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A heated discussion on News Central TV’s “Jasiri” on Friday focused on the controversial proposed dress code for Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) students, quickly expanding into a broader debate about personal freedom, societal notions of decency, and parental influence.
Host Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun questioned the constant imposition of rules on young people. “We’re constantly telling them what to do, how to do it, what to wear, where to go, and what to do, and then we expect them to come out and be fully formed individuals ready to take their own decisions,” she argued.
Defining Decency in a Changing World
Guest Jayne A initiated the debate around “decency,” expressing concern over increasingly normalised clothing choices. “My own is some of the clothes I see; I’m like, how did we get here? because it has been normalised. And you are the odd one,” she remarked, highlighting how attempts to be “trendy” can now elicit unexpected reactions from younger generations.
Adeleru-Balogun challenged this perspective, asking, “Who decides what is decent? We have to learn to decide. We have to find a compromise. So I think our society needs to redefine what decency is.”
Fellow host Omotunde Adebowale-David humorously added, “But some will even come out and say, Mummy, what made you think you can wear this kind of dress? I say, what’s your business? Is it your life?”
Jayne A stressed the role of parents as a new cohort of university undergraduates prepares to graduate. “So I think we parents should also try and strike that balance,” she urged.
Preparing for the Corporate World
The conversation then shifted to the practical implications of current dressing habits for future careers. Adeleru-Balogun warned that students, upon leaving university, might struggle to understand appropriate attire in corporate settings. “A lot of them go to work… and will not understand what is appropriate in offices and what is not,” she stated.
Adebowale-David corroborated this, sharing observations from the organisation: “Even within our organisation here, I have seen HR talk down some of the staff members… And they’ll tell you, I’m working. This is a liberal organisation.”
The Parental Dilemma
Host Blessings Mosugu partly laid the blame on parents. While acknowledging parental efforts, she noted, “I’ve seen children whose parents will come down and say, ‘Don’t wear this, wear that,’ and children are looking forward to when they can go to university to dress differently from how they do at the top level.”
Jayne A sympathised with this “dilemma,” describing the struggle many mothers face. “You’re torn between giving them liberty and also cautioning them,” she explained, adding that sometimes parents don’t even realise their children have matured, still viewing them with “baby eyes.”
The discussion underscored the complex interplay between individual expression, societal norms, and generational shifts in the evolving landscape of acceptable attire.
