EENHANA – Men and women are different and so are their preferences. While some men and women prefer women and men in modest clothes because they reveal a confident woman or men who know how to get their bodies speak for them, others prefer women and men in mini-skirts and dresses and/or equally masculine provocative cleavages.
If you ask some men what they would like to see on a woman, they may likely answer, “nothing”, on a humorous note. But on a serious note, men always admire clothing that accentuates the female shape, lines which complement the contours of a woman’s frame, revealing to the eyes a truly feminine form. They do not only notice what women are wearing but also draw conclusions about a woman from the way she dresses. Then what is it that men actually want to see their wives and girlfriends wearing?“A man likes a woman to look hot if she is his girlfriend, cute if she is his sister, graceful if she is his mother and appealing if she is his wife. Men know best how a woman needs to dress because man fantasise about women all the time,” says the 45- year-old Rhino Haiduwa here.
But in modern times clothing revealing too much have been a controversial issue between couples. Should husbands have a say in how their wives dress? One prominent businessperson here says there should be a difference between a wife and a girlfriend. He adds that a wife should dress with respect even when going out. “I want my wife to always be presentable as she is the mother of my children and my girlfriend can dress whichever way because I do not have control over her and the truth of the matter is we are just having fun, nothing else serious,” he says.
“I have never told my wife not to dress in a certain way. I find it silly. I consider my wife an equal adult and if she decides to wear something (regardless of how much skin it shows) then I respect her decision because if she deemed it appropriate and I don’t think she would intentionally wear something she did feel was appropriate. I could give her feedback if she wants it, but in no way do I impose,” says John Immanuel
A man identified as Ananias Kampolo says: “A girlfriend should dress the part, something I would not expect from my wife. I certainly do not have a problem if my girlfriend walks in a backless top and shorts similarly like how she should be adventurous in bed than my wife who would want to keep it simple.”
On the contrary while some men find it eye catching that their girlfriends dress in revealing clothes, some find that as selling oneself short. “Personally I see it as a turn off if a girl feels like she has to parade herself around in skimpy clothing to get attention. It’s selling yourself as a person. I personally like girls who are confident in who they are as a person, and those kind of girls don’t feel like they have to flaunt their bodies to have value,” opines John Immanuel
On the contrary fashion has always been a feminine fascination but statistics from analysts show that now men are more into fashion as well and are spending more money on fashion-forward trends than women. With sales of men’s clothing rising to 0. 8% and women falling to 3. 5 %, it’s clear than men no longer hate shopping as much as they used to.
What gear comes to your mind at the thought of a Namibian man? Some ladies interviewed here say they would rather prefer a man with a pair of “All Stars” and a pair of shorts. Others said a suit while a few preferred men in skinny jeans. But it would probably vary from person to person due to differences in social classes, professionalism and probably race. “Many guys have lost the touch for swag, it has now become a thing of who wears the most expensive outfits. Some people don’t even look good in their so called expensive attires. Most of the Namibian men have now just become a bunch of show offs,” says a 25-year-old first year student and fashion addict, Rauha Frans
Still the question is, what does fashion really mean to a Namibian man? Is it about looking good or rather about who wears the most expensive gear? Ester Festus (21) believes that his man to be should be able to wear in such labels such as Guess, Uzzi, Daniel Hector and CJ, which have become household brands. “I hate men who wear skin jeans because most of them are suspicious. Remember, men who wear skin jeans are suspected to be gays and I will not associate myself with such men. I prefer my man to wear clothes from Guess jeans and Uzzi formal shirts,” she suggests.
However, Olivia Kapembe (20) fumes: “The thing with us Namibians is that we refuse to keep trend with the rest of the world. When you wear a pair of skinny jeans, they (most typical Namibians) automatically conclude that you are a gay!”It’s no secret that Namibian men are also obsessed with looking good and it’s not just looking ordinarily good but looking good by spending a fortune.The influence is high and every woman want to have a good looking man by her side. Then there is the influence of wanting to look like Jay-Z or Lily Wayne or Justin Timberlake. “Well, I would rather say that our “men” are up to date with fashion trends but let’s hope they remain men and guys and not to turn the love for fashion into gay trends,” concludes Kapembe.
By Clemence Tashaya