My simple dress up - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
Different cultures have different customs. Therefore it leads to how the way people think, behave and see something; in this case, is a housewife which is a married woman in the people's eyes. Why does a housewife need to dress up? What is it for?
Some of you may think it is a silly question since a housewife is a woman and basically, a woman takes lots of care about their appearance: what dress they should wear including color, material, design et cetera; put on makeup, updo the hair, dye the hair, et cetera. Unfortunately, as I mention above is that where we come from influences the way people see a woman who is a housewife or nowadays we call a housemaker. Back then in the place where I grew up, once when a woman get married, mostly abandoned something that they used to pay attention for instance wearing a nice and neat dress, intending to make a clean hairstyle; in sort words, they care about their appearance before hold a title "a wife." The reason was simple; a wife should not do those things anymore because taking care of the household and family is the top priority. Furthermore, a married woman does not have to be attractive anymore. It sounds ridiculous in my eyes and I object to this perspective.
Someday someone I know asked me, "Why do you want to buy a blazer, what is it for?" Considering that I have always been at home and a blazer is identical to a career woman; so a blazer is unnecessary for me who is a housewife. In general speaking, married women from the place I come from easily pick clothes in daily life, for instance, comfortable dresses usually sleepwear which is a loose fit, a T-shirt, and pants which are basically sleepwear. Meanwhile for me, having at least one blazer in my closet is essential. I would rather wear this type of cloth than a common jacket one example hoody jacket when doing airplane travel. Besides wearing it during travel, I need a blazer for some occasions such as visiting a government agency and other occasions. Some people may walk into a government office building with a casual look by wearing a T-shirt, but not me. I do still remember, during my university life, every time we attended class, we, students, must wear nice neat clothes on us for instance female students wore blouses or shirts with a trouser or a midi skirt or skirt below the knee. Walking to the class with T-shirt and putting on a sandal without a sling wasn't acceptable and the lecturer would kick us out of the class. Wow, it was rigid.😅 I guess those are for our own good as students which means we have to dress up properly on campus to show that students are intelligent creatures; the future of the world on their shoulders and the ones who would build and lift up humanity. If we visit a beach, a T-shirt and sandals or flip-flops are the best. So, my point is that married women and especially those who are housemaker, they need to respect themselves and show what the best they are. One of the acts that could apply is to start by dressing up at home.
I grew up in a community where many looked down on housewives/ homemakers. Even though those housewives run a business at home or playing role in the community, still many say these women do not have a job as the culture portrays a career woman is one who works outside the house. However, if a homemaker levels up their appearance, it will change people's perspective and lead to gaining more confidence, trust, and respect from society. Yeah, a small act of dressing up is able to alter the way people think about housemaker. But do not get it wrong that a homemaker/ housewife needs to dress up to satisfy others. No; the reason is to get the benefits and take advantage of them. For instance to connect with people who are able to elevate skills, and knowledge, or at least to find a community who walk on the same page. Finding the right community, and the right friends are the most crucial moment as they would help in the development and improvement of the housewife. In another word, a housewife needs to empower themselves. I have seen some cases around me where a housewife feels powerless and insecure. This is a serious issue in a society where someday I found that a married woman had kept the married vow even though her husband cheated and was violent to her for years. She worried about so many things if they divorced. This is a real issue for some or many women out there. Some people say married women need to dress up to avoid a cheat that could their husband does. I disagree with this view. For any married woman out there, please do not ever think that a wife needs to dress up for the husband; NO, ladies. The purpose why a housemaker/ housewife gets dressed nice and neat is to give respect to yourselves as I mentioned earlier. Furthermore, use it to gain confidence, trust, and achievement; get the power from it and become a smart and strong woman. On top of that, with that possession, you have never been afraid of the word "divorce." Of course, when a couple takes a vow, they want to stay until death. However, in the journey, in some cases, inevitable events occur. As a result unexpected divorce could happen. So, dressing up has the ability to level up a woman's degree? That's it! Yes! Be a strong woman and empower yourself!👊💪
Today, we are in the 21st century where many women hold certifications, degrees, and skills in many fields, isn't it? If we are searching or googling we could easily find plenty of married women who not only take care of their family and do housework but also hold achievements and dedicate themselves to building up a better society. Judging by their look when you meet them outdoors somewhere, you would not notice they are housemakers. Our world changes rapidly. If we do not change, it means we are just someone who is left behind. And I am glad that I decided to move out from my father's house at 16 years old as I chose to study at university on another island where I met lots of people. From there, I have learned not only to become smart but also an optimistic, resilient, and determined person.
The Journey of Ichi's Family - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
Based on my experiences, a housewife is able to look properly even at home by choosing a simple design yet appealing. One example, wearing a simple short-sleeve or sleeveless blouse along with an A-line skirt below the knee or right on the knees (whether bold color, light, or printed); you could wear a culotte with a light v-neck or front button blouse, or one-piece dress with A-line design and sash belt on the waist. For me, I do not recommend hot pants and a mini skirt at home. How about T-shirt?🤔 Well, nowadays, I am not a fan of the T-shirt as my daily look; unless I feel sick and need bed rest then a loose-fit T-shirt is my choice or sleepwear is nice too. Besides considering the simple design, choosing comfortable material is essential. Personally, cotton is my favorite material as it is comfortable because I need to cook and do house chores!🤗 However, I change clothes at noon because hot weather we have here. Well, talking about makeup, to be honest, I am not that good to apply those things on my face as I have sensitive skin. Therefore, I only have 5 to 7 things: moisturizer (or it could be tint moisturizer), powder, pencil eyebrow, mascara, lipgloss, and eye shadow; hm actually I use 2 or 3 colors of eye shadow is enough for me. Well, many times I can go without powder which means only tint moisturizer.😅 Polishing nails is also something that I like to do since I design flower ribbon a few years back; sadly, nowadays I could not do that as hand sanitizer affect my nail polish. Apart from my sensitive skin, at home, do not overdo makeup like we are going to a night party. Moreover, updo your hair nice and clean; a ponytail for long or medium hair length is an easy one plus when doing house chores your hair won't messy. One more thing is that flip-flop is not my cup of tea since I earned money at 11 years old. Even though going to the market nearby I would rather put on my flat shoes or my sneakers. Some people feel comfort by wearing slippers or shower slide sandals on daily use when going out one example to the market or go on shopping, but not me. I do have slippers but I use them inside the house. Another thing is that do we need to put on jewelry at home? Well, just a pair of earrings is a good idea; and please do not be too crowded; wear earrings, some rings, some bracelets, and a necklace. Yeah, if you do that you like a Christmas tree.🙄
The Journey of Ichi's Family - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
It sounds easy to look gorgeous at home without overdoing it, isn't it? To transform into this "stunning look" needs some money, right? Well, in my experience, we could find budget clothes yet elegant; many I find in sales. The key is to find your style which means you must know what is the best design that suits your body. Meanwhile for makeup, unlike many women who like to collect lots of makeup items, my tint moisturizer is enough for 3 months. So, for me, it is not a big deal to buy face accessories.
So, wake up in the morning and get ready! A wisdom that I had heard in the past is waking in the morning, getting dressed up, and starting the day early will lead us to success in the future. Do you agree? I am 101% agree!🌞👊
Note:
- Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
- Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
- Do not copy this article without permission
- Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission
