The wrong kind of fashion can get women in deep trouble in India, writes Pearl Shah
Scene one: It’s the end of a long day at my office in Mumbai. I’m homeward bound,
on the train, dressed in an empire-line top and my favourite skinny jeans. Abruptly, the
woman next to me leans over and scolds me for wearing such skimpy clothes on the
train. “I’m telling you this for your own good!” she insists. I now drive to work everyday.
Scene two: Mumbai’s wealthiest are ushering in the New Year at the grand ballroom at
the opulent J W Marriott Hotel in Juhu Beach. Two young Indian women head out of the
hotel dressed in the kind of clothes that would go unnoticed on the streets of London: a
little black dress, black trousers and a full-sleeved black top. Outside, they are taunted by
a group of men, which swiftly swells into a mob of 70. Then it gets physical: they shove
and jostle the women, tear off the dress and molest the women. The girls break away at
last. No complaint is filed. Police commissioner D.N. Jadhav comments: “These kind of
small things can happen anywhere.”
Only after media pressure did the Mumbai police file a formal charge, using newspaper
photographers as witnesses. The victims did not want to register a complaint for fear
of affecting their family’s image in society and rapidly returned home to the United
States. Samna, a newspaper run by Shiv Sena, Mumbai’s fundamentalist politicial party,
published its version of the story, criticising the two for wearing indiscreet outfits.
The story prompted interesting reactions from various sections of society – some blamed
the government for lack of educational initiatives, others were outraged at the disrespect
women in the country face everyday. Many others blamed the women for not respecting
traditions and wearing western clothing.
Young women in urban Indian cities are faced with an image crisis as they stand before
their wardrobes each morning. An inch deeper than the standard eight inches on the
neckline of their Indian kurta and they risk being stared at – on the train to work, in the
office with colleagues, even by the neighbour next door raising an eyebrow.
Switch on any soap on primetime Indian television and it will take you two minutes to
separate the heroine from the vamp. Even if you don’t understand a word of Hindi. The
good girl always wears a traditional Indian outfit, decked with jasmine in her hair, and
bows her head with a shy smile. The vamp is the one inspired by the Baywatch babes in
Los Angeles, wearing that ultimate symbol of loose western morals – the tight mini.
A survey published in January of 500 middle-class urban men, aged between 20 and 45,
showed 46 per cent believed that women are “asking for trouble” by simply going to a
pub with friends. This is the mainstream of thought in a new India – a country that prides
itself on being the world’s largest democracy and that aspires to be a global superpower.
In recent years, with growing financial independence and an apparent broadening of
attitudes, increasing numbers of women are rebelling against the stereotype of the “good
Indian girl” depicted in films and on television. This holds true particularly for young
students, who love the O.C, take inspiration from Jennifer Lopez and have unlimited
access to the internet.
Colleges, on the other hand, want to play protector to their students. St. Xaviers college
in Mumbai lists in its prospectus regulations such as: no sleeveless tops, no clingy t-
shirts, no shorts and no skirts above the knee. Last October, principal Dr Raj Kishore
Prasad of K J Somaiya engineering college in Mumbai threw out 400 students from
the examination hall for not wearing the “right” clothing. “Girls wear tight T-shirts and
boys get busy chasing them and in all this, studies go for a toss,” was his comment to
newspaper Mumbai Mirror.
In a confused urban society, the clash between eastern and western morals has never been
stronger. In theory, women need to fight out for our right to wear what we want, even if
it means risking being judged as immoral. In practice, it’s much simpler to give in to the
moral police (who also want to ban Valentine’s Day for risk of western mores seeping
into the country). Never mind that western clothing, in the form of trousers and shirts, is
widely worn by Indian men, both in rural and urban India.
Clothes have an extraordinary way of making people feel good about who they are. If
people didn’t enjoy dressing up, fashion wouldn’t be such a boom business across India.
There is a Bombay which is home to a growing number of international brands such as
Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Benetton. On the other hand, there is a Mumbai which is still
entrenched in tradition. One city, two worlds. Mumbai is a city of vast diversity, but the
biggest diversity still exists in the minds.
As for me, I still wear my skinny jeans to work everyday and slinky tops when I go
out clubbing in Mumbai’s thriving nightlife. I also take pride in wearing my intricately
embroidered saris to weddings. But do I cop out by driving to work in an air-conditioned
car everywhere, effectively shutting myself off from the masses on the road?
My wish, in this new India, is for every woman to enjoy the freedom to wear what she
likes without being judged. A liberty she has every right to claim.
This article was first published for the Central Saint Martins MA fashion journalism program final project in 2008. It's back because little has changed.
