Grace Hopper Celebrations India Conference. The largest meet up of women in technology in India. An event where only 200 girl students in India the field of science and technology will get the opportunity to participate, and I was one among them. I jumped with joy. I couldn’t believe that I was selected. A fully funded event that can dd so much of value to my resume. I ran to my parents with the happy news but they were not happy with what I got. “Why going to Bangalore? This is just something that they do to grab media attention. Don’t go.” I felt disappointed. But I didn’t want to give up. Anyway, my travel expenses are covered. Now all I need is a pair of good dress. But how will I buy them? I was sure that my parents won't give me money to buy it. The only solution in front of me was the RJ Hunt competition that will be happening the next day at a nearby college. I participated, won the second prize of Rs.2000/-. Now all I need is a good dress.
That was the first time me buying a dress. Coming from a rural area in Kerala, wearing a dress was like a dream for me. I went to many shops but couldn’t find anyone that I liked. As a final try, I went to the Pantaloons store at Kanjikuzhy in Kottayam. I searched for a couple of formal dresses and suddenly fall in love with a peter pan collared navy blue from the Annabelle series of Pantaloons. It was cute, formal and elegant.
I wore the dress proudly not only because I looked good in it but also because that was the first dress that I brought, that too with my own money. I participated in GHCI wearing that dress and the kind of confidence that dress gave me was immense. Earlier I was worried about my body and about how I looked but this time I flew freely without even bothering about how I looked because I knew that I was looking powerful in that dress.
Wearing a dress might not be a big deal for many but for many people, it can be a life-changing opportunity. That dress changed the way I looked at my body. I learned to love my body and moreover, to love myself.