<p>A British film star recently revealed that throughout the London lockdown she and her family dressed glamorously at home. “I put on red lipstick every day and every bit of Chanel that I have in my cupboard,” said the actress. Her husband wore bright Gucci suits and their little daughter was in elegant apparel. Grandly attired, they bounced up and down on their garden trampoline.</p>.<p>This way of coping with quarantine seems excessive. How many of us can afford to shop at European fashion houses? There is, however, something in what the celebrity says. The awareness that one is looking good serves as a morale booster, especially in dismal situations. </p>.<p><span class="italic"><em>What Katy Did</em></span>, a 19th-century children’s classic by Susan Coolidge, endorses this view. Energetic young Katy is confined to bed with a back injury and deeply depressed. At this abysmal point in her life, she is visited by her cousin. Helen (an invalid) is distressed to see what Katy is doing to herself. The 12-year-old girl has red circles under her eyes from crying. She keeps running her fingers impatiently through her hair so that it sticks out like a bush. Helen observes that Katy’s nightgown is ‘particularly ugly in pattern’. </p>.<p>“A sick person ought to be as fresh and dainty as a rose,” Helen admonishes Katy. She adds that, after an accident, she herself had been a dreadful sight. It was her father who, long ago, had urged her to be neat and tidy. Ever since Helen has taken care of herself and is always well-groomed. Katy takes this advice to heart and improves holistically. </p>.<p>We all understand the value of inner beauty, but externals are important too. In these demoralising times, it is easy to let ourselves become flabby and shabby. The need of the hour is neither to eat too much nor exercise too little. As for clothes, we can be simply, yet smartly turned out, without designer wardrobes. Let us attend to our appearance.</p>
<p>A British film star recently revealed that throughout the London lockdown she and her family dressed glamorously at home. “I put on red lipstick every day and every bit of Chanel that I have in my cupboard,” said the actress. Her husband wore bright Gucci suits and their little daughter was in elegant apparel. Grandly attired, they bounced up and down on their garden trampoline.</p>.<p>This way of coping with quarantine seems excessive. How many of us can afford to shop at European fashion houses? There is, however, something in what the celebrity says. The awareness that one is looking good serves as a morale booster, especially in dismal situations. </p>.<p><span class="italic"><em>What Katy Did</em></span>, a 19th-century children’s classic by Susan Coolidge, endorses this view. Energetic young Katy is confined to bed with a back injury and deeply depressed. At this abysmal point in her life, she is visited by her cousin. Helen (an invalid) is distressed to see what Katy is doing to herself. The 12-year-old girl has red circles under her eyes from crying. She keeps running her fingers impatiently through her hair so that it sticks out like a bush. Helen observes that Katy’s nightgown is ‘particularly ugly in pattern’. </p>.<p>“A sick person ought to be as fresh and dainty as a rose,” Helen admonishes Katy. She adds that, after an accident, she herself had been a dreadful sight. It was her father who, long ago, had urged her to be neat and tidy. Ever since Helen has taken care of herself and is always well-groomed. Katy takes this advice to heart and improves holistically. </p>.<p>We all understand the value of inner beauty, but externals are important too. In these demoralising times, it is easy to let ourselves become flabby and shabby. The need of the hour is neither to eat too much nor exercise too little. As for clothes, we can be simply, yet smartly turned out, without designer wardrobes. Let us attend to our appearance.</p>