In solidarity with international women’s day celebration, it’s almost impossible for me not to talk about an issue that has for long been ignored yet very much prevailing in our societies and in a culture such as ours.
I don’t want to talk about sex (that’s a subject for another day) but I’m talking about something close to that – indecent dressing. Issues bordering on dressing are personal issues and I don’t intend to violate any person(s) rights especially the rights of women so I will try to stay in the confines of what is acceptable to all so here we go.
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th edition, “indecent” means showing that part of the body that is usually covered. Thus, “indecent dressing” is a dressing that exposes some parts of the body that ought to be covered by clothing.
Indecent dressing though not peculiar to the womenfolk, centers mostly on the female gender. The way most ladies (even young girls) dress seductively in our streets and learning institutions is very appalling.
What they call skirts that they wear is just “one inch” longer than their pants. When they put on such dresses, they struggle to sit down, find difficulty in climbing (okada) or crossing gutters as well as pick anything from the ground.
Apart from the skimpy and tight fitting nature of these dresses, they are again transparent; revealing certain parts of the bodies that under normal dressing patterns ought to be hidden away from the glare of people.
Many because of how they dressed had at one time or the other been abused, become victims of rape, sexually harassed, lured into prostitution and even used for ritual purpose.
Ordinarily, most unscrupulous men cannot behave decently even with decently dressed women, how much more indecently dressed ones? Though a lady is at perfect liberty to choose her own mode of dressing, the fact remains that indecently revealing dressing is an open invitation for (avoidable) trouble.
The behavior of indecent dressing did not develop overnight. It is an accumulated behavioral pattern that could be attributed to poor parenting in the home, moral decadency in our society, peer pressure, the desire to belong and the effect of importation of wrong values from the west.
The issue of indecent dressing ordinarily should easily be addressed in the home but it’s sad to say that in many homes, parents are the ones that buy skimpy and revealing clothes for their children. Improper home upbringing is a major factor responsible for this moral problem.
In today’s fashion crazy world, our society has been penetrated with a lot of (modern) fashion from the western world and so quickly, many fall vulnerable to these negative, degrading, humiliating and anti African fashion sense that does not depict responsibility.
Whichever way we choose to look at it, skimpy, transparent and or body exposing dresses are known to be the dress pattern of prostitutes or whores. Ladies therefore should be careful with the kind of clothes they choose to put on.
Those skimpy, low waists, no waist, buttocks showing, cleavage revealing and body baring dresses have a tendency of putting you in a lot of trouble. Don‘t draw unnecessary attention to yourselves or put yourselves in unnecessary danger in the name of fashion. Save yourself some embarrassment.
I’m not implying that ladies shouldn’t dress and look beautiful. Far from it! Women can and should do all the Mani-cure and Pedi-cure stuff, paint their eyes, lips, nails and wear whatever cloth they want but all must be done in moderation.
In whatever we do, let’s not sweep our values and morals under the carpet. We don’t have to go naked because we want to look fashionable.
Africa has a very rich diverse culture and the African woman has dignity and that dignity has to be protected. We cannot allow our cultures and values fade away while we embrace foreign cultures and values.
Culture as we know is relative. What is acceptable in one place may not be acceptable in another. Every culture has its own way of dressing and Africa with diverse cultural identities has hers. Skimpy, transparent and provocative dresses are anti African.
If we aim to preserve our unique cultural norms and values and minimize the rate of moral decadence then, there is need for us to inculcate strong moral values. A strong value system will enable us discard negative western cultures that are alien to us.
In conclusion, I want to say this is not an attack on womanhood. It’s a call for us to fully embrace positive and responsible living. Indecent exposure is a menace. Let’s encourage modesty in appearance.
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