A dressing down

Lubna Hussein, a Sudan journalist, faces up to 40 lashes if found guilty of dressing indecently that is wearing jeans.
But let us not dismiss this off as an incident in far away Sudan. Closer home, we have enough and more moral policemen trying to “protect” our society. Whether it is a diktat by a militant organization in Kashmir on college-going girls to wear burkas; or a Hindu fundamentalist organization clenching their fists on noodle-straps; or even university authorities coming down heavily on girls wearing jeans and T-shirts; moral policing is here to stay.
In most cases, parents are the first moral policemen. So when the girl starts “growing up”, wearing tight T-shirts are not really encouraged. I am not referring to that minuscule section of society which does not disallow girl children from wearing what they want. I am referring to that bigger chunk of society's conscience-keepers who believe their girls wearing such clothes post-puberty could invite eagle-eyed eve teasers.
Honestly, how many Indian families allow their girls to wear “what they want”? But this is the section that relies on public transport. Naturally, wearing such clothes could invite unkind glances and lewd comments, thanks to Bollywood and its eve-teaser hero who finally gets his eve. Again, I remember, films where the heroine gets chided by her paramour for wearing clothes not befitting a “girl from good family”! The girl promptly gets a wardrobe overhaul done and covers herself adequately; of course after her share of skin show in the first half of the film for the audience’s paisa vasool!
Today, jeans is a dirty word for girls in colleges and universities. They are banned in campus. It has to be only salwar kameez or saris. In fact, there is a dress code for even women teachers in some schools and colleges.
There is a dress code to enter certain temples. In fact, in a Kerala temple, girls cannot wear salwar-kameez, but only sarees. So what if their blouses have a plunging neckline! In fact, the explanation for the temple dress code is that the art of stitching was introduced to Indian by Muslims. Hence, the reluctance to allow stitched clothes like salwar-kameez.
Then we encounter a group of hooligans which calls itself Ram Sene and targets "loose women" in a Mangalore pub. They were loose not only because they wore noodle-strap blouses, but also because they indulged in intoxication, again the exclusive preserve of the male fraternity.
There is, of course, a parallel feminist debate on the purpose of wearing bold clothes exclusively to invite the male gaze, which goes against the feminist grain. Again, women are their target. So in their annual protests against the beauty pageant business, it is the women who are held guilty for skin show for commercial purposes.
No conclusion here. Just an observation and a cry of helplessness...