HARARE - Having attended several burials at the National Heroes acre were heels, sun glasses, lipstick, makeup, long nails, and swanky clothes are the affair, I never thought the trend would infiltrate into ordinary funerals.
I was in for a surprise last week when I visited a friend as she was preparing to attend a funeral.
Now, as I said, this lady is my friend and I have known her for some time, so yes, I know most of her clothes.
Having said that, I will give it to you straight, the girl wore her absolute Sunday best… to her grandfather’s funeral.
This good friend of mine felt she had to carry her latest Channel bag, smell like a Paco Rabane perfume lab, be all Mac lips and Victoria Secret’s undies.
While there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, I felt this was over the top for a funeral.
Most Zimbabwean women like me have grown up in conservative families and it is given that when going to a funeral one has be at their most modest state.
Racheal Bungare, a local pastor told EyesShot glamming up for funerals is disrespectful to the dead.
“I have seen this trend officiating at most funerals. Some of these ladies will be struggling to walk in their shoes and it is sad really because a funeral is a place to pay your last respects period.
“If you feel like being a fashion mannequin why not attend a fashion show instead?” Bungare said.
According to an online etiquette blog, entitled Etiquette Daily some people wear certain clothes to remember their deceased loved ones.
“While you will never go wrong with the black colour, my informal survey suggests that, these days, bright colours are considered appropriate if the clothing is in good taste.
“It really comes down to respect and personal choice. Some women I talked to said, for them, a funeral service is a celebration of the deceased person’s life, and therefore they would not wear black. One woman told me that she donned a red dress for her best friend’s funeral because it was her pal’s favourite colour,” the blog said.
Ultimately, your decision should factor in the expectations of the bereaved family and the location of the event (is it a religious service or at a place of worship, or a eulogy at a funeral home or other venue?), and your own views about death.
However, Loveness Mpofu, a local woman said dressing for funerals these days determines the type of respect one inspires at funerals these days.
“I once donned my drab black “funeral dress” and made my way to a deceased relative’s funeral and got the shock of my life.
“For starters, the length of my dress disqualified me as a serious mourner. Secondly, the fact that when I arrived the atmosphere had not been polluted by the smell of diesel or petrol relegated me to the ranks of the “nobodies” at the funeral,” Mpofu said.
She said the “important” people at funerals these days have hefty price tags on their backs and have the latest cars.
The woman said most funerals have become a place to flaunt wealth and give relatives a progress update on ones advancement on the social ladder.
Kurauwone Kuzinzwa also told EyeShot that the real mourners at funerals these days are the immediate family of the deceased.
“The rest of the people come for various reasons and the wealthy mostly come to flex their muscle to poor relatives and show them they run the families.
“If a wealthy relative does not come, the funeral will literally come to a standstill and events will only go smoothly when the wealthy arrive,” Kuzvinzwa said.
Sad as it may seem, the reporter established that most attend funerals to show off their various wealth stands.