Child marriage isn’t fodder for an ad campaign
We all want to add our fair share of social responsibility to feed the inner moral cajole. Eventually, our decaying sense of social responsibility is heightened to an extent where we don’t know how to express the ‘inner rage’ we feel towards the norms that are inexpressible. What we do instead is shoot a video of models wearing the most priced clothes in town and title an entire new collection after it. Our job’s done. Oh no, not yet, the ‘theme’ has not been covered. Social injustice remains a little less explored. Therefore, what we do instead is we arrange an entire ramp at PFDC’s third day (models holding monkeys, in hand, symbolising ‘dugdugi’) and show how the metaphors can and oh wait, they do relate-symbolism gone wrong. This is the current rage that Ali Zeeshan is trying to highlight. Scrolling through Facebook, I watched ‘Khamoshi’ a video presented by Ali Zeeshan (not spelling Zeshan with an ‘X’ of course) after someone on my newsfeed had shared the insensitive imagery captioned as ‘powerful’. The video revolves around a model with a padlock in her mouth sitting, with the women around, celebrating her wedding to man twice or older her. A monkey is shown too in the video-consequently to express how girls in our society suffer at the hands of social norms, a pretty intense metaphor though. How they are nothing more than a puppet (dugdugi-a monkey dancing at the motion of its owner), a property owned by someone-predominantly a male.
But what really goes wrong? Is it the way we interpret, distort and primordially construct the message or is it the level we stoop to, so low, to associate a sensitive topic, to sell the market pieces at flaringly high prices. The problem here is not of course, of a socialist rant. But of consequences we don’t bother to fathom, whilst engaging in the most expressive form of art. Here it is not about the craftsmanship of many labourers (women and children) which goes unpaid (otherwise it absolutely should be). The underlying assumption is why we even bother to experiment with such boggling, odd ideas of expression.
Ali Zeeshan’s bizarre portrayal of child marriage with the models wearing his pieces doesn’t highlight the destructive tread young girls are bound to pick, being the only option. It is an abhorrent display of the social issue. Child marriages are real, the tyranny is real, but displaying that tyranny to title and sell a complete collection after-is utterly immoral and indecent.
The fact that we do not consider our insensitive approach and manner to such fragments of society-is deeply based within the social strata and the structure that is emerging in the global south. The onset of the rising upper middle class and the brand frenzy that currently is catering to the upper echelons; quintessentially beams with the capitalist adventure and thus, the minimal regard posing to the questions of extreme plight. Consequently, what we get is an ill-informed class ruling over and teaming with ideas that are just not impractical, but reasonably, are the conclusion of plain humdrum.
The vehement conscientious approach that one tames in a multi-faceted Pakistani society gets trite with the passing years. The residue thus left, is of a class that tries to imitate the exiled elite and the bourgeoisie. The same thing has happened with Ali Zeeshan’s depiction of underage marriage.
Was it the proper way to identify an entire range of bridal wear in a nation where almost according to an estimate 21% of girls are married off before the age of 18. The percentage of young boys is almost uncertain with the tribal customs that set apart the legal jurisdiction to be exercised over in such territories, of the state and inner Punjab. The estimate too-is just an assumption, which certainly would be higher than 21%.
How would ‘Khamoshi’ help raise the issue of child marriage? Would it divert the Western dilemma over the plight of the issue? Or would it just praise Ali Zeeshan for its poor, lamentable, pathetic presentation. ‘Khamoshi’ is not the portrayal and display of emotions a young girl goes through the inexpressible social injustice. It is decadence in pure light, immoral and the worst form of art one can see.
And for designers and people like Ali Zeeshan if you really care about underage marriages or other social issues; please step forward at least and, from this collection-and your price worthy pieces, donate something that would actually help. Bandwagoning can help, if done in the right manner.