Scandal in Dakar; Posted Naked pictures of a mistress

Recently, the Senegalese scene has been subject to an interesting scandal. My country has been subjected to many scandals in the past but this one caught my eye because unlike the others, it did not involve a political figure or a celebrity. It involved ordinary people, living ordinary lives.
The issue is simple: a young lady was having an affair with a married man. During this affair, the man took some indecent pictures of her. Then, the man died. His wife who was putting his affairs in order found the naked pictures. She decided to duplicate them and post them where the lady was working. And from then, everyone around got wind of the scandal because the pictures ended up on the Internet and on some gossip magazines.
This scandal does not shock me one bit. Living in the USA, I am used to hearing about some pictures of stars or videos leaking on the Internet; the most recent one being that of Rihanna while she was still dating Chris Brown. However, I was surprised that in my country where people prone the “Soutoura” (discretion) something like that could happen.
Senegal was a country with many important values such as discretion, tolerance, integrity, sense of pride, and chastity. But all these values have gone down the drain. Children are not studying and they are growing up too fast: partying and having sex. Grown ups are not educating their children and sometimes they are not giving the good example. With the increasing gap between rich and poor, violence and prostitution have become a daily routine. People have lost their most important values. And they are ready to do anything for money and 15mns fame. That is why it is not surprising to see a woman seeking revenge on her husband’s mistress that way.

The scandal became the topic of a heated debate at a recent party I attended. Men were ready to blame both women: the wife for being too mean in divulging those pictures, and the mistress for being too dumb to accept to have her naked pictures taken. As for myself, I was arguing that I understood why both ladies did what they did. I was sure that the mistress let her man take those pictures of hers just because she was in love. I do not see it as an act of promiscuity. In truth, no one knows what happens between couples behind closed doors. They can indulge in all kinds of fantasies and I guess taking pictures were one of them. I am sure the lady had her man promised that he would never go public with them. Or that he begged her saying that it was for personal use only. Let us be real, would you really say no to your man or woman, if he or she asks you to fulfill one of his/ hers fantasy? Probably not! Therefore, I cannot blame the lady for letting her man take those pictures.
In the same way, I cannot blame the wife for exposing those pictures to the public. I would like to think that I would never go as far as she went if I were in her shoes. However, I understand that she was hurt. Just imagine losing a husband to discover that he was having an affair with another woman, taking her naked pictures. You would be very hurt. And to add insult to injury, he is dead; therefore you do not have anyone to blame or scream at. The mistress becomes the perfect scapegoat to channel your anger. The husband being off the hook, why not humiliate the mistress, she probably thought. After all she is as guilty of adultery as he was. I seriously cannot blame the wife for seeking revenge the way she did.
I expressed my views to the crowd gathered at the party. Some- mostly women- understood me- some others were skeptic. But the discussion was concluded when someone pointed that to avoid such scandal in the future, it was better never to have naked pictures or videos of oneself taken. And I did agree with him. You never know in life what can happen. And in this crazy world of Internet, Facebook and Iphone, anyone can take pictures or have access to your pictures. Therefore, it is best to be careful. I just never thought that someone had to be careful in this country of Senegal(compared to the States). Change…..is a very scary thing.

Why I detest using tailors?

I often watch fashion makeover shows. The stylist in those shows often recommends getting a good tailor that would retouch clothes that would not fit. I did agree with their opinions. However, my bad experience with tailors has made me love ready wear too much to even want to use a tailor.

In the past, I have had many tailors often recommended by my parents. They would sew anything from traditional clothes to European ones. All I had to do is find a cloth and a pattern I like and take them to the tailor. Then he would take my measures, discuss the price and make the clothes I wanted. It should be as simple as that.

In reality, it is not. I find many wrongs with the Senegalese tailors. First of all, they are never serious. They do not keep their words. For example, when you ask them when they think the garment would be finished; they give you a date and time. Yet, when you come that day to take your clothes, you often find them not finished. And before you can ask why, the tailor would invent some excuses. The ones I often hear were: “I had a funeral in the family I had to attend” or “There was no electricity lately. The company has been cutting the energy. Therefore I could not work”.
Second, the tailors never tend to sew the exact thing you asked them. The clothes never turn out to be the think you have envisioned. I had a tailor once who would add 3 to 5 inches to the hem of a skirt I commanded. When I asked him why, he would respond that a longer hem is more decent. I guess he was so religious that he would put his beliefs in making my clothes. However, I did not need his beliefs, I just needed his skills to make me a beautiful skirt.
Finally, I find them expensive. Now that the fashion industry is in full bloom in my country and that every tailor is trying to become a designer by invited really pretty clothes, it is very costly to have a garment made. Back in the days, the tailor would only reproduce a model you gave them. The country had seldom designers. But since the 2000s, the Senegalese fashion industry has been developing. What boosted this industry is the development of the media. The country, which used to have only one TV, has several now. They all have shows featuring designers. Moreover, many fashion and people magazine are emerging, also showcasing those designers. With all this attention to fashion, people find themselves more and more investing (sometimes from $100 up) to have a beautiful garment made.
With all these hassle, I really do hate to have to deal with a tailor. I prefer to shop for ready wear clothes. It can be hard to find the exact thing you want but at least, I would waste less time arguing about why my garment is not exactly like I have commanded it, or going back and forth to the tailor, and less money to have something cute…

Nevertheless, being someone who aspires to become a fashion designer, I do need to see a tailor for him to create pieces that I have designed. It is such as beautiful thing when you find a competent and trust worthy one who would do exactly what you asked him to do. Once I find him, I guess I would detest tailors less and maybe my designer career can take off.