The politics of style

Mayawati, the country's first Dalit woman chief minister, wants to be the Prime Minister some time in the near future. Not bad for someone who is only 52 years old, has consistently shown political acumen and, by most accounts, amassed a large fortune from nothing. None of this should be scoffed at. Her sense of dressing, on the other hand...the less said the better.

Mayawati, in the past, has tried to shed her oily ponytail for a short hairstyle, probably to express her growing political stature; it worked well then. But with her ambitions of occupying 7, Race Course Road, her style, be it hair or clothes or even the solitaires, no longer works.

The golden rule of power dressing is that you should start dressing the part much before you get it. Sonia Gandhi started emulating her mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi's style of dressing long before she took up any post in the Congress party.

Her message, if anyone was willing to read, was loud and clear: she was the natural heir to Indira's legacy. Since then Sonia has rarely moved an inch from the carefully crafted style script. And it has served her well.

Mayawati, on the other hand, looks like a Hindi-belt politician who is trying hard to reach the national stage. Whatever be her politics, Dalit or inclusive, the way she puts her look together is going to go a long way in how she is perceived, specially by PLUs.

But that alone is not the reason Mayawati needs a second makeover. Her first makeover, when she shed her ponytail, signalled her rise and rise. Her second (and it should happen soon) needs to be in sync with what India now perceives itself to be: a resurgent economy which the entire world is looking at with eager expectation.

The next Prime Minister of this country needs to be able to meld with India's new identity and in this new identity may have fewer preoccupations (at least on the surface) with caste and gender but more with something as basic as appearance.

The new Indian is looks and appearance obsessed. After 50 years of socialism, this country is making up for lost time. Walk into any mall and the surging mass of humanity inside may give the mistaken impression that goods were being given away free of cost. Such is the enthusiasm to look good and the need to upgrade one's wardrobe every few days.

Mayawati, like a good politician, understands symbolism; on her birthday celebration this year, a Brahmin leader was the first to finger-feed her cake. Now, the time has come for her to understand this symbolic gesture of changing her look to suit a pan-Indian status that she so yearns. Dressing for success is half the battle won.