Fashionista for Jesus

This article was updated from this blog and published in French at TPSG.

Have you ever thought that your clothes could make a difference in your relationships? I'm not talking about dressing modestly, although that is definitely is important. In Senegal, the importance of personal attire goes way beyond avoiding shorts and tight-fitting pants (even if both are big no-nos). What I'm talking about is dressing to impress in a culture where everyone from your friend next door to the fishmonger dress their best any time they step out the front door. 

You eat for yourself. You dress for others.

The implications for ministry are simple. If I leave the house without giving much thought to what I'm wearing, I could be closing doors in my community without realizing it. And the thing is, the emphasis isn't necessarily vanity, but caring for others. Locals say, "You eat for yourself. You dress for others." In other words, eat whatever you want, but don't make anybody look at your scruffy, unkept mug; make an effort! 

Being poor is considered no excuse, either. Another local proverb states, "A beautiful outfit covers an empty stomach." And it's true, people will actually sacrifice food for the sake of fashion. So, the way the Senegalese see it, as Westerners, we can afford to dress well. We have no excuse. Most people won't say anything to your face about neglecting your appearance, but they'll take notice. 

Implications for Short-Term Mission Trips

This is important for any of us to keep in mind when we are preparing to take part in a short-term mission trip. I remember numerous times in which, while packing my bags for a trip to a developing country, I said to myself, "I should bring my shabbiest clothes, so as to not come across like a rich Western woman, boasting of my wealth." Little did I know that I very well may have been insulting my hosts by what to them was perceived as indifference to my hosts! The moral of the story is that we need to do our homework. We need to find out ahead of time what the local culture we are venturing into deems most suitable to wear.

The Effort is Worthwhile

On the positive side, when you do prepare ahead of time, and especially if you dress in local attire, you may find yourself attracting a lot of positive attention from happy nationals. (This may not be possible in every case on a short trip, but I have seen tailors work wonders in a matter of days, so having an outfit quickly made in local fashion is often possible). Once when Dan was walking to church in a "boubou" (the typical men's outfit in Senegal), one guy actually stopped him on the street to shake his hand and say, "Thank you! Thank you!" 

The plus side to this cultural value is that I have to go shopping for beautiful fabric and have my tailor make me one-of-a-kind outfits. Tough times, right? But the downside is that I can never just run a quick errand without getting decked out, and that can make leaving the house a bit of a pain.  These are the realities we live with in Senegal, and although it may seem strange, we take our job of looking good seriously, not wanting anything to get in the way of the gospel message. Who would've thought that I'd move to Africa to become a fashionista?:)