What's the skinny

The monthly zine in Addis, What's Up, featured a great article on current fashion trends in Ethiopia. The writer obviously has a strong command of English, but she uses familiar spoken language in a way you rarely see in American print, giving the article a less polished, and more down to earth tone. I noticed this in the daily news in Fiji as well, where their journalistic style is not bogged down with news-speak and they tend to write in a frank, open manner. Now, with no further adieu, the article reprinted, as is:

"How to Wear Your Skinny Pants"

Skinny jeans are simply jeans with tight legs all the way to the bottom and we all know that skinny pants are so in. It's like wide leg pants were never here. Everyone has bought themselves at least one. We don't blame you; they're comfy, go with almost anything and make you appear a lot slimmer.

Here are a few ways to make the most out of you skinnys.
1. If you new skinny is too long, which they usually are, get trusted tailors who can do the perfect hemming, because there's nothing worse than skinny pants hemmed too short.
2. Go for darker color; you all know the magic of the color black and make sure the pockets are placed centrally, if they are too high or too low, it will only make your behind look bigger.
3. When it comes to shoes, pair your skinnys with long or drooping boots, flats or heels. But don't risk appearing like you have gigantic feet by wearing them with sneakers.
4. Wear them with loose or long tops. In general, it's better to wear only one tight thing at a time, top or bottom, to give your look a sense of balance, but super skinny girls seem to carry the skinny pants with tight tops look.
5. If you skinny is leather, make sure the leather as a muted shine rather than a disco dancer's sparkle.

Of course, the thing about this article that probably won't be lost on anyone is the focus on looking slim in a country that experienced a devastating famine in the 1980s. But Ethiopia has been fortunate in the 21st century and seen their economy grow by leaps and bounds. Of course the poverty here overshadows fashion faux pas, and the country faces hard-hitting consequences in a world enveloped in economic crisis, but maybe that's what makes it so nice to see this simple little article with high spirits take a look at itself in the mirror and make the most out of life, heading out on the town with a muted shine.