That dress code debate

Jul 15, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
Interesting, the recent ‘From the Diaspora’ piece about the ‘so called dress code enforced by the Guyana Government and its agencies’. One hopes such ‘enforcement’ is not general. I think one should be conscious of one’s surroundings, have a sense of occasion and exercise judgement.
Some of us, particularly from the old school, may not be comfortable, dressed informally or casually in a dignified, ‘serious’ courtroom or in a room of young children, men wearing short pants, women in hot pants.
I was a bit surprised to read that people from America going to the Caribbean “want to wear casual clothes”. I always assumed otherwise, at least where women visitors were concerned – those I have met always seemed dressed up and bedecked in chunky, jangly jewellery.
The Brits, on the other hand, always seemed comfortable, dressed casually. I always bore in mind the briefing of a tour guide while visiting a poor African country.
He told us to ‘remember you are visiting a poor area of the world, try to look casual, leave your designer bags at home, it is rude to appear to show off.’
But, in the 1990s, when holidaying in Guyana, I always got the impression that ‘casual’ dress plus not splashing money around meant near poverty to the locals. People felt the UK brethren were the poor relations. No doubt by now they have learnt that ‘it ain’t necessarily so’.
I think it all boils down to a sense of dignity, decorum and self-respect and is related to what one has been used to most of one’s life.
Geralda Dennison

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