Piety and reverence is typically synonymous with modesty. But today,
caution seems to have been thrown to the wind as indecent dressing, even
in places of worship, has become a trend.
Clergies are beginning to express fears over the spate of indecent
dressing in churches, especially by ladies. This phenomenon, that was
once alien to Africa, is gradually becoming a norm and is contributing
to the increase in the rate of immorality and other ills plaguing the
society.
The ugly act has taken a dangerous dimension in the society with young
ladies often found in attires that reveal their body anatomy inside out.
To many, the dressing pattern is suggestive of something. More
embarrassing is the fact those dresses are largely transparent.
|| "Our pride as women lies in hidden and
protected treasure; but when a girl exposes it to the public, it reduces
her worth in the sight of everyone in society and it makes the man to
lose respect in her, there won’t be anything left for the man to
explore. Any man that will come after her will only be doing so out of
lust, and just to devour what she has displaced for him."
Because of this, in 2008, the then chairman, Senate Committee on Women
and Youth, Senator Eme Ufot Ekaete, presented a bill on indecent
dressing on the floor of the senate titled, “An Act to Prohibit and
Punish Public Nudity, S*xual Intimidation, and Related Offences”. The
bill proposed a jail term of six months for offenders. But humanitarian organizations condemned the bill.
Reacting to the said bill, Anita Kyaagba, an undergraduate stated: “We
are living in a free world and so, we are free to wear anything we want.
Besides, since you don’t buy the clothes for me, who are you to tell me
what to wear? I wear what makes me comfortable. As a young girl, I
follow fashion trend, I wear the best in vogue and if it accentuate some
parts of my body, and my boyfriend likes it, I don’t see anything wrong
in it”.
Adefunke Olutoye, another student who spoke to LEADERSHIP stated that
she had to stop attending a church in which she grew up because the
ushers stopped her from entering inside one Sunday because of what she
was wearing. According to her, “I wore a mini gown which highlighted my
hips and b**bs and the ‘old-fashioned’ usher refused to allow me enter
the church. Since then I decided to join another church that won’t judge
me based on my dressing, but my heart. Besides, the Lord sees the
heart, not the body, so, why should anybody judge me”?
On her part, a retired school principal and mother of five, Mrs Hilda Kumbin stated that:
“It is unfortunate that standard has fallen in the society and parents
are not helping because they don’t have time for their children. There
are many reasons why young girls come out in indecent dresses but the
most important I think has to do with self-esteem. When a young girl
feels inadequate, lacking in self-confidence, she will do anything to
draw attention to herself and wearing indecent clothes could be her way
of doing that. They forget that for every action, there is a reaction
and that is why we have series of cases like r*pe.
"Most young women have fallen victims to r*pe because of the provocative
dresses they put on. I believe that, indecent dressing debases
womanhood because it tends to expose parts of the woman’s body that
forms her treasure. Our pride as women lies in hidden and protected
treasure; but when a girl exposes it to the public, it reduces her worth
in the sight of everyone in society and it makes the man to lose
respect in her, there won’t be anything left for the man to explore. Any
man that will come after her will only be doing so out of lust, and
just to devour what she has displaced for him. Even if you are decent
but decide to wear indecent clothes, people will insult you”, she said.
Continuing further, she said, “A girl’s behaviour is often influenced by
the type of training and grooming she gets. It has become necessary to
establish guidelines for parents and students on acceptable mode of
dressing. The National Assembly must enact a law that will regulate
dressing in the society. I like what some schools like University of
Abuja and Nasarawa State University, Keffi are doing on indecent
dressing. Government must ban unscrupulous music videos and films, while
parents must discourage their children from such dressings. In the same
vein, teachers must discourage this madness. Young people must know
that indecent dressing do not improve their beauty, rather, they dent
their image and it also symbolizes rebellion and immorality, ending in
molestation”, she cautions.
Also, Mr Peter Abbass, a Psychology lecturer in Nasarawa State
Polytechnic stated: “I think it‘s time a course on immorality or
indecent dressing is introduced in schools. I think it is low
self-esteem that is making young girls to dress indecently. It makes
them believe that they have to do something, sometimes improper to be
noticed, this is to fill an emptiness in their lives. They are not
contented with their abilities and beauty.
"These young girls see other ladies dressing that way and because men
chase after such girls, the girl with very low self-esteem will want to
join them to get the same attention. One thing about indecent dressing
is that it attracts attention; whether it is a negative or positive one,
the bottom line is that it attracts attention. People must stare and
automatically, such a person is noticed. So, when a girl who feels
insecure wants to be noticed, she resorts to indecent dressing.
"Indecent dressing portrays our society and institution as immoral, if
it’s in the church, it portrays the pastor as weak and not spiritually
sound. Parents and adults must dress well and honourably as an example
for younger generations. The mass media should promote good moral values
and religious leaders must strongly preach against indecent dressing
because you will be addressed by the way you are dress,” he said.
For Pastor John Ishaku, Christian parents must teach their children how
to dress decently because that is what the Bible says. “In like manner
also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array; But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.”
So it is a command from the Bible. It is a sin for a lady dressing half
n*ked to walk in the street or come to church”.
Mallam Yahaya Abdulaziz, a Muslim cleric also stated that, “No good
Muslim woman will dress indecently because it is clearly written ‘Tell
the believing men that they shall subdue their eyes (and not stare at
the women), and to maintain their chastity. This is purer for them. God
is fully cognizant of everything they do'."
For Leadership by Ruth Choji