The Hindu quotes in an article:
This time it’s not just the police; academicians too have joined the brigade and launched a campaign against tight clothes, jeans, skirts and T-shirts.
Banning cell-phones is one thing but asking students what to wear is another issue. It does seem fair to ask students to switch off their mobile phones during class hours as it does indeed disturb academics. Not many students seem to have an objection to this.
But enforcing a dress code on students is moral policing, students say.
“The ban on sleeveless tops, tight-fit outfits and jeans clearly seems to target girls,” says a postgraduate journalism student. “It is not only sexist but a completely old-fashioned male chauvinistic attitude resurfacing,” she adds, almost enraged.
During engineering, the dress code used to be a T-shirt, One pair of Blue jeans [Yes! Only blue! Why? Because sky is blue! I don't know yar!] & bathroom slippers. Only during the first year [that too because of ragging], would we ever wear formals [Yeah! With those open cuffs and slippers].
I absolutely cannot relate to this rule from Anna University. Considered to be one of the top 10 colleges in India (according to one the recent surveys by India Today) , and one of the top 30 in Asia.
Why can’t students be made to learn that they should not wear ‘indecent’ dresses? Why does the University feel that the students it has selected after so many entrance barriers don’t have the basic dressing etiquette? [Getting into Anna University is the toughest through TNPCEE]
In this age of MMSes coming out of schools, this move is a reverse gear. Instead of educating people on the right and wrong[What else are educational institutes for?], we are trying to implement more unimplementable rules. There’s an age-old saying, “Don’t judge the book by its cover”. By wearing formal clothes, you are not going to make students study and concentrate better. You ought to teach better. Somebody needs to give this funda to those authorities at Anna University.
Students, as a group, never bother anyone unless they are needled like this. Let them be the way they are. Help them realise what they should do and what they shouldn’t do. Don’t teach them by force. There are other methods too. Try them first. Students are the future of this country. Their energy must be harnessed towards positive things than distracting them with such dumb rules. [As if there weren't enough distractions already!]
Next will be, ‘Why doesnt college canteens sell beer cans, vodka cocktails’?
It is moral policing. Ppl after passing entrance exams shud know what is right and what is wrong!!
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I dont find anything to crib abt in the Anna university decision.
Hi TJ,
I can understand what you are saying.
There is a fine line that divides rules from being intrusive and comfortable. And I guess it differs from person to person. It’s tough to devise a set of rules that satisy everyone. Maybe the authorities thought that they should do something about the dressing sense of students. It is good that they took responsibility for the situation and did something about it.
Thanks for your comment!
If I have a girl wearing sleeveless tops and a hot short, then it is disturbing for me during the class :).
Believe it or not, nobody would concentrate on the class. For my share , I happen to have seen this happen for real in classrooms and I donot see any harm in passing such rules as a dress code. For example, how indecent would it be for a guy to wear a Sports Banian and a Bermuda to the classroom. Would it not look awkward.
Ask the guy, and he would say he is comfortable in that wear and he is hiding all the “essential” parts. But that does not mean people donot stare at him and get disturbed.
Every place has a moral dress code attached to it, like for example, you cannot attend your boardroom meeting with your night dress. I clearly donot see where male chauvunism comes into picture here. The dress code was meant for boys as well. They are also supposed to wear formals. They are not allowed to attend classrooms in shorts either. So all girls complaining about the “Male Chauvunism” part of it should go and refer to the rule book once again :)
The moment people donot obey the dress code morally, then there is no harm to enforce it. When companies enforce dress codes nobody objects to that because the company pays them. Then why object to it in colleges. The college too gives you what you need for your survival does it not?
Although this may seem like moral policing, I would still support the universities decision on this one. A place of study to me is a place of worship, and banning indecent dresses is not a bad thing to do.
Anyways a good topic to argue upon I would say :) Opinions would differ and nerves would fly high.
Cheers
cb
Hi cb,
A good topic to argue upon! How true!!
It’s somewhat akin to the censor board (a group of 5-10 ppl) deciding what the entire country of people will see!
Distractions for every person will be different . For you a sleeveless salwar-kameez and a mini skirt could be a distraction, for me a white plain salwar-kameez could be distraction. A beautiful face could be a distraction.
I need to control my mind and my desires. If that doesn’t happen, nothing can help.