Fashion: Is the West coming to its senses?
The warning that was sent out last week by broadcaster CBS to performers and prospective members of the audience attending the Grammy Awards to cover themselves up sounded as something that was coming out of Africa.
Advertisement
The straight-to-the-point statement asked that “buttocks and female breasts must be adequately covered. There was also specific instruction to “avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female breast nipples”.
Again “bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic”, the statement said.
I needed to read over the news item to assure myself that indeed the staement was coming from almighty America from where many of our own ladies have been lapping up fashion ideas. Plunging necklines, exposed breasts, see-through dresses, “am aware jeans waistlines? Just attend any of the entertainment shows in the capital and you are sure to catch more than an eyeful.
As the year has begun and most event organisers are feverishly preparing to serve the public with the best of showbiz events, others are also preparing to showcase what their mama’s gave them to the public at such events all in the name of fashion.
The issue of indecent dressing at the various events is not just an eyesore but a canker which needs to be tackled.
Today, in the name of fashion, decency has been thrown in the gutters and our virtues and pride as Africans have been covered with the “Westernisation” of our fashion trend.
However, it seems that those from our part of the world who are striving unnecessarily to be inspired by the indecent “cultural” sense of fashion in the West would have to revise their decision as those we look up to and get inspired by their sense if indecency even acknowledge the need to “clean” their societies of the menace.
Last week, the biggest entertainment event in the world, the GRAMMYS was held and the organizers, CBS sent a strong worded message to the celebrities who will attend the programme to dress decently.
A part of the message read, "Please be sure that buttocks and female bosoms are adequately covered. Thong type costumes are problematic. Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack. Bare sides or under curvature of the bosoms is also problematic."
That notwithstanding, it also described the dresses that are abhorred in this strong worded statement "Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could possibly expose female bosom unmentionables. Please be sure the Core region is adequately covered so that there is no visible 'puffy' bare skin exposure."
The perception among people from our parts of the world indicates that we hold a negative perception of the fallen morals standards of those from the West particularly the Americans.
With this worldwide perception, event organisers like CBS have taken the necessary measures to erase this perception by cautioning celebrities and patrons to salvage the event’s image.
But could that happen in Ghana? Can event organiser like Charter House even have the will power to caution patrons to be decent in their dressing to their functions.
Sometimes, it looks as though programmes such as the Ghana Music Awards, Miss Ghana, Miss Malaika and a host of other musical concerts present the opportunity for the ladies(some of the old boogies are not left out) to create a platform to attract more "customers" and unnecessary attention to themselves.
The craze for incessant exposure of "boobs" and "butts" has become not just a worrying trend which needs to be tackled but it has the tendency to project a bad image for the country.
What is even more nauseating is the observation that these ladies who are mostly guilty of wardrope malfunction will pose for the cameras to publicly declare their almost naked bodies( this is because they mostly wear see through dresses) for the public consumption.
If we believe that the Western world has "good things” for us to emulate, then guess it is equally important that event organisers take a cue from the oraganisers of the Grammy Awards to institute measures that will curb the incessant exposure at events.
It doesn't project a good image to the country if a foreigner should observe such incidents at our events.
Story by Gifty Owusu-Amoah/Graphic showbiz