Nigeria, Feb. 15 -- A few years ago, I visited my brother and his family while I was still in school. I had run out of cash and needed to top up before starting our end-of-semester exams. My sister-in-law, a virtuous woman who is well-loved in our family, invited me to join her and my brother at the wedding of one of her close friends. As we were getting ready to leave, she pulled me aside with a playful grin and said, "I trust your fashion sense more than your brother's. I know you'll be honest with me, how do I look?" This came after a little brush with my brother, who, as usual, didn't hold back and had been brutally honest with her earlier.

My sister-in-law had always been meticulous about her appearance, but this occasion was differ...