Guyana is a very backward society for so many reasons believe it or not. I find myself pondering over whether some of rules are put in place for just for the sake of having them there.
A few months ago I addressed the dress code issue on my blog www.online-runway.com and most readers expressed their frustration at not feeling “special” on a night out at places like Gravity, Palm Court, and Pegasus among others. The reason being that an appropriate dress code hasn’t been developed or is not being adhered to
By contrast, quite a few government offices and agencies force their dress code policies on people who do not even work there, and for no apparent reason. Some of these rules are actually quite appalling and make me wonder what would actually happen if they were to be ever broken. For instance, places like the Ministry of Education require garments to be worn below the knee and dresses and blouses must have sleeves. Do they even know if I own such clothes?
Will a woman walking in with a sleeveless dress affect the production and quality of work coming from workers at these ministries?
In places where dress codes should be adhered to, they are being ignored and in places where they make absolutely no sense, since I would assume no one goes there for the ambiance, they are being adhered to. I am still trying to filter out the logic in all of this, personally.
Guyana has been sucked into a uniformed dress culture for as long as I could remember, this is also one of the main contributing reasons why persons feel pressured not to explore ‘choices’.
If a country is to grow and as a matter of fact a region, in order to contribute to the international fashion industry, we must belong to an environment that understands the need and benefits of freedom of expression whilst controlling certain sectors. Just last week when I was on holiday, a member of the supermarket management team openly expressed his desire for me to “cover up”.
I am visiting the supermarket after a day on the beach in a one piece swimsuit and a cover up, what do you want me to do? Use the gas in my car to go back to the apartment just to get changed for you? Do you even know if I have gas in the car for that? And to think this is a country whose main industry is tourism.
We need to start adding logic and fines into language, requirements and appropriateness we put into dress codes. We also need to understand need for control and stricter management when it comes to dressing for clubs and restaurants. Like I said, Guyana is a funny place and we tend to go backwards and in circles before we get to the correct place. It is up to heads in these various sectors to understand where this puts us as a society and how it impinges on business. Let’s apply stricter policies to clubs, lounges, fine dining restaurants and so forth and not to walking into the Ministry of Health to uplift condoms or to the grocery store to purchase milk. Let there be some logic behind your dress code writing.
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