Delhi has just witnessed the first Slut Walk.
I should have the freedom to wear what I want without fear of assault – verbal or physical, implicit or explicit.
Why am I slotted in the category of “loose” when the garments are too tight?
It’s my body and I will dress/undress in public as I please – so what if others find it revealing or titillating or inappropriate.
I should not be slotted in categories based on the clothes I wear. I am not my clothes.
Who decides what is appropriate and what is not?
How can you say that I invited trouble by wearing what I did?
Very true.....
Why should I lock my house when I go out?
It’s my house, the gate/door /wall marks the boundary and everybody knows that, things inside the house are my possessions and anybody entering without my permission is an intruder/ transgressor/thief.
If I leave my house unlocked and it is burgled why do people blame me and not the intruder?
With domestic help in the house why am I advised not to leave cash and valuables lying around?
How can you say I invited trouble by putting temptation in their path?
Very true .......
I have two options – take the safer one and lock my house or believe in the sanctity of ownership and leave it open.
See any connection?
I am a staunch advocate against sexual violence or harassment and firmly believe that no woman “asks” to be raped or molested. At the same time, I believe that appropriate dressing is contextual and decorum cannot be thrown to the winds. It’s just like taking appropriate steps to safeguard your home.
Correct me if I am wrong.
Very True and nicely put!
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeletevery well argued.Voice of sanity.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? So the guys should roam the streets in whatever clothes they like but the women must conform to some twisted sense of decorum? Does your decorum not demand that men behave themselves irrespective of what women wear? And while you are condemning the slut walk completely, have you paid attention to those who came dressed in salwar kammez and said that they get harrassed no matter what they are wearing? I feel sorry for India's future if this is what oyu are going to teach your sons and daughters!
ReplyDeleteI simply did not agree with the slut walk as a good idea for the message it may be trying to get across.
ReplyDeleteDecorum is for both men and women. Clothes are contextual – time, place, culture, audience,intent should be taken into account. It would be stupid to get into a pool fully clothed.
And I agree that houses get burgled even when locked. But should we not take reasonable safeguards till we reach that utopia?
I am sure most of us believe in all good values and would have tried to instil the same in our children. Unfortunately people do not always do the right or moral thing and that is why the world is what it is – the good and the bad coexist. And that is why prudence and decorum are valuable.