Dressing Challenges: Looking Ahead
By Caroline Ukponu

Caroline Ukponu

IT is the basic desire of every human being to look decent and present able with what he or she wears. In Nigeria today, the old and especially the young ones are fashion enthusiasts. Whatever we decide to wear at every occasion is greatly shaped by fashion. With the inception of western civilisation, which brought in beauty pageants, promo and advertisements of all sorts, fashion and modeling, foreign, musical and pornographic films et cetera, indecent dressing has become fashionable. There is no respect for our culture any longer; most people are now blind to the fashion in vogue, such that they have become slaves to the fashion world. The importance of what we wear, cannot be over-emphasised. The dresses we wear have their own advantages and disadvantages on our personality. Most dresses come with different styles, some help to enhance one’s appearance, and beef up one’s confidence anywhere she goes. When you are elegantly dressed, it helps to minimise some physical flaws in the structure of the person and also enhances your positive features and personality in the homes, schools and in the community. In the past, our cultural norms and societal values were greatly upheld. The ways of dressing by our different ethnic groups were well laid out to achieve their set objectives. Our moral cultural belief is all embracing, such as in areas of dressing in burials and marriage ceremonies et cetera, the dresses have decent outlooks to suit each occasion when it arises. Let us look at what is indecent dressing. Indecent dressing means an improper or unacceptable way of dressing in the society that is exhibiting the areas of the body that should be covered with clothes, for example the thighs, sexual areas, belly, buttocks, breasts et cetera. The level of indecent dressing particularly among the female members of the society has become a negative trademark. Dressing in extremely shocking dresses without caution, give wrong impression about the person putting then on, these type of ridiculous dresses make the person look shamelessly and immorally inhuman, which brings with them, promiscuity into the society. Unarguably, some of the dressings veer towards semi-nudity, freedom to dress has now become freedom to be half-naked; this can only be regarded as public nuisance and physical assault.
A visit to any of the campuses would leave many aghast at what they would find and see. The craze to dress to kill is a common feature in the campuses, their common dress code is called, “bare-as-you-dare”. It is free show of “bums”, “boobs” et cetera. Lamentably, what does it really profit our womenfolk to dress exposing the sensitive parts of their bodies? Gone are the days when moderation was the watchword of students, particularly the female ones in our nation’s institutions of higher learning; gone are the days when womenfolk made efforts to conceal the sensual parts of their bodies.
The wearing of indecent dresses has become a culture and indeed in vogue especially in the University campuses. Listen to the comments of the students, “Please leave us alone, this is what is in vogue, it is the ultimate”. These modes of dressing are an eyesore and it is unthinkable that they are taken for granted. The University, which is supposed to be a citadel of learning, charged with the responsibility of training in both academics, morals and character has become a theatre of the absurd, where anything goes and scandalous behaviour has become the order of the day. It is a horrible sight to bear and to see our young ladies parading the streets and campuses in assorted seductive dresses exposing the sensual parts of their bodies. In the campuses, you are hit with a spectacle of these dresses, it is endless. These dresses that are madly worn by these students are called flirty dresses, backless tops resting on trousers, ridiculously short skirts that barely cover the essentials of womanhood, also in the fray is hipster trousers designed to reveal a flat tummy and all the woman cleavages, suffocating tight jeans that barely cover the hips and thighs, see through that clearly reveals the anatomy, body hugs, skimpy tops, frontless hot pants, et cetera. These dresses are so revealing when they are worn, so that the flowing symbol of purity, modesty has been thrown over board.
In recent times, the womenfolk have thrown caution to the wind when it comes to what some of them wear and their life styles, they have forgotten that their bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. They flaunt their God-given endowment in a way that is shameful, disgraceful and disrespectful. Suffice me to say, that what is happening in our institutions is a clear reflection of the breakdown of morality in the larger society. In the recent edition of the Newswatch Magazine, Ray Ekpu cried aloud, “Wrapped Values (especially immodest dressing) have penetrated our ivory towers, turning them into a Tower of Babel”. The fever is indeed catching on, in a situation where a lady dresses outrageously instead of having an appealing look, her elegant look would be marred, and whatever respect she tried to build for herself for years would be jeopardised. What do we do as parents to curb these ugly trends in the campuses and the society at large? What kind of mothers do we pretend to be if we fold our hands to watch these ugly trends? You will agree with me that the society is sinking into the abyss of immorality. The most disturbing aspect of it all is the clear fact that the students refuse to accept the devastating effects of wearing the indecent dresses which expose them to object of carnal desires e.g. rape, prostitution, HIV Aids, Sexually Transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies which could lead to abortion and eventually sudden death. The student who puts on flirty dresses would face continuous sexual harassment inside and outside the campus. Some students wear it purposely to attract their lectures for favours because they are lazy students and have no time to read, that is they go about wearing these dresses to lectures to attract their lecturers for sex and marks. In such a situation what becomes of our higher educational system? If students seduce the lecturers with flirty outfits, what will the lecturers do? He would react because, “he is not a stone”. It is advisable for students to wear decent dresses to lectures so as to avoid sexual harassment or rape. Freedom to dress is not freedom to be half-naked; all hands must be on deck to proffer lasting solutions to this ugly trend.
Many have watched with dismay, this ugly trend in the society. The authorities of some of the Universities are ostensibly disturbed about this vicious wind that is eroding the moral fabric of the nation’s citadel of learning. However, some stakeholders have gone an extra mile to curb this ugly trend. It is highly commendable that other agencies have also taken up arms against this mad trend of indecent dressing in the society. The Vice-Chancellors of the Universities of Lagos, Jos and Covenant et cetera, the Churches, Students’ organisations, NGOs, PTAs, Provosts, Principals et cetera have played very Important roles to ensure that this ugly trend is curbed completely. The Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oye Ibidapo-Obe, months back directed the lecturers to send out students indecently and provocatively dressed, out of the lecture halls, this was strictly implemented and the male students were not left out. The University of Jos and Covenant University have taken the same measure in this regard. The students are now very apprehensive of these measures; there is an improvement in this mad craze of indecent dresses in the campuses but not completely. Other Universities should follow suit because freedom of dressing does not make us lose our senses to become public nuisance in the campuses. The former Federal Minister of Education, Mrs. Chinwe Obaji during her tenure, directed the Governing Council of Polytechnics, Colleges of Education et cetera to prescribe dress code for students but the bone of contention on this dress code is the legality of such proscriptions for adults. Students are free to wear whatever they like. It is also argued that setting any dress code for students is the violation of the fundamental human rights and expression. It is interesting to note that more people worldwide are equally concerned about dress codes, but these dress codes hurricane are not accepted unchallenged. The Minister of Education has taken the right step in the right direction because the educational sector is expected to demonstrate dress codes that are acceptable by the society. The dress codes if properly implemented would help to enhance self-respect; they would help to maintain classroom decorum, healthy living and neatness. They discourage peer groups above all from luring others into buying extravagant provocative dresses or prostituting to get money for such dresses. If policies are made on dress code in the nation’s institutions, they must be monitored and implemented because the society looks on the educational sector as the citadel of learning and not citadel of immoral and indecent dressings. Although, it is not easy to implement such rules, some students would flout them but those from well-disciplined homes would obey such rules. In the society, we have stakeholders, who cherish and support modesty. We need a high level of decency in the institutions because the students we are nurturing today could be leaders of tomorrow and must be role models. Other means on how these indecent dressings could be curbed is by organising massive enlightenment campaigns; workshops and seminars to enable them sensitise the students on the importance of dressing decently. It is advisable for the Federal Minister of Education to prepare a work plan on how best to integrate the proper mode of dressing and dress code for the students into the school curriculum starting from the Nursery to Primary and Secondary to the University level. This must be strictly monitored and implemented to the core. It is worthy to note that most students in the higher institutions are also irked by the untoward development of indecent dressing in the campuses. In the University of Lagos, the Students Activists Forum (SAF) was inaugurated purposely to fight these ugly trends of indecent dressing; they campaigned against it and the decadence in the educational system, perpetrated by some of the lousy female students who attract their lecturers with flirty dresses for gratification so as to boost their grades during assessments, quiz or examinations. This group of students (SAF) should be commended for this achievement, I am very proud of them and others should join hands to salvage their fellow students. SAF, more grease to your elbows.
The Churches as one of the major agencies of our national life has taken a very hard stand in this direction. In the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos and other dioceses, it is impossible for any lady to walk into the Catholic churches indecently dressed. In recent times, proper dress code has been prescribed for worshippers in all the Catholic churches, which are strictly implemented. There is another ugly trend in the churches, during the solemnisation of marriages, which needs to be checked. The bridegroom appears decently dressed in a well-trimmed suit, waiting anxiously to receive his bride. When the bride appears, you would find her dressed with an open-shoulder wedding gown, exposing the breasts properly packaged, bulging out of the cleavages. The breasts, which should be sacredly covered for her husband, are shamelessly exposed to the public, all in the name of the fashion in vogue. The bridesmaids are not left out of this; it is an eyesore. It is very irritable and shameful to the ladies especially to the mothers who encourage their daughters to wear such wedding gowns. I am advocating that wedding gowns should be inspected by appointed committee members, set up by the churches, to make sure that proper wedding gowns are won by their daughters on their wedding days. The role of the churches in this regard cannot be over-emphasised. The churches should continue to imbibe strictly, the divine laws and what is morally accepted in any given society. It is on this backdrop that churches for example, Catholic, Pentecostal, Anglican churches rolled out dress codes for their members. It is gratifying to note that most churches have seriously enforced modesty and decency in the mode of dressing of their worshippers. We have many religious groupings in the society. It is unbelievable that some ungodly churches encourage such outlandish modes of dressing; perhaps this explains the amorous relationship between some lustful men of God and their female members, such churches are not worthy of their calling and should be banned for eternity. I have observed and I am glad to say, that the enforcement of decent dress code in the churches is in motion and majority of the worshippers have complied positively. The churches can do more, by taking up the challenges, for example the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) the Catholic Bishops Conference, (BCC), the Anglican Synods; the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) should take up the challenges in their own spiritual ways because the society believes strongly on the churches’ capabilities. The churches are aware of their responsibilities towards humanity and should not relent. They should help to check the moral laxity amongst our youths both worshippers and non-worshippers. Our religious leaders should enforce rules through preachings, spiritual programs to assist to sanitise the youthful exuberances, especially with those in our higher institutions, in the areas of moral decadence and indecent dressings.
The home is another strong agent of character moulding and the bedrock of the society. The home in the upbringing of the children cannot be over-emphasised and cannot be quantified. The children imitate the western culture blindly, especially with the indecent dresses they wear, that expose their bodies. In this area, parents should nurture and maintain the moral legacy inherited from our forefathers. Parents should sit up, they should not fold their hands to watch or encourage this ugly mad craze of indecent dressing worn at homes, schools and our campuses and so on. May I ask, is it proper for us to watch the cream of womanhood being washed away or devastated by the torrent of civilisation? What becomes of our value system, our culture, decency and the dignity of Nigerian-African woman? What legacies do we parents and today’s Nigerian woman especially the elite class leave for the future generation? If we all celebrate the family as the nucleus of the society, we must, therefore draw more attention to its problems and seek solutions to them in all aspects of our lives. Mothers are home builders and are indeed a great factor in building and managing a proud and stable society. This is the time for action and for a new orientation towards this ugly trend. Parents especially mothers should take up these challenges in their homes because they have the greatest potential, to influence the children during decision-making in the families. We should adopt the best techniques to counsel our daughters, drum into their ears the disadvantages of putting on indecent dresses. According to the proverbial sayings; Prov. 26:6 “Train up a child in the way that he/she should go and when he is old, he would not depart from it”. We should teach our children right from home the way to dress decently and speak humbly. We can never excel unless we embrace discipline, starting from our homes. We should all bear in mind that proper dressing is part of discipline and should be enforced. Most importantly, parents should bring up their children in the way and fear of God. Teach them how to respect their culture wherever they go, we must pay close attention to their behavior with other children in the neighborhood. All mothers should rise up and speak with one voice over this ugly trend of indecent dressing. I am happy to say, that I have called defaulters on several occasions to correct them in the market places, hospitals, supermarkets motor-parks and so on, they felt shy but responded positively and at the end, they pulled down the short top and politely said, “thank you ma” and walk away. Let us work hard and salvage our children from this craze of indecent dressing in the society. We should endeavor to correct them wherever you find them in indecent dresses. Some feel shy and then pull down the short top immediately or disappear but let us continue to correct them. Do not relent whether they are our children or not. I am sure that most of them would appreciate your efforts and you would be happy you did and that you have touched the lives of such children or students.
The print and electronic media are other vital agents of socialisation character formation and the dissemination of knowledge and so on. The media houses should cooperate with other agencies to check this trend of indecent dressing in the society. The promos and adverts exhibiting indecent dresses must be discouraged. It is on record that pornographic films are sold and kept in some schools and homes; such films are filled with immoral messages, which help to, in no small measure sow the continuous seed of immorality in the sub-conscious mind of the children as they grow from childhood to adulthood.
These agencies should rise up to their responsibilities by eradicating foreign cultures, which is damaging to our modest traditional culture. Children imitate easily and put into practice fast of such adverts covering ladies with flirty, skimpy dresses and should be discouraged. The National Assembly should enact laws to control the film industry and also promos containing immoral pictures. It is advisable that adverts should be censored so that It would not influence the upbringing of the growing children in the society. The Nigerian Films & Video Censors Board (NFVCB) should set a ban on all musical works or videos that celebrate obscenity; since such works, promote sexual immorality amongst our youths, students and in the society at large. The board should always bear in mind that the youths are very anxious to watch films especially during their holidays etc., they must endevour to check the incidence of nudity, immoral dressing etc in musical and film videos, all hands must be on deck to check indecent dressings in the society. Parents, teachers and the entire stakeholders should check the excesses of their children in the areas of outing habits, watching of films so that they wont be influenced by their visit to the websites, internet and parties, which could metamorphose into pilfering, prostitution in order to purchase skimpy outfits or pornographic films.
Do not allow your children to sleep outside. We must fight this war with all sincerity; discourage the children from watching immoral films that would expose them to indecent dressing and other immoral acts. The statement by some parents, “I am very busy, there is no time for all this”, can never ever help our children who wear indecent dresses et cetera. We should work hard to salvage these God’s given children from these ugly trends and immoral decadence. We should be out to nurture children who would be useful to themselves, their families and the society at large.
Presently, the fashion in vogue is another area that needs the greatest concern in the society. To put on what is in vogue is the genesis of this virus called indecent dressing. In this vain, the fashion designers can do a lot to check and control this mad craze of putting on skimpy and flirty dresses all in the name of the fashion in vogue. The fashion designers as mothers are very much aware of the effect of exposing the bodies of these students with such dresses; they have very important roles to play in the issue of indecent dressing in the society. Most importantly, they should ensure that they discourage the students from sewing indecent dresses in their fashion houses. With all sincerity, bare your mind to the students, counsel them properly when they bring their fabrics to sew, do not close your eyes to their mistakes when choosing their styles because you want to make money from them. Do not throw your conscience over board because every one of us, “women in general”, have a major role to play in this area. Help the students anytime they are around, advice by counseling and re-orientate them, this would enable them to realize and check their excesses whenever they have fabrics to sew. All designers must work towards the same goal; we must not all be a party to this mad craze. Remember that our children are out there too, the devastating effect of indecent dressing is on and it could be the daughters of a teacher, nurse, businesswoman, fashion designer et cetera, so we must all fight this with all sincerity. Working together would go a long way to prove to the students that indecent dressing is not accepted anywhere in the society, it would also help to check this ugly trend of indecent dressing and prepare the students for better future.
In conclusion, I strongly feel that the time has come for this ugly trend of indecent dressing to be given serious attention; this should be nipped in the bud with all seriousness. Indecent dressing brings shame and disgrace especially to mothers and other stakeholders. In fact, these calls for the concern of all levels of government, agencies, churches, parents, university authorities, NGOs, the Legislators et cetera to take drastic measures or enact laws that would regulate, check and put to rest the ugly canckerworm of indecent dressing in the society. Women as mothers cannot afford to overlook these vital and critical areas in the lives and the upbringing of our children. Adequate attention must be paid to the dressing of our children right from home. The students did not start putting on indecent dresses over night, they learnt it from their homes, therefore, this is a challenge to mothers.
Mothers should teach their children the truth to know what is right or wrong always. Counsel them on the importance of decent dressing and the significance of a life virtue. Parents should teach their children to grow gracefully and that fashion should enhance them and not expose them. The womenfolk must appreciate what God has done for us, we must be proud of our sex; we must be decent in what ever we wear. Mothers, should buy decent dresses for their children, we must teach them to wear decent dresses and also to be sensitive with what dresses they wear and that they must not be slaves to fashion. Teach them that there is elegance in simplicity. God in his perfect creation covered women beautifully. It is an offence to expose our bodies because our bodies are special and represent a gift from God. We must therefore uphold that statement in our lives by restoring the dignity of womanhood. Teach and encourage our daughters to continue to wear decent dresses that depict African decency, womanhood, respect and dignity. We should breed children with high moral standard and prospects in life. If parents treat indecent dressing with kids’ gloves, the children would be affected greatly and such neglect would create societal problems in future. Let us work tirelessly to curb whatever is responsible for this immoral decadence in our society for the well being of our children.
Inculcate in the minds of the children that decent dressing is the best; and modesty will continue to be their watchword. The student should learn to be upright, do not imitate others; do not steal because Agnes steals. Do not wait to be chased with bridle before you do the right thing for example dressing decently at home, or on campuse. The stakeholders should know that today, the adverse effect of indecent dressing has in no small measure dealt a heavy blow on the educational standard in the Universities, for example, students who do not want to work hard for their grades, put on a flirty, skimpy dress to the lecture hall to attract favours (marks) from the lecturer, then what next? Everybody should rise up to this challenge so that our daughters would benefit properly from the University education. The earlier this ugly menace is checked, the better for the students, universities, lecturers, parents and the society at large. I am again calling on all the agencies, the federal government, churches, media houses etc not to relent in their efforts to stamp out indecent dressings in the society. We should all work conscientiously to reduce the rate of indecent dressing amongst the students. Although, children are difficult to train and check because of peer group influences and other societal factors. According to the biblical injunction, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, Prov 1:7, we must endeavour to bring them nearer to God by involving them in series of religious programmes, with constant prayers, hard work and sincerity, I am sure that appreciable positive response would be made in their lives. Mothers at all times should diligently nurture, discipline, re-orientate and admonish them with Christian lifestyles and activities. They would be happy to grow into responsible adults who will remain a source of happiness to their parents, families, the university authorities and the entire society.

Hon. (Mrs.) Ukponu, an Educationist and former Commissioner (Women Affairs, Youth Sport & Social Development), Delta State sent in this piece from Lagos.