Mind Your Clothing

 Dress Codes and Culture Shock in Buddhist Myanmar


One of the most immediate and unexpected forms of culture shock I experienced in Myanmar is the expectation around modest clothing, in particular with the dress code when visiting the Buddhist religious sites like the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. In a country where Buddhism is deeply imbedded into the daily lives of its citizens, how you dress is less about your own personal style, but its more of a sign of respect for their sacred spaces and for those who worship there.


By East.Lucky, Flickr


Unlike the more lax dress norms I'm used to in Australia, Myanmar's religious customs calls for conservative clothing when entering into sacred temple grounds; this means no shorts, mini-skirts, tank tops, essentially anything that doesn't cover your knees, shoulders and stomach. As Petri Hottola puts it, when people are confronted with new and different experiences, "the emotional dominance tends to lean toward the negative rather than the positive"


By Longyi Brothers


So as a tip if you ever decide to visit this country or its Buddhist neighbours, pack  clothing that is breathable but modest, cotton or linen clothing would be ideal. At first, it might be a frustrating experience to not be allowed to wear your comfortable shorts, but embracing these customs; rather than resisting them opens up a more meaningful and respectful experience of Myanmar's rich religious and cultural life.



Information from these websites were used to help write the content:
  • Hottola, P. (2004). CULTURE CONFUSION: Intercultural Adaptation in Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(2), pp.447–466. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.01.003.

I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to help me brainstorm


Prompt: “Please give me a list of important aspects of Myanmar that cause confusion or shock for western travellers”

ChatGPT was used to make a list of possible shocks/confusions to write about, I then narrowed down the list based on how likely the confusions would happen.

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