, and on fashion magazines, they are cherished by huge crowds. Private body parts are allowed to peep through those bikinis and underwear are unleashed in full view through thin lace coverings. But hasn’t this gone too far? Should we call this trend of wearing low-cuts, see-through, exposing our private body fashion, or sleazy? Wearing clothes for attention value is nothing new, because today this seems the style everywhere. And celebrities from Britney Spears to Victoria Beckham enjoy the free publicity they garner. Incidentally, celebrity fashion is no longer about seeing who can dress the best, or teases the most. As most fashion designers say, it seems like fashion today is more like a strip tease contest-the ultimate skins game, where the winner is the one who can show the most flesh. Today, most teens and those in later thirties are obsessed with fashion, and this has been enough to drive them crazy. And some parents have developed worries that the message being sent to children is raising their sexuality, which might spoil them in the near future. But children are not the only ones receiving mixed- signals from these fashion icons, because even some these adults as we have witnessed are not suffer. Jackie Umutoni, businesswoman, says everyone is entitled right to fashion. Dressing sexy is not an offence, especially with a clear conscience. “I dress to please myself, but not anyone else, though I avoid dressing against my conscious,” added Umutoni. But when does fashion become offensive? People say that celebrities, especially female stars, think that a good performance and a good look is only achieved with half-naked dressing, piercing and tattooing parts of the body. Paris Hilton knows very well the power of seductive clothing. After appearing on TV and in magazines wearing her frontless Donatella Versace mini dresses and bikinis for so many times, it is possible, that she thinks that its the best thing to do on this planet. No wonder, she is now spending more time answering fashion questions than questions about her charity plans. Victoria Beckharm, another renowned fashion icon, is currently negotiating with director of the, recently released, Sex and the City, because of her fashion taste. Cédric Kamanda, a local artist, says for most of these celebrities, especially females, exposing their bodies to the public is no longer a shock to the world, because we have always seen them on TVs, magazines and internet. To many, today’s fashion can be described as sexiness or sleaziness, because it has nothing good to educate, but rather sending bad example to the young generation. Ends

Leisure

Our ‘idols’ morals are they ours too?