Dressing up for nature

Hello people, I guess life is moving on smoothly for everyone out there. Let us now explore another way of ‘Return to nature’. I wrote in the first article about ways of returning to nature comprise in thoughts, words and deeds. Elaborating on that, it can be ways that we think, eat, sleep, breathe, dress, talk, bathe, rest, on moral aspects, conduct ourselves socially and sexually. For today’s topic, I have chosen dressing.

What I actually want to convey with this concept is how you can dress up naturally to be healthy. It does sound a little off the track and strange almost. But it is a very important factor which influences our health.

Dressing style has evolved over time and sometimes, we see retrograde fashion too. But mostly, dressing is influenced by the culture of the place which is affected by the climatic conditions of a place. For instance, we see people in the Polar Regions wrapping themselves with seal skin and jackets and boots with fur lining to protect themselves from the cold winds and chilly weather. In the Hawaii islands you see people in two-pieces or sarongs. They cannot bear the heat. In hot deserts of Rajasthan, India people are seen wearing flowy cotton dresses with huge turbans on the head to protect the head from the sun.  

Another strong influence is the need of man to look good. Over centuries, we have seen man trying all kinds of things, putting up with so much pain to look Good. There were the ladies of Elizabethan era, with hoops and loads of cotton around their waist to make a big petticoat. We have seen ladies of southern America during the 19^th century with the constricting whale bone corsets, which left them dyspnoeic, just to make them look bustier. The Chinese girls, who were forced to wear metal shoes to stop the feet growing as small feet was considered beautiful. On and on I can go on citing examples of fashion frenzy.

My intention in today’s article is to stress on dressing sensibly for good health. First rule would be the clothing should be comfortable and suitable to the climate. It should not be too tight or too loose. It should be made of preferably cotton. It is absorbent and does not cause prickly feeling and also allows free flow of air. Fabric apart from cotton can be chosen depending on the weather conditions. The cut of a dress also affects the way you carry yourself. This in turn influences you confidence level. It is not healthy to have fabrics like synthetic nylon, rayon next to the skin. And in sultry weather, it leads to sweat accumulation and may even cause fungal infections. Clothes should be well laundered making sure it is rinsed thoroughly and no detergent remains in the cloth. If not, it can lead to skin problems due to irritation. Clothes should be dried properly in the sun, if not should be ironed. Accessories which are constricting and uncomfortable are not advisable like tight belts, scarves etc.

The modern day corsets will be underwire bras. Again ladies, be informed of your choices. I agree an occasional day to look good is alright but do not sacrifice your health for good looks. It is a hushed up taboo-ish topic – undies- but one needs to choose one with care. I bet not many women know how to calculate the size and cup number. One needs to wear the right number for good dressing and to avoid the unattractive bulges at the wrong places. Same logic goes for the fabric here also.

 An important part of dressing is shoe. The shoe worn for fashion and the shoe worn for comfort are rivals I would say. Especially for women, fashion and footwear means inevitably heels, or as the character in an ad says, ‘get the uncomfortable one,’ when her boyfriend asks which shoe to get, pretty footwear means uncomfortable footwear. But, ladies beware the high heels that we wear are the culprits who cause back pain, calf muscle tenderness, bunions in the toes. Be it the stilettos, kitten heels, belly shoes, pump shoes, pencils, they all are the same. Wearing high heels disturbs the biomechanics of the body. It increases the lordotic curve of the lumbar spine, thus creating the fashionista’s chin out, chest out posture which is the cause of back ache. It creates excessive tension on the metatarso-phalangeal joint often leading to bunion formation. It also disturbs the longitudinal and transverse arches of the foot leading to foot pain.

All said and done, I would again stress on the ‘rule of moderation’. Yes, I know, certain sets of people are not able to give up on these things even if unhealthy for varied reasons. But there is always a middle path between two extremes. I never tell anyone to go wear barks or leaves and live in the jungle. Well let’s see, the middle path or the mantra for healthy dressing:

• Wear cotton as much as possible.
• Select shoes which support the arches of the foot.
• Avoid use of tight accessories.
• Protect the head with caps or hats if exposed to sun for long.
• Wear suitable warm clothes in cold climate.
• Always wash new clothes before wearing.
• Select undies of correct size.
• Use high heels sparingly.

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah (may all be blessed)

Love and regards

Roshni