The Obsession With the “Baahir k Models"
When Outfitters came out with their fall 2010 look book, I was a little bit shocked. The clothes were great, no doubt. But what was bothering me was the extremely foreign looking models they had used for their look book. In no way could they be Pakistani, and even if they were, well, it wasn’t how I wanted to look. But I did want the clothes. The same thing happened with the summer catalog. Ok, now this was even weirder. I liked their old look books. With local talent, should we call it. Even though they had used the “chittay” models in the past, at least they gave off the Pakistani Look. I guess people don’t like our super model Neha, who by the way, happens to be one of the most beautiful beauties up close.
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I can swear the female model looks like Sooki from True Blood. The collection, which I think started it all. I'm not sure if the guy is Paki, but he just might be Irani.[/caption]
Then other brands followed and it started to get out of control. Almost every other high street brand was filled with pictures off the look books featuring goray looking models. And no, I was not impressed. The reason, I believe, look books exist is to make people buy clothes. While the clothes are good on their part, the models were not. I wanted OUR models, Pakistani models on the billboards. Why use looks 95% of the nation can’t pull off? I do admit that most of the models are selected from the 6% of the world population that is 6’2 and plus, but it doesn’t mean that we, Pakistanis, are out of tall or hot bods. We have extremely gorgeous models and most of them can beat the international models to death, hypothetically and work wise speaking. Why let the internationals take over?
[caption id="attachment_2947" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
The famous West Side Story themed collection from S/S'11. I think this inspired the Grease themed collection from CrossRoads.[/caption]
While having internationals models work for Pakistani brands can boast of our good and impeccable work, what about the girls and guys that we have out here. While I believe that most of the brands are tired by having tried every model that this country has to offer, there is still a lot of untapped talent. There are many ways to go about a shoot. But attracting foreign looking models is just not the trick. We have our own looks that we need to show off. We have our own talent we need to use. We have us. We should be us.
[caption id="attachment_2949" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Breakout using the same tactics now.I love this brand, but this is not my thing. Nor does it look good.[/caption]
Some brands are using this philosophy of staying within the horizon very well. I guess when they say expand your horizons, it doesn’t mean bring in international models. It just means do good work and expand creatively. And this, my beloved clothing companies whose clothes I buy, is not the way to go about expanding horizons. This in one way, might work. Our people, as a nation, are obsessed with foreign culture and are desperate to be a part of it, bring it in, or whatever. This might be the reason to bring in those models.
Cash the people’s mentality. It works wonders.
But true fashion lovers know very well that it’s about the clothes more than who’s wearing them. Yes, some great collections might not make it big because of the way the marketing campaigns are handled, but we can use our own models for the success too, right? But then again, it might be what people want. And the brands are giving it to us. Feeding our obsession of the chitta rung and international looks, and in turn feeding off of it. This all stems from our roots. Our roots so desperately trying to be anybody but ourselves.
Why can’t we be ourselves? What’s wrong with being kaala or sanwla?
We need to let this obsession go and focus on ourselves and within our means. Plus, we have gorgeous chittay log in our country as well. Use them if you have to, but please, not the baahir k log.
Call me a patriot; call me an idiot or whatever you want, but I believe we have a lot of potential as an industry still budding. Maybe it’s the “Be Yourself” spirit in me talking this way, but if we keep trying to pull off tactics like this, we’re only axing our feet. And we do not want that, do we?
Thank you Owais for helping me with the post. Image Courtesy: The Facebook Pages of the brands,
[caption id="attachment_2948" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
I can swear the female model looks like Sooki from True Blood. The collection, which I think started it all. I'm not sure if the guy is Paki, but he just might be Irani.[/caption]Then other brands followed and it started to get out of control. Almost every other high street brand was filled with pictures off the look books featuring goray looking models. And no, I was not impressed. The reason, I believe, look books exist is to make people buy clothes. While the clothes are good on their part, the models were not. I wanted OUR models, Pakistani models on the billboards. Why use looks 95% of the nation can’t pull off? I do admit that most of the models are selected from the 6% of the world population that is 6’2 and plus, but it doesn’t mean that we, Pakistanis, are out of tall or hot bods. We have extremely gorgeous models and most of them can beat the international models to death, hypothetically and work wise speaking. Why let the internationals take over?
[caption id="attachment_2947" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
The famous West Side Story themed collection from S/S'11. I think this inspired the Grease themed collection from CrossRoads.[/caption]While having internationals models work for Pakistani brands can boast of our good and impeccable work, what about the girls and guys that we have out here. While I believe that most of the brands are tired by having tried every model that this country has to offer, there is still a lot of untapped talent. There are many ways to go about a shoot. But attracting foreign looking models is just not the trick. We have our own looks that we need to show off. We have our own talent we need to use. We have us. We should be us.
[caption id="attachment_2949" align="aligncenter" width="625"]
Breakout using the same tactics now.I love this brand, but this is not my thing. Nor does it look good.[/caption]Some brands are using this philosophy of staying within the horizon very well. I guess when they say expand your horizons, it doesn’t mean bring in international models. It just means do good work and expand creatively. And this, my beloved clothing companies whose clothes I buy, is not the way to go about expanding horizons. This in one way, might work. Our people, as a nation, are obsessed with foreign culture and are desperate to be a part of it, bring it in, or whatever. This might be the reason to bring in those models.
Cash the people’s mentality. It works wonders.
But true fashion lovers know very well that it’s about the clothes more than who’s wearing them. Yes, some great collections might not make it big because of the way the marketing campaigns are handled, but we can use our own models for the success too, right? But then again, it might be what people want. And the brands are giving it to us. Feeding our obsession of the chitta rung and international looks, and in turn feeding off of it. This all stems from our roots. Our roots so desperately trying to be anybody but ourselves.
Why can’t we be ourselves? What’s wrong with being kaala or sanwla?
We need to let this obsession go and focus on ourselves and within our means. Plus, we have gorgeous chittay log in our country as well. Use them if you have to, but please, not the baahir k log.
Call me a patriot; call me an idiot or whatever you want, but I believe we have a lot of potential as an industry still budding. Maybe it’s the “Be Yourself” spirit in me talking this way, but if we keep trying to pull off tactics like this, we’re only axing our feet. And we do not want that, do we?
Thank you Owais for helping me with the post. Image Courtesy: The Facebook Pages of the brands,