Leave us alone, we will dress how we want!

By SHIRLEY GENGA

There is no day I will ever complain that I was born a woman, it comes with so many perks.

I celebrate and embrace my femininity daily, like it were a full time job. I get to have a wardrobe field with so many styles and colours. I can wear baggy or tight pants, a short and controversial hot pink dress or even a very long dress. The variety is mind blowing!

I get to play around with make-up; today I can have red lips, tomorrow pink and the next day purple. I even get the chance to add some oomph and feminine individuality to my outfits with all kinds of accessories — earrings, bangles and statement necklaces. It is all a celebration of who I am, a woman who is enjoying her femininity. Thus, I get extremely baffled when women who are always in touch with their feminine side get labelled unprofessional.

Trendy

Strangely, there are attempts to control how women dress. For instance, earlier in the year, female lawyers were instructed to avoid ‘flamboyant’ hair styles, revealing clothes such as miniskirts and sleeveless shirts and dresses. Then just the other day female police officers were warned against use of make up, earrings and trendy hairstyles. And now a pastor in Texas called Pastor A.J. Aimir felt it was in his place to ban weaves from his church, because, according to him, they symbolised low self-esteem. Has the world gone mad?

Because coming to work all plain, with no make-up or accessory, in a ill-fitting suit (which preferably hides their feminine curves because a apparently fitting suits is some sort of unforgivable professional crime!), with minimum grooming (like a man) is somehow deemed as being “very” professional.

Basically a woman is supposed to dress like a man, and reject anything that draws attention to her feminity (as it will prove too much of a distraction to the men), in order to be seen as “professional”, who comes up with these hogwash?

It is almost like telling a man who owns a land rover to keep it off the road because it is too expensive and it will distract others on the road and make them feel less worthy,yeah right!

Respected

How can wearing lipstick, earrings or even a form fitting shear dress that celebrates the African figure tarnish the name of a profession, is beyond my understanding. Lipstick, bangles, and wearing accessories is all about being a woman.

For those who do not know there is such a thing us personal space, if it is not protected in the constitution it probably should, because how a grown woman chooses to dress falls under personal space and it should be respected. If a grown woman decides to walk around naked then let her be, only complain if she fails to do her work!

And yes there is nothing wrong with having a personal opinion on how you think people should dress, the problem however comes in when one’s personal taste and ideas are inflicted onto others.

You could be one of those types who never ever does anything flamboyant and that is okay, but that does not mean you label every other person who has flamboyancy imprinted in their DNA as unprofessional. And if you feel someone clothes are too revealing, just don’t look, it is very simple.

Let women live a little and enjoy the perks of being a woman in peace!