What good fashion involves

Fashion has become serious matter for a number of people. Everyone seem to be interested in fashion in one way or another. What does it takes to be fashionable? Some female student took time to discuss fashion while observing their industrial training experience. A closer look at they discussed indicated that many things are involved in fashion that could attract the interest of people. For Mrs. Rebecca Nkonduok, a postgraduate student of the Department of Communication and General Studies of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, while discussing women and fashion, she described fashion as the way people define and present themselves to the public in a decent and presentable manner.

She said fashion was the way people introduce themselves to others without saying a word, adding that fashion can tell the whole world about people’s personality by their mode of dressings. “It is a way to express yourself, it provides you with a creative outlet and how you can constantly change and improve on your fashion sense,” she maintained. Mrs. Nkonduok emphasised that, fashion does not necessarily mean to buy expensive clothes, or to spend so much money on clothing and accessories, noting that the main purpose of fashion is to decorate oneself in a particular way that helps to bring out one’s identity, saying “We don’t need to buy expensive clothes or wear designers to look fashionable, but with the little we can afford to buy, let’s dress and make our dressings neat and wear them confidently to improve the kind of personality we have for the world”.

She urged women to check, and respect balancing their mode of dressings, stressing that the strength of a woman lies in the confidence she exudes by her dressing. Miss Olawumi Okanlawon of the Department of Mass Communication, Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State discussed beauty and maintaining of healthy skin. “It (your skin) is like your personal representation and that is why people are so intentional about how they take care of their skins”, she said. The student identified the different types of skin to include dry skin, oily skin, combined skin, and normal skin, stressing that a lot of people had not been able to identify their skin type. She also informed that there were different ways of maintaining the skin, adding that the first thing to do was to identify the skin type, saying this would help to identify the kind of products to use.

Miss Okanlawon urged people to desist from staying under the sun for too long, stressing that excessive exposure to sun causes wrinkles, ageing spots and skin redness. According to her, “The people should treat their skin gently, avoid using hard sponges, and they should not wash their faces with detergent”. For Miss Oluwadara Adelakun of the Department of Mass Communication, McPherson University, Ajebo, Ogun State, many ladies do not know how to take care of their hair. She said there are different types of hair including straight, curly, and natural hair, adding that wigs also come in human hair and synthetic forms. Miss Adelakun, who explained that both human hair and synthetic hair should be washed with warm water and shampoo, said ladies should allow the hair to get dried and then apply oil to make it glow before putting them on.

“We don’t wash it often, it should be washed with warm water and shampoo, and it should be allowed to dry, but the synthetic hair does not use to last like the human hair”, she said. Miss Adelakun urged ladies to always eat food that would help their hair to grow, adding that protein and fruit should be consumed in the right proportions. Miss Adelakun added that egg also helps to replenish the hair by making it grow properly, saying berry, fatty fish, sweet potatoes, and avocado seeds are good for the natural hair. She advised ladies to always massage their scalp, adding that they should always instruct their hairdressers to put on gloves before they apply relaxers and massage their scalp for health purposes. She equally enjoined ladies with dry hair to look for a good relaxer kit for their hair, saying if they do not take care of their hair, it might start having dandruff.

“Take care of your synthetic, human, natural hair, and eat the right meal to help your hair grow”, she stated further. So, what are the takeaways from the points raised by the commentators? Fashion is the way people define and present themselves to the public in a decent and presentable manner; fashion does not necessarily mean to buy expensive clothes, or to spend so much money on clothing and accessories; it helps to bring out one’s identity; the strength of a woman lies in the confidence she exudes by her dressing; people should desist from staying under the sun for too long to avoid wrinkles, ageing spots and skin redness; and it is good to always eat food that would help their hair to grow, among others, meaning fashion is indeed, a big deal.