Questionable Toe Rings??

It seems that daily we are learning new things about this culture that we live and serve in. Just the other day I was told by an American that here in Liberia, wearing a toe ring is associated with prostitution. I’ve been wearing mine for the last 3 months never even thinking that it could be offensive to anyone. It was just something fun for me, the one piece of jewelry I wore. My first reaction was to laugh and keep wearing it. I’m pretty sure that all the guys that were paying me unwelcome attention weren’t looking at my feet. Still, feeling a little convicted I decided to ask some of my Liberian friends. It turns out that wearing a toe ring doesn’t mean that you’re walking the streets, but most of the girls who do wear them. My friends quickly explained that since they knew me, they knew that I wore the ring just because I liked it. They thought that Liberians needed to be educated and more open-minded. I liked that answer, and was quite content to continue wearing the ring in question, until I remembered how the little girls at the orphanage react to it: “Oh, Mariel got ring!” they point it out, touch it, dust it off if my feet get dirty. What am I teaching these little girls who want to be just like me? It may be okay for me as a western woman who is given grace daily when I make cultural bloopers, but what if all these girls had one? Needless to say, the ring has found a new home in the bottom of my suitcase. I kind of miss it, but then again, I no longer have to remember to take it off before I grab my board and head into the water...