On being a woman

The ‘Long Dress’ is a symbol of womanhood for the Herero, both visibly through its shape and symbolically, as it marks the initiation into a woman's life and duties.

Most women do not consider themselves properly dressed until they put on their ‘Long Dress.’[McKinley 2013] The shape of the dress plays an important role. For the Herero, looking ‘fat’ does not have the negative connotation it has in most western societies, but rather fatness is appreciated aesthetically and sought after.[Durham 1999, 392] The dress optically makes its wearer look fatter and heavier. This, again, connects to the aspiration of moving and looking like cattle.

Connected to the above, the proportions the dress creates have a big impact. The well-bottomed skirts and the high waist cover the body’s actual shape and therefore it connects to the female pregnant figure, because it is not obvious whether a woman is pregnant or not [Hendrickson 1994, p 31]. The dress is therefore associated with femininity and fertility.[Durham Ibid, p 395]

Lastly, the dress is a means of reminding women of the duties and tasks of an adult woman. The ‘Long Dress’ is worn on a daily basis from the day of their wedding onwards [Hendrickson Ibid, p 37]. This is impressive considering the temperatures prevailing in Namibia sometimes. However, Herero living a modern lifestyle, in Namibia’s big cities for example, have stopped wearing it daily and wear it on special occasions only. By wearing the dress, women commit themselves to their adult lives and their new families. This often implies leaving their own families behind and starting a new life with their husbands’ families [Ibid]. Women visibly leave their childhood behind and willingly commit to adulthood and everything it implies. The dress makes them feel like a woman and it is part of their identity.