MORAL STORIES

PASSION FOR FASHION

A man was in a queue for a ticket in a railway station. The person in his front was neatly dressed in pants and shirt. To start a conversation, he told the person in the front, "Did you notice that boy near the window? He has no manners." The person in the front corrected him, "Hey, That is not a boy. She is my daughter."
The man at the back apologized, "I am sorry, sir, I did not know that you were her father."
The response from the front was sharp,
"What nonsense! ...I am not her father. I am her mother!"
The story reveals the increasing passion for fashion shown by people of all age groups today. Ladies dressed like men are quite common. Men with long hair and feminine attire are also seen. People darken the hair and whiten the face to conceal the gifts of nature. The use of cosmetics has increased tremendously. A large number of potentially harmful and dangerous chemicals have been detected in many popular cosmetics by experiments.
It is a good habit to be clean and healthy and to wear neat dress, but over-indulgence in cosmetics and fashion is harmful to the health of the body, mind and soul.
The true purpose of clothing should be remembered. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and who was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourselves but to God; He bought you for a price. So use your bodies for God's glory"{1 Corinthians 6:19,20}.
St. Peter advises against the use of outward aids to make one beautiful, such as hair-make-up, jewellery, or dresses:
"Instead your beauty should consist of your true inner self, the ageless beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of the greatest value in God's sight"{1 Peter 3: 3,4}.

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By Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
This is Story No. 46 in this site. Please click ‘Older Post’ at the bottom of this page to read previous stories and click 'Newer Post' at the bottom of this page to read newer stories in this site. Please click on a word in the 'Story Themes' to read stories on that theme.