sartorial musings : fashion braces, a killer trend

Colour! Bow ties! Frilly socks! Fingerless gloves!

Yes, fashion can be a lot of fun when we want it to be. But I am not here to discuss frivolous things like fingerless gloves, or those cute scarves that have little pockets at the ends that you can slip your hands into on a chilly morning (although I may have to come back to those another time, just because they are so damn adorable!). I am here to discuss dangerous fashion. And I don’t mean “dangerous” like “You are lookin’ DANGEROUS, GURL!” way. I mean just plain and simple hazardous fashion.

The dangerous fashion item in question are braces- not the suspenders for your pants (although they can be a bit dangerous if you snap one and it flicks you in the face), but the orthodontic braces for your teeth. Apparently they have become a popular fashion accessory for trendy young girls over the last few years in places like Thailand, China and Indonesia, who have been getting braces and brackets glued onto their teeth purely for the sake of looking cute.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I think of braces it just brings to mind those horrifying Dolly Doctor Q&A’s like “Dear Dolly Doctor, I really want to pash my bf but we both have braces. Will our teeth get stuck together?” or that awkward scene in “Sex And The City” where Miranda has to get adult braces for her tongue thrusting syndrome, and she goes on that date and gets black caviar all up in her grill. TOTES EMBARRASSING. In Western civilisation, tooth braces have always been the bane of the teenage existence, not something to be coveted.

It has been surmised that the reason behind the popularity of the tooth brace trend is that braces are really expensive; therefore if you are wearing braces it indicates that you are wealthy enough to afford them. It is also a bit of a cultural flow-on trend thing; like a lot of still-developing countries, the fashion trends in Thailand are heavily influenced by western society, and some Thai girls want to “westernise” themselves. This is also evident through the popularity of blue or green-coloured fake contact lenses, skin-whitening lotions and even plastic surgery to make the eyes appear rounder. The braces in question are not for orthodontic purposes like fixing an overbite or straightening the teeth; they are purely cosmetic, and come in a range of colours and shapes (including Hello Kitty and Micky Mouse ones!).

If done properly in a dental surgery, tooth braces can cost upwards of $1,200. For a family or individual that is not wealthy, this is simply not an option. Yet instead of missing out altogether and risking falling behind the latest trend, girls are risking their health and getting their braces glued on by entrepreneurs in dodgy back alleys at flea markets for a tenth of the price. As far as anyone can tell, the braces look real. The problem lies in the serious health issues that are arising as a result of these “underground braces.”

Even legitimate braces can cause problems such as painful mouth ulcers and cut lips, and these are applied in a sterile environment using proper instruments. Dodgy braces come with a whole other set of health concerns, including blood poisoning, damaged nerves in the mouth, systemic infection and even dangers associated with swallowing fittings that come loose due to improper application. Two girls in Thailand died in 2009 as a result of these dodgy braces (a 17 year-old died from an infected thyroid and subsequent heart failure and a 14 year-old’s death was linked to dodgy braces from an open air market stall).

Fortunately, this trend is not something that the health authorities in Thailand are simply ignoring; the government have now completely banned the sale, production and importation of fashion braces, and anyone caught selling them is up for a fine of 50,000 baht (or $1300) and a minimum six-month prison sentence (importers and producers can face up to twelve months in prison).

Fashion is all fun and games until someone’s thyroid gets infected and leads to a fatal heart attack. I think we can only hope that this trend eventually gets replaced with something a bit more harmless, like, I don’t know, polka dots. And try to sidestep fashion trends that are going to put your health in obvious danger. Stay safe, fashionistas!

By Jane Boulton

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