Decency is a virtue that shows in a person’s character and conduct, and in the way the individual relates and talks to other people – with respect, regard and courtesy. This acceptable character has been honoured right from creation and can never be outdated even though the devil has corrupted society and human interactions. In the present Internet age when people, particularly the younger generation, are quick to embrace anti-social conduct, exhibitions of decency are still well spoken of and commended.
That is why normal people, who incidentally are in the majority, value and respect decent dressing by young people while those who dress indecently are often treated with disdain, frowned at and generally made to recognise the folly of their exhibition of indecency. Rascality can never be commended.
For sure, fashion expressions have gone through cycles. Today, we find young males who plait, twist their hair and even give it a gold tint. Such young males get stares from normal people who are put off by such show of indecency. It must be noted that some years ago, in the 70s, African-American men let their afro-hair grow big and prominent as a statemen or strong assertion of their African-ness. They also wore the popular bongo trousers. On the African continent, African sons-of-the-soil also adopted the fashion statements of their African-American brothers across the Atlantic, but the practice was not carried over into criminality. Even as they exhibited their fashion sense, they never lost focus of the importance of education, which they pursued with zeal and determination, to enable them excel in academics.
Former Chairman of Vitafoam Plc, Chief Samuel Olaniyi Bolarinde, once recalled in an interview how he and other school mates at St. Gregory College, Obalende, Lagos, used to scale the school fence to attend night parties in the 60s. “Yet, I made a Grade One in my school certificate examination and remained on top of my class even in my university years,” he said.
It is nauseating today to see young people sporting all manner of hair tints, which portray them as unserious people. With such silly exhibitionism, how can they expect to be regarded and accorded respect? An aphorism applies here: don’t dress like a suspect and expect to be treated like a prospect.
It is such indecent dressing that makes law enforcement officers demand, sometimes aggressively, proof of their identity.
Thank goodness that some higher institutions have started to crackdown on indecent dressing, either by male or female students on their premises. My question to young people who tint their hair: have you even seen young corporate workers tint their hair or even plait same to go to work? Even in the entertainment industry, where artistes do crazy things, none of them ever won an award for gold-tinted hair. Celebrity artiste like Burna Boy who wears twisted hair won his international awards through tenacity in developing and deploying his singing talent, not wearing long braided hair or having the hair tinted gold, red, blue or green.
Boiled down, a sense of responsibility shown in appearance and politeness in relating with others, carefulness, respect and courteousness would never give way for stupidity to rule. Civility, graciousness, reverence and proper conduct would also not give way for obscenity to be accorded recognition. Rebelliousness, willfulness, insubordination, disobedience, poor conduct and non-compliance can never be applauded while decorum becomes a laughing stock, or yelled at. Never!
To this end, female celebrities who take pride in engaging in all manner of indecent exposure of the female anatomy, from showing the breasts down to display of the midriff and other parts of the body that should be nicely covered, need to have a change of heart. A certain winner of the Big Brother Naija (BBN) reality show is one individual who stands out in the unwholesome exhibition of indecency. On her social media pages, she displayed pictures of herself that showed her in varying degrees of nudity. She also displayed pictures of her friends-in-nudity crime. Even with all her nudist rascality, she can never be preferred to a well-dressed lady.
Today, some women wear tights without the covering of outer clothing. Tights are meant to be worn under appropriate garment. The craze for females is wear bum-shorts out the home, to go the malls and the open market. Gosh! This offends the sensibility of normal people because is it indecent, outright. It is impolite for a lady to wear just tights and a hanging top
without any other apparel both inner and outer to attend events all in the name of ‘Dress to kill.’
While indecently dressed ladies struggle to attract the attention of the opposite sex, the men whose attention they are seeking are busy looking for women who are properly covered, to marry. A male colleague once told me: “Men like the shielded ones as no man on earth would like to share his woman with another man; the open ones are free movies for all. That is why most artistes would use naked women to sing and sell their music, then and go marry closed-up girls.” What an irony?
Prisca, a final year student of a tertiary institution in Lagos believes that anatomy exposure really attracts men because as they talk to women, their eyes rove all over the lady.
The orthodox denominations, last week observed the Mothering Sunday, to celebrate mothers. One unpleasant observation is that some mothers start early to dress their young daughters in seductive outfits, erroneously thinking that it does not matter because they are still young. But then, that is where indecency starts.
Former Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Omotayo Omotosho, a seasoned broadcaster, recently condemned the manner ladies degrade themselves through near-naked dressing. In a video that trended, she said: “Why would ladies dress indecently without caution?” The churches have not ceased to preach against indecency exhibited by both men and women. Take the case of a fresh graduate, Simisola Adebowale went for an interview in a company. She impressed the interview panel in both the oral and written tests. On her first day at work, after being employed, she walked into the office wearing a midriff top on a skimpy skirt. Simisola was shocked when she was asked to go home and change her clothing, while a decently dressed lady was asked to step for Simisola to see what decent dressing means. Without a doubt, decency can never be outdated.
Indecency is not only about outfits, but courteous speech, good manners and respect. A former colleague, Victor Nwoko, told me how he got his first job through his brother’s neighbour. Victor said as an undergraduate, whenever he visited his brother during the holidays, he would wake up to wash his brother’s car and that of his neighbour, Onuorah. Even after he graduated and went through the national youth service, Victor continued to wash the two vehicles. In no time, his brother’s neighbour became the Managing Director of a firm and he employed Victor. As he recalls with glee, “my good conduct opened the door for me unknowingly.” What about the Okolo boys from Anambra State who were secondary school students? It was their good behaviour that endeared them to their uncle, who registered them for their external examinations as their parents struggled with funds.
Good responses, kind words, moral uprightness, humility, patience and peace will always stand the test of time. When applied, everyone will definitely be at peace.
Parents must necessarily stop encouraging the manifestation of bad character and conduct in children, who grow to become terrible adults. They should teach good morals and guide the children to exhibit godly character.