okay...this might seem quite untimely after Ramdev's diet-to-fame plans went kaput..
but i learned 2 new words today that made me sit up..Boobquake & Slutwalk. both were movements in response to frivolous comments made by respected members of civil society. both implied women being enemies to their own modesty.
On April 19, 2010, Iranian cleric Hojjatoleslam Kazem Seddiqi was quoted as: "Many women who do not dress modestly lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes" and Iranians should "adapt their lives to Islam's moral codes" to avoid being "buried under the rubble"
------ 5days later there was "Boobquake" thanks to Jennifer McCreight from Purdue University who had chanced upon the news report of the statement by Seddiqi.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boobquake)
On 24th January 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti's comment at York University was quoted as : "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized".
------ "Slutwalk" became the love child of the cop and his "foot-in-mouth" comment.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlutWalk)
the statement however did not catch me offguard though. I'm used to hearing it every time there's been rape case mentioned in the newspaper. and every time i cringed coz i knew it was always an indirect attack to my friends and colleagues for whom "to wear or not to wear?" has never been the question.
yes every occasion and every location demands a certain attire. but how does that make us the judge of another person's character? i don't remember how many times I've heard of rape or molestation cases in Delhi alone. can we assume that all those unfortunate women had plunging necklines or hugging tees..? even if there's someone who says this might just be true...how do we associate it with child rape, or rape of nuns or that of women in conservative societies? is it the clothes (or the lack of it) again that instigate such behaviour then? or is it the psyche of those men/women who derived the sadistic pleasure of displaying their physical strength over another, that needs to be treated?
some attires acceptable here are frowned upon in other cultures (my observation after a recent visit to my hometown) so who can really categorise the dressing sense of women on a global level?
You and i are nobody to judge a victim. but we can judge the rapist for not respecting another person.
If lack of clothes are the criteria for rapists to shortlist victims, we might just find most of them hovering around the changing rooms of lingerie stores.
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