A minute means...

A minute is all it takes to give a second glance, pursue a germ of thought, ponder over a pending issue or just relax with six deep breaths.

A minute of thought goes into these pages, and it is designed to claim not more than a minute of an average reader's attention. Sometimes, this blog could give you stuff to think about for hours. Or just a smiling second at the end of your minute's reading.







Friday 13 May 2011

Supporting the spirit...

Expressing support for a cause has always sought novel creative canvasses. In the recent decades, it had mostly to do with running. The human instinct to run! in the face of a problem was remarkably turned on its head by multitudes resorting to it as a medium to pronounce their support for various causes – from breast cancer awareness to gay rights. In more desperate times, like ours, measures to display support have also been desperate for novelty. Like the model who recently wanted to boost the morale of the Indian cricket team fighting for the world cup, by altruistically renouncing her clothes – an instance of the medium stealing all the attention and the message getting lost in the bargain!
And to imagine when we were kids, it used to be just the tiny flags and buttons distributed at school, to show our solidarity for a national cause.
Panning back to now, Japan has been flooded with support messages in the wake of the earthquake and Tsunami. And as one of the Japanese lingerie brands unsurprisingly found out, what canvas could be closer to the heart than a corset to showcase these generous outpours - thus consoling one’s heart every time one bends to the pressures of daily life? What better morale booster to convey universal sympathy than a product designed to boost more than just egos?
Yet, last week wasn’t the first time that the bra buckled up for a cause in the intertwined history of underwear and noble causes. The bra was indeed the legendary icon of extremist communication in the late seventies – the mythical burning of which at the stakes of feminism proclaimed freedom from a disconcerting implement that was used to buttress the subservient female ego.
With this latest canvas for graffiti, we are leaving behind the era of those T-shirts and wristbands with poignant messages. Rather, we have unbuttoned a dramatic opportunity to communicate support, perversely hoping that the message doesn’t go unnoticed after all. How much deeper, how much more impactful can it get from here onwards? May be a tattoo that pulsates with the heart, peeking out err... speaking out from beneath the underwear?
Just getting ideas, you see!

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