Whenever I go around and see people grumbling and complaining about the dresses men and women should wear that would be considered modest enough for humanity, I become offended. I recognize that there are some truths in what most of these people insinuate but however, there are also things that we must painfully admit that are over stated, over pushed or over stressed. This disparity and discrepancy made me to search genuinely for answers and this is what I discovered from my research. Please, take a look.
Nowadays, when a woman comes out dressed in trousers, it becomes a subject of discourse. While there are people who love and admire such women, there are those that rail curses at them, stating that they are a disgrace to womanhood and humanity at large.
Sometimes, these women who are mistreated, looked down upon as a result of their dressing, act in manner that is not consistent with common sense, only in a bid to satisfy or appease their personal ego. I dare to say that some of them result to exchange of hurtful words with the mockers and as a result, a great uproar is sometimes generated.
The questions remains; who is to blame for this? Who is speaking the truth? Should anyone determine what someone else should wear? Should people mind their businesses and pretend as if nothing irritates them about people's dress styles? Lastly, what should be used as the standard for rating what should be worn by individuals so that this dissension, discrimination and insult can stop? In this article also, I will attempt to address these questions, taking cue from the bible.
As we go through the book of the beginning called Genesis, we trace how dresses and dressing came to stay and how these dresses were fashioned. This is what happened after Adam and Eve eat of the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is recorded that their senses became enlarged and they immediately discovered that they were naked.
They decided to make fig leaves to dress themselves since they were naked and the purpose of this dress was just to cover their nakedness and not for show off or to please anyone. Thus, man became the first person to ever sew a dress in this world.
God came to the garden to visit Adam and Eve as he did before in the evening and Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God because they were naked. God enquired about their whereabout and discovered that they had been deceived by the devil and had sinned against God through the eating of the forbidden fruit.
Thus, God judged them by punishing them with curses. After punishing Adam and Eve as well as the Devil who beguiled them into disobeying God, God made them another dress and sent them out of the garden. Therefore, God was the second person that made a dress in this world and it was made from animal skin. All these explanation can be seen in Genesis 3.
However, this is what surprised me! This is because, there was something very common about the two dresses.
They were all the same in fulfilling one purpose. Remember that it was firstly made from fig leaves and secondly, it was made from animal skin. It is from here that we began to understand something very vital about the purpose of clothes or dressing and that is, the fact that clothes in the sight of God and man were meant to cover people's nakedness primarily and not for show off or to please anyone as many do these days.
Having understood first and foremost, the purpose of clothes, I will continue with my exposition as we would take a tour through the ages to see what has transpired or changed. What vital role has technology played in this advancement and lastly, what are the possible misconceptions raging amongst men and woman about clothes and dress styles. Are there legal or honest grounds for deliberation on a particular dress style that should be considered modest and acceptable by all?
God in his infinite mercy and grace decided to once again begin to bring order concerning issues of dressing to the patriarchs of old. I will take the Israelites: the people God choose for himself as an example, when he gave them commandments through Moses as seen in Deuteronomy 22:5. God made it clear that a man should not wear that which pertains to a woman and the woman also, should not wear that which pertains to man.
The issue now is what is that which pertains to a man and that which pertains to a woman? Because, both God and Man when making their first and second dresses respectively in the beginning didn't differentiate them, it was a monotype dress of fig leaves or animal skin as the case maybe thus, why should God give this condition now?
This is because God realized that as humanity was evolving, humanity needed convenience and comfort thus; he gave that elaborate precept in Deuteronomy 22 and also, included the commandment for the dress style of a man and a woman. Do you realize that a man doesn't necessarily need to bend down before urinating? He can stand erect and urinate but this particular posture doesn't go well for the women; she must bend a little to urinate.
Thus, wisdom began to unfold in this matter based on the different orientation and location of the different body parts of the man and woman respectively. By the way, common sense should let us know that the way a man urinates is different from the way a woman does and hence, there should be no problem if any Fashion Designer decides to put all such orientations and configurations into action in trying to produce clothes for the different sexes chiefly on the basis of ease and comfort.
Therefore, we have established that clothes were created firstly to cover people's nakedness and secondly, it was created for convenience. This is how dress styles began to evolve with the advancement of technology and modernization coupled with colonization. Colonization enabled advanced countries of the world who by this time had mastered the act of cloth designing and dress styles to enforce and superimpose their dress style and ideologies on some of the developing and under developed nations whom they colonized.
This is what makes for the disparity between how people dress nowadays. Thus, a country that was colonized by Britain such as Nigeria would naturally imbibe Britain's culture; one of such dressing can be seen visibly today as suits and gowns that are worn by men and women for different occasions such as wedding or dinner parties etc. Now, should a nation because it was colonized, refuse to develop its peculiar dresses and dress style? I don't think so and that is why, Nigeria for example; has all kinds of clothing depending on tribe, culture and religious inclination of the people.
From the above analogy, we can categorically state that it is wrong for a Britain to condemn a Nigerian dress simply because it is not suit or gown. It is also wrong if a Nigerian wearing his Agbada or Kaftan to despise a Britain who is dressed in his suit or gown. I feel that what matters here is what is allowed in a particular country or area and if you are leaving Nigeria to Britain then, it is your duty to study the dress style that is obtainable in Britain if it resonate with your person, lest you make a mockery or caricature of yourself.
By the way, it is not bad if you are represented in your Nigerian cultural dress even in Britain. It shows that you are proud of your heritage. Nevertheless, don't go about forcing people to dress the way you think and feel is right because that would be wrong.
I came to understand that God gave commandments and instructed that only in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every matter be established and in looking into the bible, I didn't see any other scripture that backs up the commandment given in Deuteronomy 22:5. What then can be understood from this discovery? It is that God is not so rigid about what a man or a woman wears provided it covers their nakedness; that is to say that it covers all their sensitive body parts such as breast, sex organs etc, and secondly, that it is convenient for them to ease themselves with, when they wear such clothes.
By the time you want to ease yourself as a woman and you wore a trouser, it would become inconveniencing to do so but if it doesn't inconvenience you in any way when you are pressed then, I believe it is alright. Know that when you expose your nakedness or your sensitive body parts; you are stirring lust and ungodly feelings in the life of gullible men and women who cannot mount a guard over their feelings to think lustful thoughts which defiles or corrupts the heart.
Thus, we must be careful not to expose our sensitive body parts by wearing dresses that would not reveal them. That is what is called decent dressing. You can wear clothes that reveal your sensitive body parts within the comfort of your home when you are alone or with your spouse else, you may be leading many astray and your lot would be judgement as seen in Romans 14:21.
Now, what is the general admonishment of God for woman as pertains how they should dress? It can be seen in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and it says that they should adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with embroidered hair or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but they should profess godliness alongside good works. For it is written that as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons and daughters of God.
What are we to do whenever we see someone dressed in a manner that reveals his or her nakedness? We are to admonish such in love and explain to them rightly because; perhaps such may just be ignorantly following fashion without knowing the implication of their action.
What if they refuse to take our advice? We are to commit them into the hand of God by prayer and not result into quarrelling or exchange of words or insults. The bible admonishes in 2 Timothy 2:24 that, "A child of God must not strive but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, patient." People must come to that place where they realize that they can never force their opinions on others, God himself doesn't force everyone to serve him or do his will and who are we to do so.
We must also be willing to tolerate a few persons who may still choose to do what they feel and will after been admonished to have a change of heart. It is normal, don't get yourself worked up by the failure of others to act and think the way you want. Just continue to live by example and many may finally learn from you but if you go about cursing and engaging in hurtful exchange of words, how would they learn from you? You may never change such persons.
So, who is to blame for wrong dressing? It is the individual who dresses wrongly and not technology, colonization, or culture. It is a choice people consciously take after they have been enticed by a dress style or clothing. Sometimes, it is in a bid to be different that weird dressing comes about. Why can't you keep it modest and simple while trying to be different? That is the issue here, keep every dressing modest and don't expose your sensitive body parts and you will be considered a decent man or woman. Remember, modest here means that your sensitive body parts must be covered.
What do you think differently from the exposition? Who do you think is to blame for wrong dressing? Please, leave your thoughts in the comment section. Also, share and like this article if you found it interesting. Thank you
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