Burqa and mini skirt - Symbols of liberation or oppression?

Symbolism is of great importance for any civilization. Various symbols can convey messages about our culture, habits, traditions, and values. The clothes we wear are one such symbol. A society where people are free to wear whatever they want based on their own needs and tastes can claim to be a free and tolerant place. Societies, where the dress code is strictly implemented against the wish of people, and they are forced to wear a certain type of clothing cannot claim to be a free society. Our clothing is a type of self-expression. Many of us try to express ourselves using the way we dress, actually, this is one of the reasons why we wear different dresses for different occasions. I am not a supporter of a dress code. Note that school uniforms are a different ball game, it has a special educational purpose. I like to wear clothes in which I feel comfortable. I hate the idea of being forced to wear a certain type of clothing against my wish. Social pressure or peer pressure can be considered as the other two important factors that force people to follow certain clothing habits.

Many times Burqua (or a veil) is propagated as a sign of oppression of women. It is true that forcing women or for that matter anyone to wear a certain type of clothing against their wish is wrong. However, what if they are doing it out of their own choice? Can then we call it a freedom to choose or do we need to look deeper? I think it is not that straightforward. We must ask, under what circumstances that choice is offered? Is there any indirect pressure to dress or appear in a certain way to satisfy social norms? Is there peer pressure or fear of serious social and professional repercussions if they don't dress in a certain way? These questions might help us to understand the situation in a better way, rather than concluding anything only based on the dress. I have seen women wearing dark burqas on extremely hot summer days and mini skirts and high heels on extremely cold days. In both conditions, the clothing totally defied the needs dictated by the weather conditions. I always wondered which one of them can be considered that she was free to choose her dress? Maybe none of them. Just because someone is wearing a burqa doesn't mean that person is living in an oppressed culture and just because someone is wearing a mini skirt doesn't mean they are living in a free society. Real freedom means people make informed choices. They choose what they want based on their own needs and requirements, not based on what society expects from them. One lady mentioned to me that it is not easy to be a woman even in developed countries as there are very high expectations about the way they should look and dress. She told me that most people think that women should not have any body hair except on the head, eyelids, and eyelashes. I was shocked to know about these expectations. It is very natural to have body hair, it is a natural part of being a living organism, but to force someone to get rid of it just because of some ridiculous beauty standard is ridiculous, but it seems there is such an unreasonable expectation and most women have to do this. If they don't then the social and professional penalties are severe. 

Women need to fight this stereotype on their own, this is one way of subjugating them by putting the burden of unreasonable expectations about their external appearance. Forcing a burqa is as bad as forcing a miniskirt, there is no difference. Wearing a bikini or jeans doesn't make you a forward or liberal, at the same time wearing a burqa doesn't make you a backward or oppressed. A person's character should not be decided by the type of clothes they wear. Our clothes should be one of the ways to express ourselves, they should reflect our choices and should be based on our own decisions and needs. Our dress is the true reflection of our personality only when it is our choice, based on free will. A burqa or miniskirt can be a symbol of oppression or freedom depending on under what circumstances people wear it.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing.]

Is burqa oppressive to women?

The burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by some women following Islamic traditions to cover their bodies when in public. There are various articles or posts about whether its use is oppressive to women or not. Some support it in the name of religion, modesty or to protect women's dignity, some oppose it and consider it a sign of women's oppression and attempt to restrict their freedom. I read both points of view and both have some positives and negatives in them. What to wear is a personal choice. If anyone wants to cover their body using a burqa or any other outfit I don't think anyone should have any problem with it, but at the same time if someone wants to wear some revealing outfit then also people should not make a big deal out of it, it's personal choice, people are free to wear whatever they feel is appropriate for them. If anyone is forced to wear some particular type of dress in the name of religion or modernity then it's wrong, it should be questioned.

People who support or demand the use of the burqa for women claim that it protects them from sexual harassment. What they mean is if men see exposed body parts of women (like face, hands, or legs), even in public places, they may not be able to control their sexual desires and there is a high risk of sexual abuse for women because of their dress. This is a pathetic attempt to put the blame on the victim. Even if it's the men who can't control their behavior and commit the crime the blame is on women. No religion or cult movement is very kind to women. None of them give equal status to women. The founders of most cult movements and all religions are men, so obviously they designed the rules that suited the needs of men. Some books books glorify women, even making them demigods but didn't offer them equal status. The introduction of all these dress codes and rigidly defined roles in family and society was an attempt to control women and confine them so that they don't compete with men. This trick worked for centuries because of male male-dominated society, women had no support to fight for their rights until feminist movements started almost a century ago. Slowly but steadily in the last few years, we have made a lot of progress but still, a lot needs to be done.

Dress codes for women are imposed in many places. They are imposed for both genders in certain religious places or functions like marriages or some parties. Personally, I am against all this. I don't like anyone telling me what to wear. I like to wear clothes in which I feel comfortable and I respect others' choices and expect others to respect my choices. As I like to choose what I want to wear and I am sure others like to choose their own dress. The topic of school uniforms (or work uniforms) is totally different, this rule is imposed to bring uniformity and a feeling of togetherness in school or workplace and it is for both genders. I feel amazed when people try to bring God and religion into all this, these things have nothing to do with what clothes people should or shouldn't wear. Clothes protect us against weather or make us look more attractive but we can not put the entire blame on a person's apparel if they are victims of physical or sexual assault. There are many cases where kids or people wearing so-called decent dress get sexually harassed, what role does their dress play there? So, the theory that more revealing clothes encourage or invite sexual assault is basically flawed. It pathetically tries to put the entire blame on the victim when the problem lies somewhere else. Educating men and women to respect each other is a better solution than putting the entire blame and moral responsibility on women. We all need to respect each other's choices. We should not judge anyone based on what clothes they wear, which country they belong to, or what religion they follow.

If anyone wears a burqa by choice it is like any other dress, why does anyone have any issue with it but if anyone is forced to wear it in the name of religion, god, or just because of their gender then it becomes a symbol of oppression and discrimination. The dress we wear or the food we eat is a personal choice that we make based on our likes and dislikes. I don't think any of us would like it if we were forced or not allowed to eat some particular dish just because of our or someone else's religion. We like to taste different cuisines, some we like and some we don't, same way we should think about clothes. People like to express themselves and their clothes are one of the ways in which people choose to express themselves and we can't take this right away from them. Let it be an individual's choice what they want to wear. I am not against the burqa or any other dress, people are free to wear what they like, forcing dress code only on women is a sign of male chauvinism. In today's world, we don't need it and we should not encourage it. It will be another step towards bringing gender equality.

Thanks for reading and please share your views on this topic.

[Copyright: Vinay Thakur. Please contact the author for re-posting or publishing]

Links:
1. Burqa
2. Don't tell me how to dress, tell them not to rape.....
3. Rape is never the victim's fault.
4. Is there any way to reduce rape and sexual abuse incidents?