A model’s take on the Fashion Show

One World Week is the largest student-run festival in Warwick. It reflects the diversity of cultures on campus by organising events throughout a week. One of the most famous and anticipated of them all is undeniably the Fashion Show.

For the show, every cultural society that is interested in participating can put up a two and a half minutes routine to showcase their traditional clothing, music and dances.

One of my friends being the fresher’s representative for the Arabic Society, I got lured into modelling for it. I had already done some modelling in the past but I was still very apprehensive.

To be honest, I had never worn any kind of traditional costume before and it felt strange the first time I put my outfit on. But when I looked at myself in the mirror, I found it really beautiful.

A surprising feeling of pride took over the discomfort. I was proud of representing such a rich culture. I was also proud of wearing this outfit in front of other people as a way of identifying myself according to my origins and heritage.

This event, however, did much more than reminding each and everyone of us where we came from. It showed us that despite being so different and coming from such different backgrounds, we could all come together very smoothly.

The moment before show, backstage, was one of the most astonishing gatherings I had ever seen. It was an explosion of colours, music and dances. It was as if, for one night, we could all be united in our differences. And as I stood there, I understood the meaning of the “One World Week” appellation.

We were truly one, even if we came from all over the world. Even in our dissimilarities, we were all there, in the same room, preparing for the same event, feeling the same anxiety.

We are all students of the same university, and while we have so much in common, this night was not about that. This night was about putting forward what is different, what sets us apart, what makes us who we are.

There is a big lesson to draw from this: We are beautiful in our individualities. We have so much to learn and give and our society would be much better-off embracing our uniqueness instead of trying to make us all fit in the same box.