Does What We Wear Influence How Others Behave?
For me, I think everyone knows that dressing indecently is not a thing of religion or official work ethics. I also think everyone also knows that many cultures do not allow indecent dressing.
When we see the climatic and topographical factors it does not also permit indecent dressing. It also tells me that the earth is not for the weak.
In fact, some metals need to be galvanised to prevent corrosion. How much more we humans?
The hot desert, in fact, requires us to wear thin clothes that cover our faces against sand blasts. Thin white clothes prevent me from extreme heat.
In my vicinity, the elderly people kick against dressing inappropriately because it draws the opposite gender towards one another. I know that some have ulterior motives and those that do not have can generate one.
If one's heart is not deceptive, why would one dress indecently? My dad would say, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
All these things flow out of the heart.
So, if I see you dress indecently, I feel you have an ulterior motive.
But let me broaden the horizon and try to deviate from the victim because this week, a question has sparked many debates: Does the way a person dresses influence how others behave toward them, or does harmful behaviour come from the mindset and intentions of the person committing the act?
Hmm! One should not commit hideous offences all in the name that someone dresses inappropriately.
In the name of fashion, some can go to the extreme. To me, one cannot just say yes or no. But it signals more of yes morally. Dressing signals to us who you are and who gets attracted to you. Like the saying, birds of a feather flock together.
If your dress lures me negatively, I look away. And sometimes, I might have to close my eyes.
The real issue is often the mindset, choices, values, and intentions of the perpetrator.
This is why I will be telling parents, guardians, and teachers to continually emphasise dressing modestly.
Indecent dressing may be as a result of children's upbringing. It may be as a result of him or her trying to model or be like a popular musician.
I have in fact heard of a Nigerian musician who prevents her son from listening to her own music. This same music that she feeds to the heart of the general public.
This tells signals to us a lot. How much more dressing, my people! How much more??
We should therefore ask ourselves:
Is our dressing teaching people how to respect boundaries, or is it teaching potential victims how to avoid being victimised?
Prevention requires both. But accountability must remain with the person who chooses to cause harm.
Thanks, My pen speaks for me!!!!!
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I think what you consider indecent depends on how and where you were brought up.
I can still remember the debate about whether the postman was allowed to wear shorts; I believe the official uniform was dark grey or even black, which was too hot in the summer, and they had to walk a lot. Now, a few years on, we don’t even have a postman round here anymore. They’re all self-employed contractors who offer their services to the Dutch Post Office and are paid per kilo they deliver.
They’re no longer recognisable by their uniform or the vehicle they use.
Times change and we change with them. Incidentally, hundreds of years ago people didn’t cover their bodies at all in the way we do today, let alone thousands of years ago or when humanity first came into being. Personally, I think that clothing is really nothing more than a way of protecting the body against the weather circumstances; cold, wind or rain.
Furthermore, it is also the case that if you live in a country with little sunshine, the population suffers from a severe lack of vitamin D and therefore really does need to get out into the sun; this also applies to all foreigners living in colder regions nowadays, where the sun barely shines. Vitamin D deficiency leads to depression, and the only way to combat this is to get out into the sun, with the body fully uncovered and without using sunscreen.
Incidentally, it’s also true that when there’s nothing left to quess for, the average person loses interest and becomes sexually disinterested in contrast to countries where this (being half naked) isn’t permitted and where strange, excessive sexual behaviour is practised, involving the human body.
Adam and Eve were nudists, and after them came many more peoples. Should we suddenly make a fuss about that now?
I agree with your father that whoever makes a certain remark is, in reality, the pervert themselves.
Incidentally, I think that anyone who can’t keep their hands to themselves and shifts the blame onto, in this case, often women who supposedly don’t dress properly or dress provocatively, is the problem themselves and badly raised. Their mom's should kick their asses! They haven’t been brought up properly, and it would be a good idea to discuss the frustrations with a psychiatrist.
Hello @hive-166850,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and drop such a well-thought-out comment. I truly appreciate the effort you put into sharing your perspective. You gave me a lot to think about, especially regarding climate, history, and Vitamin D!
You made a very valid point about how our perception of "indecent" depends on where we are raised. The postman shorts debate is a perfect example—what is practical and acceptable in one era or workplace might be frowned upon in another. I completely agree that clothing is primarily for weather protection. In fact, I mentioned the desert heat myself!
However, I want to gently push back on your Adam and Eve reference. Yes, they were nudists, but let's remember that their nakedness existed in a state of innocence without sin or evil intent. The moment their hearts changed, they covered themselves. So, to me, that story actually reinforces my point: it's the condition of the heart that dictates the need for modesty, not the other way around.
You also mentioned that in places where half-nakedness is normal, people become sexually disinterested, whereas in places where it's forbidden, excessive sexual behavior occurs. That is an interesting sociological take, and I don't completely disagree! There is definitely an element of "forbidden fruit" psychology. But I would argue that even in beach towns and tropical cultures where revealing clothing is normal, harassment and assault still happen every single day. If total exposure killed bad intentions, we wouldn't have these issues in hot climates, yet we do. That tells me the problem lies deeper than the fabric—or lack thereof.
I really loved your closing statement: "Anyone who can’t keep their hands to themselves and shifts the blame onto women is the problem themselves and badly raised." On that, my friend, we are 100% in agreement! That is exactly the accountability I was calling for in my post. Whether we wear thick coats or thin wrappers, the hand that harms belongs to the one who chooses to stretch it out.
Thank you again for this healthy debate. You truly expanded the conversation for me.
My pen still speaks for me—and today, it's speaking back to you with gratitude.
Upvoted! Thank you for supporting witness @jswit.
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