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EASTERN EYE May 22, 2009
womenZone the top 10 common fashion mistakes... by Zekra Rahman Wearing clothes that are a size to small: Trying clothes on in the fitting room before you buy is very important. Sizes vary between different shops, so you shouldn’t go by what it says on the hanger or the label. Don’t try to squeeze into clothes that are too small in an attempt to look thinner, because if they are too tight, all your lumps and bumps will be on show and you will end up looking larger. Skimpy Skirts: If you are tugging and pulling at your skirt all the time, it’s probably too short or tight for you. It should not ride up above mid-thigh when you sit down, you should feel comfortable when you run. Only ever go a maximum of an inch above the knee if you are unsure. straps: One of the best-kept secrets to looking good is wearing undergarments that fit properly. When you wear sleeveless tops, either wear a strapless or racing-back bra or those with transparent straps so they are not hanging out from under your clothes. Wearing Uggs with everything: The inventors of Ugg probably hate the fact that the comfort level and anti-stylishness of Ugg boots are so appealing that millions of girls wear them with everything, from skirts to tracksuits. Work them with a pair of designer jeans – it is a much better look. Broken nails and chipped nail polish: Dragon-lady length nails are inappropriate for daily wear, so keep nails clean and evenly trimmed. If they are weak and prone to breaking, carry a nail clipper in your bag. To avoid the chipped nail varnish look, apply a top coat for protection or wear light, neutral tones that won’t be so visible even if it does chip. Inappropriate make-up: What’s wrong with all those girls who plaster on layers of make-up on their face in the day time? It’s light for the day, heavier for the evening and sheer for playing sports. Underarm stains: In the clubs, on the trains, during the summer months, and when you wear clinging materials, you are bound to sweat, so be equipped with a decent deodorant that works. Wearing creased clothes: Creased clothes look like you have rolled out of bed and haven’t made an effort to look good. So if you are not one for ironing, buy fabrics that are easy to care for and don’t crease easily. Roots: Once you dye your hair, you have to make sure it keeps its colour and that when it grows out, you do something about it. Grown-out roots make you look cheap and fake. Wearing the wrong colours: It doesn’t matter if you have the cut and the fit right because if the colour is wrong, your outfit will not be flattering. Find out what colours work best with your skin tone, wear shades that suit your age, and invest in plenty of neutral shades that tend to work with most complexions.
Hair care
with Asgar
l Galvin Hair Celebrity stylist Asgar is at Danie on W1U 7ET Salon, 58-60 George Street, Lond
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Tackling prejudice about homosexuality CHALLENGES: (clockwise from this picture) Shamim Sharif; Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth in I Can’t Think Straight; the same co-stars in a scene from The World Unseen; Shamim with her partner Hanan; and Shamim with Lisa and Sheetal
by zekra rahman WHILE quite a few films have tackled touchy subjects such as forced marriage, domestic violence and single-parent families, hardly any address homosexuality in the Asian community. But novelist-turned-filmmaker Shamim Sarif has pushed the boundaries and taken her novels that explore same-sex relationships to the big screen. The World Unseen is a period drama set in South Africa in the 1960s and I Can’t Think Straight is a contemporary romantic comedy set in London. Currently on the festival circuit, they have connected with audiences around the world and have already won a handful of awards. Eastern Eye caught up with Shamim to talk about her personal experiences of being gay, breaking taboos in the Asian community and why she cast Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth in the lead roles for both films. You have released two films The World Unseen and I Can’t Think Straight. Tell us a little bit about each one? The World Unseen is about a young wife and mother (Lisa Ray) who finds her own voice and independence to challenge the world around her. It is more mainstream and is less about the relationship between the two women. I think the character Amina (Sheetal Sheth) just happens to be gay – it’s more about Miriam’s (Lisa) struggle to find her own identity and independence. I Can’t Think Straight is very different in tone, it’s much lighter, contemporary, and younger. It’s a romantic comedy with a twist, that the central love story is between these two girls – one is an Indian and one from an Arab background, so not traditionally accepting communities. Both films cover similar subjects. Why have you chosen to address the issue of homosexuality and how much of it comes from your own personal experiences? There has definitely been a little bit of influence from my own experiences with both movies. But I think with The Word Unseen especially, I wanted to do a movie where you could have a character who just happened to be gay but it wasn’t an issue. For example, we will go see Julia Roberts in a movie and we would never go, ‘That was a nice heterosexual movie.’ It was about fighting for these things not to be as much as of a taboo as they used to be. So that was one element. The rest of the themes were about having integrity and being true to yourself. Why do you think homosexuality is still seen as taboo in the Asian community? I think it’s probably just the weight of years and tradition, and a reluctance to push boundaries within your family, community and religion. And it’s human nature, in a way, not to push. I think the people who tend to question things, like Amina (Sheetal) in The World Unseen and Leyla (Sheetal) and Tala (Lisa) in I Can’t
shamim: a