DRESSED TO KILL-WHAT’S COOL ABOUT BARE SKIN? &nb...

DRESSED TO KILL-WHAT’S COOL ABOUT BARE SKIN?

                                         UNYIME-IVY KING

The following conversation ensued when Muhammad Ali’s daughters arrived at his home one evening in clothes that were quite revealing. One of his daughters retells the story:



“When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day. My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock.

You've got to work hard to get to them."



He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too."

The account above set off a chain of thoughts which led to this article. You are probably observant about latest fashion trends and fads which would practically make your eyes to pop out of their sockets. What, with the wide variety of eye catching/eye- popping outfits that are highly suggestive-what some would call, ‘barely-there’ fashion? A cursory glance at these trends would reveal something of a ‘strip tease’ contest-the ultimate skin game-where she who wears the least, and bares the most, wins. This strip tease fashion is everywhere-church, offices, schools; by both the married and unmarried-nothing is left to the imagination.

Children these days, and the youths seem to be getting mixed signals. The message seems to be, the skimpier, the better, and flaunting one’s sexuality seems to be a sure gateway to more popularity. The general excuse from everyone is, ‘It is the heart that matters; this is what is in vogue-everyone is wearing this.’  In the churches, these eye popping apparels have not only crept in stealthily, they have settled in with bold strides! It was Phillip Massinger, a 16th century sage who opined that, “As the index tells the content of the book and directs to the particular chapter, even so do the outward habits and garments of a man or woman, give us a taste of the spirit and point to the internal qualities of that soul.” Some women and men too, have elevated body baring to an art. Navels are boldly revealed, hips and biceps are exposed, flesh is allowed to peek through transparent coverings, hairy chests and cleavages are amply displayed for whoever cares to look, and undies are unleashed through thin lace coverings. No thanks to Hollywood and the desperate efforts of world class jeans designers, ladies can flaunt their voluptuous curves, even though their dressing completely covers their bodies, clinging to their bodies like, ‘white on rice.’ In following fashion trends, how far is too far? Are these body hugging, see through, low cut fashion we are being bombarded with daily, sleazy or snazzy?

On the other hand, some go to the other extreme and in order not to be termed ‘worldly’  dress like stone age people, compulsory ankle length shapeless skirts, long sleeve tops with high necks, hair and necks covered with a scarf, little or no jewelry or make up. One then wonders-where is the middle ground in all of these? When are tiny tops too tiny? When are hot pants too hot? When can we say the bust lines are cut too low and the skirt slits too high? When are hemlines too short, or tops/trousers too tight? Do we dress the way we do to show pride in the freedom of expression, or for the shock value?

Admittedly, this is an era of increasing permissiveness where movies and the everyday dress sense of celebrities and non-celebrities alike-open shirts showing hairy chests, plunging necklines and see through tops, etc, have blurred our sensibilities making it increasingly difficult for one to set and maintain firm standards. Quite frankly, our society is over sexed with a constant, lust driven, assault on our senses at every turn: scantily dressed men and women on magazine covers/pages. There is a bombardment! Devoid of every gainsaying, is the fact that there is great pressure on men and women to have ideal bodies and be visual objects of sexual stimulation to the opposite sex and be stylish to the point of being overtly seductive.

The way we wear what we choose to wear, and our general appearance, tells a lot about our person. Without advocating dowdiness and dressing 18th century to be seen as being appropriately dressed, our dressing, whether we like it or not, is a mirror of our interior and is an indicator of our personality. Clothes have functional values and serve certain purposes. Clothes do have a moral effect on people’s conduct, and the perception of on lookers. In dressing, the emphasis should be on propriety, decency and moderation. Looking good is good business and good grooming is a sine qua non as there is absolutely nothing wrong with dressing to look good and beautiful. But if you are dressing up to make up for a lack of beauty, then there is a problem because, pseudo-beauty is on sale at the turn of a head in every corner, but genuine beauty cannot be bought over the counter! Undoubtedly, one’s personality, culture, mood, occasion, weather, and especially motive, are factors that influence what you wear-but all these should be placed under the cornucopia of modesty, decency, and appropriateness. Let’s face it, you cannot dress up like one from the red line zone, and expect to be treated like royalty.  These are my thoughts on this matter.