They don’t need your bedazzled gowns

Social media has been very busy enabling people from all over the world to reach out to victims of typhoon Yolanda, which is said to be the strongest to make landfall in recorded history. Twitter, in particular, has been instrumental in rounding up a more global action plan, with celebrities from Ellen DeGeneres to Cameron Diaz to Sophia Bush to Neil Gaiman mapping out clear instructions for anyone who wants to send help to the Philippines.

These stars, many previously MIA from our newsfeeds, were suddenly everywhere — meanwhile, here in Manila, pleas for discretion on social media have been voiced out. “We don’t want to see your photos partying it up in da club,” a passive-aggressive Facebook post read.  Another noted: “Please, ‘wag muna kayo mag post ng pagkain at makeup sa Instagram.” Palahaniuk was right — in society circles, absent is the new present.

On the local front, interspersed between some of the most heartbreaking photos and stories relating to the disaster were nuggets of comic relief . The day following Yolanda’s ungraceful exit, several memes bearing the face of news reporter Atom Araullo, whose death-defying on-site news coverage of the storm at once baffled and impressed the public, surfaced. “Bagyo ka lang, guwapo ako,” one said. Parody celebrity accounts churned out their usual 143 characters of wit and/or cold attempts at humor, prompting dialogues among their followers on whether their jokes are “too soon.”

Speaking of dialogues, at an event I attended recently, a group of lifestyle media discussed donating items to organizations or holding a benefit sale to raise funds for the typhoon victims. The discussion dwelled in particular on what to donate and the conclusion was clear: they don’t need sequined ball gowns. Well obviously, one would think, but apparently some are still throwing their couture into the bundle.

The clichéd adage “Beggars can’t be choosers” doesn’t apply here; the victims of the typhoon are not beggars, they are people who’ve had their entire lives pulled out from underneath them by 195 mph winds. The last thing they need is an emerald green mermaid dress with a plunging back, and no, not even if they come with Manolos to match.

The fashion world, often dismissed as cold, shallow and insensitive, has also gathered its best resources, that is, its connections to those who have more to spare, to raise funds. Fashion Gives Back will be holding a Mass on Nov. 17 at the Landmark Makati Chapel and cash or check donations will be accepted (check the hashtag #FashionGivesBack for details). Fashion for a Cause, a benefit show that will be participated in by local designers, will be held on Nov. 24 and proceeds from the show will go directly to victims of the typhoon. A sale of limited-edition artist-signed prints of supermodel Naomi Campbell ended on midnight of Wednesday. The sale was organized by half-Filipino photographer John Paul Pietrus. “I still have a lot of family in the Philippines,” he told Harper’s Bazaar. “One of my auntie’s home towns was completely destroyed and flattened to the ground and obviously she’s lost a lot of things dear to her, including her friends.” Proceeds from the sale will go to the Red Cross.

In a state of calamity, we’re forced to think of what’s important. Suddenly we’re amateur doomsday preppers, filling up an emergency bag with essentials. Suddenly inflatable armbands are out-of-stock at the hardware store. Suddenly water-refilling stations are enjoying longer queues than IHOP.

Somewhere beneath the rubble is a lesson: maybe it’s not that we’ve been living our lives the wrong way, but more of doing this one thing right. Whether it’s a wave of compassion or a deluge of guilt that’s prompting us to take action is another demon for another day; for now and for once, it’s material things that matter to those who have been left with nothing. The sudden need to give away our party dresses, our lipsticks, our handbags, is a good sign that we’ve uncovered something real here — but if you’ve realized that they’re not important to you, then there won’t be any use for them. It’s the simple things, it always is.