Don't Tell Me What to Wear, Teach the Boys Not to Stare

During my most recent trip back from Dakar, I passed the trip in peace while listening to podcasts.  One of these in particular, BBC World News, had an interesting story revolving dress code.  In America, this story would probably not gotten my attention. Middle school dress codes? Boring. But after living in Senegal for a year the underlying issues between these American girls' situation and the Senegalese middle schoolers in my village are undeniable. It's about women's rights. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar, here is the link to the BBC News Article.

A couple months back, I was sitting with my good friend Amadou Ba. Despite being a Ba, he's a good guy.  I'm good friends with his wife, and he takes an active role in the community, especially in helping the women with their school and financial projects.  So I was surprised when he told me about his most recent meeting at the local middle school.  The parents and teachers had a meeting to enforce a dress code on girls.  

Now these girls would be asked to wear a traditional skirt and head scarf to school every day.  This meant no jeans.  In the same case as these American teenagers, boys and male teachers alike found the clothing these girls were wearing to be distracting.  

This, to me, seemed ridiculous.  "Amadou," I said, with a bit of incredulity in my voice. "Why?"

Amadou explained to me that it was to protect the girls.  If a girl is attractive and dressed "provocatively" in tight fitting clothing, they are more likely to be approached sexually by a fellow student or even a teacher.  Then they get married or get pregnant.

A tactic that Peace Corps and many NGOs in the area are taking is teaching the girls to say no, or teaching them that their bodies are not worth the clothes, the cell phones, the little presents that men might give them.  And I like to think this is working.  But what about the boys? Are we teaching the boys that just because you find a girl attractive doesn't mean you have the right to access their body?  

So I feel little sympathy for these boys who are distracted by leggings, just as I feel little pity for the men who find jeans provocative.  They're going to come across many attractive women who dress nicely throughout their lives, and it's better to learn earlier rather than later how to respect women.  

"It’s a lot like saying that if guys do something to harass us, it’s our fault for that." -Sophie Hasty, 13