Indian WAGs are no fashionistas,so why burden them with the tag They are not fashionistas,they do not teeter in Jimmy Choos,Seven For Mankind jeans or Versace dresses. Nor do they wear luxury bags,shoes,sunglasses,berets or watches. On the contrary,their presence in the high-vaulted club of Wives and Girlfriends (WAGS) of cricketers has only been marked by non-branded,perhaps oversized,sunglasses (Sakshi Dhoni) or quilted bags which Aarti Sehwag likes to carry. Anjali Tendulkar has always been a kurti or a shirt-with-trousers lady,never experimental,flashy or look-at-me. The term fashionista sits inappropriately on them,just an international fashion trend forced on them. Spouses of Indian cricketers Sakshi Dhoni or Aarti Sehwag hardly qualify as society girls who should be assessed for their hair,nails,brand and partying ethic. They have seldom been seen at champagne lunches wearing designer gowns. They are either stay-at-home wives or have successful careers to boot. One cant call them fashionistas. They do not make any kind of fashion statement either politically or socially, says designer Urvashi Kaur. The acronym WAG entered popular vocabulary during the 2006 World Cup in Germany when the spa town Baden-Baden was overrun by the stylish spouses of English footballers. Victoria Beckham led the way with her shopping and partying exploits that threatened to overshadow the action on the pitch. The Queen of WAGs helped coin this term and is now WAG icon with her own fashion line. The image of a WAG is set as someone super skinny,tanned or bronzed,made-up,with French or painted nails,and hair extensions,and is a huge spender. She is a high-maintenance woman who makes the most of her husbands moolah. Though cricketing WAGs are not as glamourous as their soccer counterparts,English and South African girls are becoming stars in their own right. The International Cricket Cutie Award 2011 lists the hot contenders lingerie model Jessica Taylor,wife of England player Kevin Pietersen,TV star Kacey Barnfield,girlfriend of England pace ace Stuart Broad,Chantal Bastock,English batsman Ian Bells girlfriend,and Team India Captain MS Dhonis wife Sakshi Dhoni,who is propped as one of the hottest Indian WAG. She is cute,attractive and looks a bit out there,though she needs grooming. Obviously,the pressure will be on her this time, says designer Nida Mahmood. If there was ever an Indian WAG,it was definitely Sangeeta Bijlani (wife of Md Azharuddin) who has a great sense of style. It helps that she has a film background and understands fashion, says designer Reynu Tandon. And lets not forget Deepika Padukone and Kim Sharma who have allegedly dated the men in blue. Fashion entrepreneur Harmeet Bajaj makes a clinching point. One doesnt need to be glamorous to become a fashionista. The wives of Indian cricketers are not society girls,so they do not make an attempt to be part of the scene. It is also a reflection of the cricketers who like to go for quieter girls,save a Yuvraj Singh or Harbhajan Singh,who are flamboyant and dont mind being photographed with their Bollywood girlfriends Kim Sharma or Geeta Basra, she says. Mahmood agrees: None of the girls is fashionable,they are known because of who they married, she says. The Indian Cricket Cutie Award goes to no one.
