A few weeks ago I was out shopping. I was just minding my own business when 2 African men popped into the store I was in. They were clearly African, dressed in traditional African garb, and hence very eye-catching. They spoke in loud, bellowing voices and when a salesgirl approached them, they said they were looking for women's dresses.
I went about my own shopping and while I was making rounds, noticed that the African men hadn't progressed much further into the shop. They were still with the salesgirl and it looked like a misunderstanding had occurred, with one of the men sternly telling her, 'We don't dress like that in Africa,' .
The poor girl looked a little helpless, but I don't think there was reason for her to feel that way - there were clothes there that would fit a myriad of styles. It looked liked the girl had directed them to a section with flimsy little beach cover ups, shorts, and other itty bitty clothes. The first thing that probably popped into her head was the notoriously hot African sun. It was good thinking on her part as a salegirl to consider weather. However, for her, strike one.
The clothes were pretty loud. They were colourful, had crazy prints, and some had odd little details and weird cuts. Strike two.
If she was unsure, she should have asked the men for a description of what they were looking for. It looked like she did not, because the men were disagreeing with all her suggestions. I think it is a basic first step when serving anyone. The fact that the men were of different culture that she wasn't familiar with actually makes this step all the more important. Strike three.
With a stern 'We don't dress like that in Africa', she's out! The men were quite clearly offended at this point.
Based on my understanding, this is what I think of the whole situation-
The men were dressed traditionally, she should have not pointed them out to those 2 classes of clothing first - loud prints, summer friendly cuts. While the clothes may not have looked out of place on someone here in Singapore, she should have also kept in mind that she was serving people of different culture and different values. We dress differently, they very clearly dress differently.
Maybe I can empathise with the girl. Men shopping for women is different from women shopping for themselves. If the women the men wanted to buy clothes for were present, judging by their attire, the salesgirl could have pointed them out quickly to something that might suit their tastes. Since the women were not there, it was probably harder for the salesgirl to do that.
BUT, and a very big but it is, the men were traditionally dressed. That should have hinted at the kind of clothes that would or would not be receptive to. The girl should not have been ignorant of that. Instead of first pointing them out to clothes in crazy colours or summer-friendly cuts, she should have first pointed them out to something more subdued and also perhaps something more covered up. It was a pretty obvious step to me that the girl failed to take. I say failed because the trio were still at the front of the shop where all the wacky things were. The back offered more mature designs.
The men's attires were clues themselves that the girl should have caught on. I'm not sure if the men bought anything from the shop as I left soon after overhearing their little misunderstanding. One thing is for sure, though, that the salesgirl could have handled the situation much better.
Working in town would definitely include serving people of different cultures, from different countries. She should have been more sensitive to the African men and their culture. Being sensitive doesn't require in depth knowledge of the culture, and often we are told not to judge people in a superficial manner, based on what they look like and how they dress, but I think this is not the case in the fashion industry.
If you work in the fashion retail industry, I think I can safely say that you can and maybe should judge people based on their attire. Clothes are a big part of culture, and even if you had zero knowledge on a person's cultures and practices, the clothes can offer a little insight into their world.
If you were respectful and sensitive to other cultures, you wouldn't dress in a tight little bandage dress or wear tiny shorts while traveling in places like the Middle East, maybe also some parts of traditional Africa, even if it was sweltering. Similarly, if that same lady you saw covered up in those countries were to visit your country, you wouldn't first suggest that tight little bandage dress now would you?
