For some reason I restrained from commenting on this dressing, undressing and stripping topic. But now I think I can resist it no more. Maybe I felt like I did not possess sufficient authority to do so as I may not be the best dresser myself. However, I am one relieved woman to learn that some of these hooligans have been nabbed. My hope, and wickedly so, is that they meet a judge who will be blinded by anger! May it serve to teach others how to keep themselves in check! We can now breathe a little easy. Nevertheless: Recently, at a wedding ceremony I joked with an elderly aunt that she looked very nice in her dress. She promptly responded,My dress. My choice. I smiled uncomfortably. I then had this debate with some young damsel whom I will not name here because I will not hear the end of it. I said I do not buy that principle of #my dress;my choice The house almost came down. She raved about how we should be allowed to wear whatsoever we please. She went on to say we are free to dress any way we wish. I looked at her pitifully. When she had calmed down I looked at her tired mouth and angry eyes and asked her, So, does that mean you wouldnt mind if the pastor saw your whole front part dangling out of place as he drives towards you one day? She quickly throws back at me, Well, if that is a problem with him, let him look the other way! I reminded her he is supposed to be driving. She honours me with a bitter look because of my lack of understanding. I push on calmly and tell her that I could support her. Whenever we are alone in the house we wear our night gear a little less conservatively as we live in a semi-arid area. The temperatures can soar. So, I tell her it is alright I might consider supporting her. But, on the following terms, Whenever your two big brothers and small brother are around here, I need you to dress the way you and I dress as we make Saturday breakfast in the kitchen. If you are dressing and wearing certain items, call one if them to assist, call another into your bedroom as you pull up the straps and you need to continue with your stories, call another one and turn the other way and ask about those panty lines I have strictly warned you against, you go ahead and walk into their bedroom when they are in all manner of dress and undress. This is when she looks at me and bursts out laughing so much and admits she had not looked at it that way. #my dress; my choice? No thank you. As far as I am concerned, it is never ever about me. Sometimes i wish it were. There are so many people and factors out there that I cannot start counting them. This comes to mind: “Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains. Those who think themselves the masters of others are indeed greater slaves than they.” ― Jean-Jacques Rousseau Everyday as we go out there, we need to consider where we are headed, whom we will meet, whom we will address and so on and so forth. Then how does it become my choice? My mind can sometimes stray. I cannot help it. I would like to advocate for girls but I find the field a little crowded. Girls and women should be protected and taught well and careful how to protect themselves. But somewhere in my mind the boy child pops into my mind too. One Nderitu should hear me! How many of us have tried to consider certain circumstances. Suppose your little girl walks past some frustrated layabout who happens to be someone elses little boy,. Suppose she had these drop dead gorgeous long legs ( l hear long legs are pretty?)which she has only pretended to have covered and a front to die for that she has left exposed for all and sundry to see? Suppose this boys wife took off a few months before with a better man? This in Gikuyu, would be interpreted as gucumikia I find no English word for that. Something like being made to stare at something so tantalizing, out of your reach, yet so within your reach? It is important to ask ourselves what we may pick in our skimpy dressing, be that pneumonia. And please let us not get this twisted. I am in no way advocating for this nauseating acts. All I am trying to put across to the young and sometimes not so young women is that we need to exercise a little caution and especially in as far as our neighborhoods are concerned. And who dropped those pairs of jeans so low that people are always exposing unsightly geography? Cc: Regina Wambui Rafael Rafael Wambui Zizasiawele Nassiuma Manakhe Zihanwa Lilian Nduta Viola Gilbert Mwangi Njambi
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 05:12:53 +0000