Women
What It Means To Be A Woman
While the visible features of the woman such as large, or small breasts, heavy or flat backsides, in short, curvy feminine physique could be used to identify her, Dr Emily Oghale God’s presence, a facilitator of children’s theatre programmes and an academic staff of the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Port Harcourt, has said that being a woman is much more than that. Beyond those physical attributes, the university teacher, through her pet project “Being A Woman Workshop”, believes that the real woman is known by being powerful and assertive, yet kind at the same time. She is compassionate and vulnerable towards loved ones without feeling weak for doing so. To her, being a woman means striving for goals even in the face of obvious adversity along the way.
Six years ago, “Being A Woman Workshop”, one of the programmes under the Emily God’spresence’s Project, was birthed. Designed to be featured annually, its maiden edition/inauguration, harped so much on some obvious complexities of womanhood which she tagged ‘boundaries’ women must determine within themselves to go over and beyond them to become who they want to be.
The call to go beyond the boundaries, formed the theme of the workshop that year. “Beyond the Boundaries” was borne out of the understanding that the plight of the African women in general and the Nigerian women in particular is shrewed in several limitations, hence the need to have the understanding that limitations, herein after referred to as boundaries, however lofty or cumbersome as they may seem, whether cultural, social, political, religious, psychological or marital, are merely man-made and thus not insurmountable.
The convener of the workshop, Dr Emily Oghale God’s presence, used the platform to crave the indulgence of all women to determinedly and courageously go above and beyond the perceived boundaries to attain their goals and stand tall within and outside their domestic confined spaces, showcasing not only their outward beauty, but the beauty of their brains, wits and talents.
Indeed, in a world where women are held bound by so many restrictions, where married women find it difficult to advance educationally, where the life of the girl-child is in danger simply because she desires to acquire education in order to better her lot so as to be able to measure up with her male counterparts in politics, leadership, business and in improving her domestic status as well as contribute to national development and proffer solution to global crises, Dr Emily upholds that women must be determined to help other women succeed, give warm embrace to the hurting and build confidence in younger ones as well as be mentors to our tomorrow’s leaders.
The second and third editions of the “Being A Woman Workshop featured “Women On the Edge: who is at risk? and the spear and spindle: should women fight? as themes repectively.
This year, owing to the numerous challenges our nation is facing, in recent time, especially from all the covid-19 related crisis: the lock downs, the economic down turn, looting of palliatives rising cases of human trafficking sales of babies, rape and gender based violence abductions/kidnaps etc, the convener of the workshop. Dr Emily Oghale God’s presence, thought it wise to re-examine the place of gender in the family, and how it impacts on us as individual male and female in our day to day affairs.
With the theme for this year’s workshop tagged:”Gender, Family and A Responsible Society”, Dr Emily God’s presence seeks ways to achieve gender equilibrium in society so as to reduce the rate of gender – based violence and many other unsavoury situations that upset the peaceful cohesion of both male and female persons in our society today.
Trying to draw a relationship between gender, family and responsible society, a resource person, the President of Uniport Women Association (UPWA) and wife of the Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Dr Udeme Georgewill, said if the concept of gender is gotten right at the family level, the society will be better for it. For Rev Samson Nitonye, everyone in the family has an assigned role from creation and must live up to their responsibilities if the society must be well.
It must be noted that the yearly observation of this workshop is in no mean measure serving to impact on our women in the spirit of resilience and determination for global competitiveness as it will also help women resist all forms of boundaries militating against their goals as well as living up to their responsibility in life.
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
