Problem With The Indian Society Regarding Women's Clothig?

It's 2021, yet exposing a bit of cleavage or legs in the Indian society invites judgments and reactions like "What type of clothes you are wearing" or " nudity or nakedness".

Though it's very much true that in ancient India wearing "revealing" clothes weren't considered or seen as obscene as they are now. In ancient time, women draped their sarees without blouses showing their breasts. Historical instances, sculptures and temple figurines unveil that in ancient India, nude bodies were even worshipped irrespective of gender.

But the historians traced a drastic change in people's perspective regarding women's clothing during the Mughal sultanate in medieval times. When the Mughal Raj expanded, elite women's movements were also restricted. The elite women were even required to cover their faces with long " Ghoonghats" or veils in public. From that era, women's clothing was viewed more as a lady's family honour and even her reputation were judged by the attire she'd choose to put on the way it is today.

Those elite families even established "Zenanas" [or sanctified and preserved spaces] for the women of their households. This social practice strengthened even more in northern India during the Mughal rule.

Though this practice wasn't observed by women in the southern and the eastern parts of the country. This is because many women wore sarees without covering their breasts. This practice came into more power during the eighteenth century and the victorian rule when the British prohibited the entry of women without wearing blouses. This is because the British contemplated it vulgar to drape a saree without a blouse.

Jnanadanandini Debi who belonged to an elite Bengali household culminated in popularising wearing saare with blouses or jackets after the British denied to enter her in British clubs because she was "Bare Chested".

From the mid-nineteenth century, the feminist movements emerged. It became tolerable in the west for women to wear more revealing attires. Meanwhile in India, during the Swadeshi Movement, a protocol of the " Good Indian Women" and " Bad Western Women" arose in the minds of the people.

According to the laid protocol, the good women covered her body and was correlated with domesticity, reverence and a "good upbringing". This difference of opinion was reinforced in the early Hindi cinema, which depicted the heroin good, cultured and clad nicely. While the women who wore revealing outfits or the villain or the antagonist was always the westernized vamp, with her skimpy clothing, drinking habits and other clamps. The so-called westernized vamp was illustrated as a detrimental influence on the hero. By the end of the nineteenth century when the Indian economy rose, the heroin was also seen clad in 'revealing outfits". This was seen as a transformation in the Hindi cinemas. As the Good vs., the Bad Western Women binary barely existed.

The newly arising lady customers in cities adopted the liberty to show their skin, but the cultural tautness in the Indian Society curbed women to do so. Practices like Ghoonghat and covering bodies is still intact in the interiors of the country. Because these are viewed more as their rural's honour. The women who don't go according to the protocol are often insulted as "shameless", "nude" etc.

It is so unfortunate and unethical that in the Indian cities wearing short clothes has become more acceptable but are yet estimated "Risky". "Risky" because the Indian population often misconceives that wearing short outfits invites sexual violence like rapes, harassments, assaults etc.

A recent survey that was conducted amongst eight Indian urban cities depicted that 50 per cent of Indian men from the age group between 15 to 29 strongly believes that short clothing is the reasons for rape.

This firm belief is furthermore strengthened with the conservative mindsets of the Indian ministers. These ministers instead of gruelling the criminal, often blame the victims [of rapes, assaults, harassments] for wearing skimpy clothing and "intriguing men".

Studies from around the world show that "short clothes are not an open invitation to teasing/rape"? The only reasons for these acts of violence are the criminals are rapists. These studies also show that women clothing is not a reason for sexual violence.

Let us take some common instances from our day to day lives only. A four-month-old baby girl was brutally raped by her cousin in Lucknow, Feb ’20 Sunday. Now, what’s the fault….. Short dresses? Late night parties? Drunk? was the baby attracting men? or what. The only reasons were rapists. Another instance, the recent "hathras rape" case revealed that the victim was nicely clad in salwar - kameez and was collecting fooder on a farm near her house. So, are salwar - kameez slutty outfit, did the women had a flirty behaviour or were she attracting men while extracting fooder. No!! the reality is that a group of men attacked her from behind. So it's very much clear from these two instances that the reasons for rapes especially in India are because of "rapists". No slutty attire, no flirty behavior, no late night strolls alone, nothing.

Therefore the length of the clothes aren't short , what actually short is the mentality of the people.