Carnival now and then: preserving value of women

Example, placing rings in your lips or wearing tiny shoes in order to prevent your feet from growing.

There are certain things that no one would deem fit to pass on to future generations, one of them being the devaluation of women. It is very obvious that in recent years our culture and perception of Carnival are changing rapidly.

We have seen costumes go from beautiful pieces of art where designers showcase talent and skill to barely-there pieces of dental floss that present women at face value as objects and nothing more.

I know many women like and enjoy this attention but I believe this will change if they knew what was going through men’s heads. I have first-hand experience seeing many young girls trying to enjoy Carnival but don’t want to wear the costumes being offered.

I have great memories of the days my parents used to take my sisters, brother and I to watch all the amazing colourful costumes etc on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.

Nowadays, however, many parents are sceptical about allowing their children to see what takes place on those two days. Carnival has evolved in many positive ways but also negative ones.

It is possible to enjoy this beautiful festival and to come together as a nation to appreciate our culture in a clean, respectful and fun way, as people used to long ago.

Feminists should advocate for this as well: for women to be valued as people and not just bodies, for better costumes, better music that doesn’t command women to bend down, jook, wine, and other lust-driven messages that are now associated with Carnival.

Each year, Carnival bands have so much opportunity to set a standard and to raise the bar, yet each year the opposite happens.

It is extremely important to recognise that women have much more to offer than their physical qualities and are not mere objects for men to seek pleasure with and this is why we must not seek or want these current practices to be passed down or continued.

In fact, women have attributes which men need them to showcase in order for us to truly be reminded of their value on this Earth. After all, women are the makers of men.

Recent studies show that women are not only needed to bring up the children at home but also uphold an important role in the workplace.

Women display incredible signs of being caring, loving, nurturing, helpful, ethical, and hard working.

Many worldwide business owners also say that once women start a task they are very keen on getting it done properly, displaying incredible determination and commitment. All of these are attributes which businesses nationwide would and could take advantage of if we upheld and treated our women with greater respect. If women sell themselves short they not only bring down themselves, they also bring down the men who rely deeply on women for the values they have.

Once the men are brought down and blinded by the mere bodies of women we see a domino effect taking place from one generation to the other, breaking families apart and causing many issues for our island we call home.

In conclusion, we the present generation must be aware of what is taking place in our amazing nation and do what we can to protect the future generations. You may read this and wonder how you as an individual can change Carnival.

The answer is simple: we must all change ourselves before we see any real change in these issues.

Notice all these things are not forced on anyone, you only take part if you want to. So obviously the demand of the people is what changes the way things are manufactured and developed.

I believe that Carnival bands would enjoy actually showcasing the talent of designers rather than wasting their hard work to create something damaging to their neighbours and friends.

We must teach and talk more about this issue and not ignore what is taking place. Parents should teach children good moral values towards all people. Do not let this practice end when your children reach of age to play Carnival but keep these conscious thoughts among yourselves for the sake of them and their families.

This means men teach sons to respect women from birth and women teach men and children that you deserve to be respected.

* This article is written on behalf of Catholic Voices T and T