[#Fashion] The Tilting Heads Phenomenon: Why Women Tilt Their Heads in Photos and Selfies

The latest fashion trend amongst women is an interesting tilt – women are increasingly seen tilting their heads sideways while taking photographs or selfies. It seems the conventional pose of facing the camera straight has been left for the bewildered men while women have started tilting their heads at varying degrees and looking at the camera in some mischievous ways which others can’t understand at all. Men are totally baffled about what has gotten into the female head. They could understand the ‘duck face’ as well as the ‘fish pout’ but now these tilting faces? It does not make any sense at all!

I tried to read what others think about it. Majority of observers say that it is just a body language which sends out a message of being ‘non-threatening’. But I think this is an 18^th century explanation to a 21^st century phenomenon. If women needed to indicate ‘non-threatening’ sign this way, they would have invented the ‘tilting head’ pose hundreds of years ago. Why wait for the Selfie cameras to arrive? Also, who are the girls sending ‘non-threatening’ signs to while they tilt heads in ‘selfies’?

When we tilt our head, it naturally makes our face appear leaner. So can this ‘tilting head’ phenomenon be attributed to a cover-up act by those with round faces which in turn indicates a ‘healthier’ person? (Btw, in the world of fashion, looking ‘healthy’ is a sin. To fit into those latest dresses, you need to appear a bit sick to get closer to your skeleton which is ‘size-zero’. When your mother or grand-mother starts worrying about your health you can be assured that your friends and peers would have started envying you.)

I used to believe in above theory until I saw my nephew. He is a cute little angel but when he appears in a photograph he tilts his head at one side and gives an expression of immense love and affection. Learning from his pose I came to conclusion about why women would tilt their heads. They think that the ‘tilting head with a smiling face’ pose sends out love and affection! But then why didn’t women of previous generation invent this pose? May be because they were too conventional – and looking straight in camera is a conventional pose.

For women of previous generation, the most important priority of life was to appear and lead life of a ‘good woman’. And hence even a slight tilt of head could be seen as digression and better be avoided. Women of this generation are least bothered about what others think of them while most bothered about how they are looking (which may appear ironical but it is not).

We can also look at it this way. Once upon a time, women lived under strict discipline and kept their heads ‘low’. Then came a generation of well-educated career women who kept their heads ‘straight’. And now comes a generation of women spoilt with choices like never before and hence they are tilting their heads ‘sideways’.

In the end, I think the most convincing answer would be – it is just a stupid craze. That is what most fashion trends are. After a while women would get bored tilting heads and they would start looking straight again. And then life would be simple again for some time.

- Rahul

[Fashion] Trending: Men With Beards!

Here, I take a self-assigned avatar of a fashion commentator and observer and comment on the latest trend :)

If you observe, 'beard' is in trend recently. In ads, media, sports, and in real life, more men are seen keeping beards of different shapes and sizes. Except that too long a beard is still avoided since it generates 'religious' vibes; although no hygiene concerns yet which I think it genuinely possesses. French beard which was fashionable earlier is now seen as the "same old rut" - i.e. limited in creativity and variations. An interesting trend is a medium size one complemented with a 'proper' mustache - as Pierce Brosnan is seen sporting in the picture. That is revival of an old style. Another observation is that an increase in length of a beard has resulted in hair on the head to remain short - which otherwise some men used to grow longer a few years ago.

Beard has always been recommended to some men; as it makes them appear 'better groomed'. Especially for men with too thin faces, e.g. actor Aditya Roy Kapoor, or too small faces, e.g. Virat Kohli, or too regular a face, e.g. Abhishek Bachchan and Arjun Kapoor. A beard has not always been seen as a tool to hide or improvise over a regular face into one which can be taken more seriously by others. Handsome men in all ages have given beard an air of dignity and gravity which I think it truly deserves.

Traditionally a beard symbolizes 'wisdom' which comes with 'seniority' - since boys can't have it and only grown up men have it. Young men are always sensitive about their facial hair as they see it as a symbol of 'masculinity'. Bigger the better - denser, the mightier. Boys will be boys - and there is nothing you can do about it if you don't have it in you yet despite reaching the right age. So while historically, beard has been seen as connected with masculinity, what does the current 'trend' - return of the beard - indicate?

I think the current popular trend of keeping beard and its slight increase in length is connected to diminishing role of men and their masculinity in society. Men are feeling slightly marginalized, with women achieving greater than ever power both in the work place and in the matters of the home - thanks to the trend which is now a norm of so called 'working women'. Increasingly men are feeling less empowered in taking decisions independently. And hence, in the popular trend, have started 'exerting' their masculinity in the form of a 'symbolism' of beard!

So where does this symbolism and gesturing lead us to? Will it result in men 'resisting' the flow or direction in which society is heading? Only time can tell, but I believe this trend is a kind of balancing act and it can help men 'settle down' with the situation better. A beard, after all, if it makes men feel more confident, then unless they start feeling 'too confident' about themselves, is a harmless 'sport' after all.

Let men grow beard if they like to. It is good for FMCG business anyway :)

- Written by Rahul Tiwary (All personal opinion - let me know your 'reactions' :)