From tHe desk of tUsHAR ..

Apparently.

Among other things, the female sex has ALWAYS had to deal with others’ attention and opinion, on their clothes.

Even if we just take India as the context, true, women have more options or lets say variety when it comes to clothing. But nevertheless, the opinions on what one should be wearing all the time, are not justified.

From the time she’s a little girl, there will be strict observation of what she’s supposed to wear. Some parents ( the paranoid variety), wouldn’t let the frocks/skirts be short, even on a 2 year old. So is the case of sleeveless clothes. While similar dangers lurk around the corner for little boys, no one seems to debate the length of their shorts. True?

And as puberty hits, so does paranoia. Dress “decently” (???), conservatively, and attact minimum attention to yourself. Parents, relatives and their dogs, everyone has an opinion on what a girl wears, what is appropriate, and worse, what is her morality, as judged by the clothes worn. I don’t think it gets more bizzare than this.

Salwar kameez preferably with dupatta - Good homely girl from good family or behenji depending on which side of the fence you’re on

Salwar Kameez w/o dupatta - A little alarming, but nevertheless, good enough, not very behenji.

Jeans - Modern, smart ( not always in a good way!).

Skirt - Loose woman, slut. ( The shorter the skirt, higher the slut quotient)

And it doesn’t stop at clothes. Accessories, hair colour, everything that a woman adorns seems to have a connotation. The length of hair decides whether its a “nice” girl ( generally long/shouldger length, preferably untouched by chemicals) , or a modern ass-kicking bitch ( short boy/bob cuts). The ones with streaked hair are apparently the modern types ( in thought…not in fashion!)…so on and so forth. Oh, and if you’re in to shocking hair colours like bright red, or purple etc, you are beyond comprehension

And God forbid, if you decide to get married, everyone including your neighbourhood grocery store owner has an “expectation” on how you should be dressed. ( yes I know I have already ranted about sarees, sindoor, mangalsutra ( jewellery) and stuff. Thank you for reminding.)

Why are only women put under scrutiny when its about outward apprearances. No one seems to care if a guy dresses in jeans for a wedding, or walks in to a pub wearing shorts. They’re all cool, they’re all “nice”. If they end up in sleevless t shirts, its no big deal and almost as good as a normal t shirt. Right??

And if we switch places and women turn up wearing similar clothes to the ones mentioned above, what happens? They are immideately branded. According to what they wear, how they dress. In one slot or the other.

Good girl. Bitch. Homely. Slut. Traditional. Loose. Decent. Modern.

Sexism, so deep rooted, that its taken for granted, and doesn’t qualify as a topic deserving any attention, forget action. Bias, so anti-women, that irrespective of what they wear, they will get slotted, by some person or the other. And more often than not, they will give in, and dress to please others. Irrespective of what they like. Irrespective of where their comfort lies. Irrespective of how stifling it might be, to always adhere to rules made by others, just so that you don’t end up giving the “wrong” impression, or worse, the “wrong” signal…

Any thoughts?