A woman journalist was reportedly not allowed to enter an exhibition at the Bombay High Court just because the sleeveless top she was wearing was deemed immodest. Last year a similar incident invited sharp reactions when two Czech nationals were stopped from entering the court and were fined. A notice was promptly put up asking the security personnel to “only allow litigants wearing modest dresses in sober colours”.

Fashion blogger Charu Gaur Naidu complains that as soon as she gets out of the house, she can feel that the auto-driver’s eyes want to know why her skirt is short, the eve-teaser finds a trigger in the way she walks, whereas the next-door auntie has a problem with her neckline and so it never ends. “At times I feel like Draupadi, a bet thrown in a game called ‘more covered more pious’. Our gods and apsaras used to dress up so amazingly. They were so confident of their sexuality. Unfortunately, as we progressed technologically, economically and socially, we became more backward when it came to our women,” rues Charu.
In our diverse and multi-cultural society appropriate dressing has different connotations for everyone. Many argue that a sari reveals much more than a sleeveless garment, so what’s so immodest about the top in question?
“If the argument is solely based on the comparison of a sari to a sleeveless shirt, a woman draped in a sari comes across as conventional despite the bare arm and midriff. Even though times have changed and a section of our society lives a modern lifestyle, it will take much more than a journalist in a sleeveless shirt at the High Court to change ‘their’ mindsets and to bridge this gap,” explains designer Ritika G.
While dress codes can be really constricting for women, they don’t deny that we should respect the sanctity of the place. If a temple or a gurudwara expects you to cover your head, do it or simply don’t go there. Many companies do not encourage jeans at work unless it is a Friday. In schools girls will wear skirts three inches above the knees if they were allowed. The school uniform has similar restrictions for boys. Boys above a certain age are not allowed to wear short pants. So the same logic applies to places like courts and boardrooms.
Designer Poonam Bhagat, who has been working with a posse of male tailors for the past 21 years, says that she has never worn a revealing top to work. She adds, “It’s easy to blame others. There is nothing immodest about a sleeveless top as long as it doesn’t induce drooling by being low cut. I have personally worn sleeveless long dresses with boat necks to the Delhi High Court on numerable occasions and never been stopped. I feel we must respect the solemnity of the occasion or place. Intelligence is the ability to adapt yourself to your environment. You have to know how to dress for all reasons and all seasons. If you want to be sexy, go to a nightclub.”
Agrees scriptwriter Manisha Lakhe, “If there is a dress code, observe it. What is the big deal? Personally, if we use common sense and are able to easily wear the right clothing for the right occasion — for example no woman will wear shorts and T-shirt at an Indian wedding — then we will not end up making a fuss about dress codes anywhere.”