The culture vs fashion debate

As usual, too much time on my hands led to random thought processes and paging through some old fashion mags (and by old I mean last season!). 

As I did that (no, it’s not necessary to mention what I was drinking at the time!) I started to see some potential conflict and I thought I’d share it with you and get your views.

When I was growing up, after about the onset of puberty I was basically told not to wear short skirts or revealing clothes as they were “unAfrican” and I was rapidly becoming an African woman.

Fast forward to the magazines I mentioned earlier and while the clothes are all African prints modelled and designed by Africans, the hemlines are just above the knee at their longest and there’s a combination of cleavage, back and shoulders on display that would presumably have left my Great Grandmother scandalised!

So I thought to myself: is African culture still represented in African fashion or has it become a necessary victim to commercialism?

Immediately on the heels of that thought was this: which aspects of African culture and interpreted by whom?

What is African culture anyway? (Yes, we’ve had this discussion regarding the term African fashion!). 

For my purposes, I’m talking about sub Saharan Africa and I am the first to point out the diversity of cultures within countries let alone across the continent. 

However, there are some generalities that I think I can use without being booed of stage.

An African woman is expected to be modest and industrious. We’ve come to assume that the modesty referred to is modesty in dress. I personally think that’s a post missionary idea. 

Before Christianity was brought to Africa, the modesty of a maiden, for instance, wasn’t judged by how she dressed as much as what she wore (I hear you saying “what?!”). 

Depending on the society, the colour or cut of a loincloth, the presence or absence of waist beads and the type of necklace were all an indication of modesty – they didn’t even wear clothes!

Based on that premise, then “scandalous” African fashion can’t be a contradiction of African culture. Any clothes at all surely are an expression and enhancement that didn’t previously exist.

What do you all think?