Indecent dressing simply means dressing in a way that is likely to shock or offend people. Now what is likely to offend people?
Pats of your body (usually sexual organs that normally should be covered, which for girls should be their breast, thighs and buttocks. There is this trend of wearing trousers that expose the female underwear when she bends or sits down,
Guys also dress indecently when their boxers show above their trousers or when there is no underwear and yet their trousers just barely hang on to their waists.
The question is, must ladies or guys dress indecently before they will be admired, their shapes and beauty seen? The answer is a capital NO. rather, indecent dressing attracts insult, assault and even sexual harassment.
On campus, we normally hear cases of rape, sexual harassment and threatening statements or words from lecturers and male students. These are sometimes caused by indecent dressing.
Whoever exposes any part of his/her body is advertising his or her self to the public and we all know what advertisement does. It is a notice, picture or film telling people about an available product, service or job opening.
Some cases of sexual harassment and rape are traceable to the exposure of the sensitive parts of the body, which sends the information to men’s brain and triggers their emotion. By their nature, men are motivated by sight.
The issue of dressing is a very serious thing in the world. Nude or indecent dressing is not encouraged in the Christian or Islamic faith, we are supposed to caution the way people dress. The bible commands Christian faithful to dress well, especially the women.
For example in Malaysia, Muslims women are to cover up to their ankle and non-Muslims should dress decently. The law in Malaysia is very intolerant of women dressed indecently and such women will be fined when caught.
The issue of indecent dressing should be addressed in homes, private and faith based institutions.
On the other hand, young men appear in female outfits exemplified by earrings and hairdo. These types of dressing are influenced by a combination of factors. A typical source of influence is foreign culture. Traveling, pictures, films and stories have exposed our young men and women to dressing that is out of tone with indigenous culture. For instance, such dresses like ‘spaghetti tops’ and ‘show me your belly’ are not part of our culture but these outfits worn by Hollywood superstars.
Parental influence cannot be ruled out. Most of our parents especially those who have been to one foreign country or the other come back and dress the way the people dress there, only for their children and wards to emulate.
Another source of influence is that of young girls who dress indecently have grown up one’s, some of them are political office holders, captains of industries and those at the helm of affairs of responsible agencies who encourage them to do so to their satisfaction rather than discouraging and correct them.
The nation universities and polytechnics are common grounds for these indecent dressing where female students dress half naked from the gate to the hostels as if they are whores desperate for patronage.
Churches are not left out as it is common to see men and women who are supposed to be models for the young ones dress indecently even to churches of God.
The consequences of indecent dressing are obvious. It debases womanhood. It speaks evil of the society where it obtains irresponsible, undisciplined and greedy men are attracted and this earns young girls rape, indecent assault, HIV/AIDS and stigmatization to mention a few.
How can one tackle this menace without trampling on the fundamental human rights of the individual. This is because indecent dressing is a relative term subject to several factors such as religion, culture etc. thus making what is acceptable to you not acceptable to others.
There is also the possibility of law enforcement officers abusing their duty using it as an opportunity to sexually harass women.
This is why so many human right organizations and civil society groups are resisting the passage of the bill on indecent dressing.
We must all realize that the seeming moral laxity of the Nigerian youth is simply a reflection of the moral bankruptcy of our various families and the society at large.
Dress the way you want to be addressed. Imitating rock/pop stars who are usually half naked dressed for stage performance and video shoots is not wise.
The celebrities you imitate would never dress half naked to press conference or a live talk show. The way you dress to church or lectures matters a lot. Wear clothes that suit your body size and not clothes that look good on your friends who are obviously several size smaller than you.
Remember that when you keep your sacred parts, you tell the world that you respect yourself and can achieve your dreams through hard work and perseverance and not by flaunting your assets.
That is what should determine what you put on and not fashion.
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