An image circulating social media, featuring a young bride painfully heaving heaps of dowry as well as her groom, caught the internet in a frenzy. The image was originally from Designer Ali Xeeshan’s “Numaish”, a specter presented in a fashion show. The exhibit is a collaboration with UN Women Pakistan and is part of their campaign “Jahez Khori Band Karo” (Stop Dowry-Mongering). It aims to spread awareness about the evils of dowry and the financial as well as moral pressure that it imposes on the woman’s side within a marriage.
Dowry, defined simply, is the transfer of substantial and valuable goods from the bride’s family to the groom’s family which serves the purpose of consolidating and solidifying marital bonds. In practice, however, the culturally predominant ritual of the awarding of dowry to the groom’s family has conventionally harrowed the future socioeconomic standing and financial security of the bride’s family. The bride’s family feels pressurized to provide their daughter with expensive and precious commodities so that their daughter is accepted by her future family-in-law. However, the groom’s family believes that it is their true and valid birthright to demand high-priced dowry for their son, who deserves to be showered in exorbitant treasures simply because he is a man.
Due to the distress and the difficulty this age-old tradition of dowry entails, there have been several attempts throughout Pakistan’s history to eradicate this exercise. Ali Xeeshan’s depiction of dowry is another addition to a long list of campaigns already present focusing on the evils of dowry. Similarly, the law called the ‘Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act’ passed in 1967, restricted the financial expenditure on dowry to Rs. 5000. Similarly, Balochistan passed the ‘BalochistanDowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Rules’ in 1981 and Punjab banned dowry through the ‘Punjab Marriage Functions Act’. Sadly, none of the campaigns or the bills or laws passed in the assembly have been able to legally criminalize this tragic tradition as no amendments regarding this unlawful practice have been made official in the legislation.
People showed their support towards the campaign by condemning the practice of dowry and trended hashtags such as “#SayNoToDowry” and “#JahezKhoriBandKaro” to unify their voice. A Twitter user tweeted “Stop dowry system. It’s a curse on girls.Just because of this system parents kill their daughters in [the] womb.”
Another user also commented on how the exhibition resonated with the plight of so many women. As such he said, “The story of apathetic society and millions of miserable daughters in [these] pictures.”
As much as this exhibition aroused support amongst people, it became a contentious issue as well. Some support the rightfully unpleasant depiction of this malignant parasite named dowry while others have turned the focus of the subject towards the designer himself, who is being charged with hypocrisy.
One such Twitter user tweeted “Isn’t it hypocrisy when Ali Xeeshan selling bridal dresses for hundreds of thousands of rupees (Indian rupees), million in Pak rupees and same time promoting against dowry?
Another Twitter user was much subtler about his criticism and said “The recent campaign against dowry is impactful. So I looked up the designer Ali Xeeshan.Google took me to his bridal collection. One would have to sell their kidney to buy this dress. *cough*”
Such criticisms came from the sentiment that some artists use social issues as a capitalizing tool to maximize their profits. While many brands in the past have used issues like women empowerment and colorism to promote their own products, according to Xeeshan, he is not forcing anyone to buy his clothes. In a video posted by the Independent Urdu, he responded to the backlash by clarifying that expensive outfits and dowry are “two very different things. [Designing outfits] is his business and no one is compelled [to buy them]”. He even said that if someone were to ask him if they should buy his clothes or educate their daughter, he would tell them to educate their daughter.
It cannot be denied that dowry is an age-old social tradition that is eating up the fortunes of millions of families across Pakistan. Most of the brides’ families have accepted their fate as such and Ali Xeeshan’scampaign has undoubtedly sparked a debate generating awareness regarding this topic which can be considered a step towards betterment in these challenging times.
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