Recently, a photo of a bunch of girls wearing lungis went viral on social media. According to the caption, this was a response to a Kozhikode college banning girls from wearing jeans on campus. While some celebrated it as a feminist reaction, other posts said the picture was fake and the girls were posing for a film shoot. Some said it was response by a few Mahesh Babu fans in the U.S. to show their love for the Telugu superstar, who wears a lungi in his upcoming film.
However, the photo set off a discussion on dress codes in colleges. Women, especially those from Kerala, rejoiced on seeing the photo because many, like me, have borne the brunt of conservative sensibilities at different stages of their childhood. I have been a victim of moral policing in school. I still remember the anonymous call on my 14 birthday. A rough female voice said: “You wore a skirt that revealed your ankle. You will face the consequences if you wear such ‘indecent dresses’ again.” I was too shocked and young to react. The voice gave me many sleepless nights.
In Malapuram, where I grew up, a girl without a dupatta was seen as a loose woman. And, western wear was out of the question. These clothes invited lewd looks. And, no one spoke out for you if someone created trouble. The onus was on the girl for having drawn unwanted attention.
Things are not so different even now and in Tamil Nadu too. A dupatta is mandatory in almost all the colleges in Coimbatore, says Chandni, a visual communications student. It’s not very different in Chennai either, says Sreedevi, who now studies in TISS, Mumbai. “If the hostel warden catches you without one, she will ask you to go back to the room and get it,” she says. During the ragging sessions, the seniors threaten to drape a shawl around their juniors.
Chandni loves dresses and long gowns but, unfortunately, cannot wear them. “Those are fun to wear when you are with your friends for informal occasions in college. But, a sari is mandatory during college functions. A sari exhibits more of your body. How is it more acceptable?”
In a colleges in Coimbatore, you are expected to wear a half-sari once a week. Many find it extremely uncomfortable. Andreah, a literature student from a Chennai college says, “In a few colleges, girls are supposed to wear saris while working in the lab. It is so inconvenient! A churidar/patiala is definitely more comfortable.” Andreah believes that the teachers should look into the comfort factor while formulating dress codes.
Schools are also not exempted. Chandni says that she was asked to tie her hair in plaits. “I find it a laborious process. But, if you wear another hair style, the teachers blame you for attracting men!”
Sreedevi is completely against dress codes. She was relieved when she got into TISS in Mumbai, where she did not face any curbs or restrictions. “I think it is time to do away with them. We have a basic sense of what to wear in a public space like a college. We should be allowed to wear what we want. There are no such issues in universities such as TISS or JNU. Then, why is it a compulsion in these colleges?” she asks.
The girls know where to draw the line; what is socially acceptable and scandalous. “Why underestimate our intelligence or sensitivity and force a dress code on us? Instead, the authorities should urge the men to change their sensibilities,” Chandni says.
There has always been a culture of imposing dress codes in Tamil Nadu colleges. Brenda D’ Cruz, now an educationist, spearheaded a mini-revolution in the Government College of Tirunelveli when she studied there in the early 1990s. “We were forced to wear half-saris. I refused to do so. When I was pulled up by the teachers, I told them that I am more comfortable in modern dresses. They asked me to at least wear my mother’s saris. I stuck to my guns and they had to finally give in. From that year on, everybody was allowed to wear modern dresses.”
But, the problem has not gone away, says Brenda. Her daughter now studies in a Chennai college that has banned jeans. “Gone are those days when women didn’t step out of the house after six. It is high time people realise that it is not enough to impose rules to make the girls safe. Women should educate their sons to behave, instead of forcing dress codes on girls.”
