India
While the principal of a Mumbai college said that dressing like men causes PCOS, telling women what they should wear has become a global problem
Updated : Feb 07, 2017, 05:18 PM IST
A day after the principal of a college in Mumbai suggested that 'dressing like a man causes polycystic ovarian syndrome - or PCOS - #DressLikeAnIndianWoman began trending on Twitter.
Swati Deshpande, the principal of Government Polytechnic College in Bandra, a suburb in Mumbai, said, ""I have heard theories on why girls suffer from PCOS(Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) at an early age. When they dress like men, they start thinking or behaving like them. There is a gender role reversal in their head. Due to this, the natural urge to reproduce diminishes right from a young age and therefore they suffer from problems like PCOS."
This is how Twitter reacted to Deshpande's comment
show us how to #dresslikeanindianwoman no? we're struggling here.
— BookOfGenesia (@genesiaalves) February 7, 2017
Take back your public spaces. Roll on the grass. Wear what you like. Live your freedom. #DressLikeAnIndianWoman pic.twitter.com/Km79kQRHZ5
— MAK (@mentalexotica) February 7, 2017
Legends Balasaraswati and M.S Subbulakshmi pose in this secret teenage defiance studio picture from 1937. #DressLikeAnIndianWoman pic.twitter.com/z0npyOgUfo
— Radhakrishnan Nair (@RadhakrishnanMW) February 7, 2017
#DressLikeAnIndianWoman look, Ma, I'm a goddess! pic.twitter.com/kSbf2W3yLt
— rushati (@rushmukh) February 7, 2017
Wait, what?
— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) February 7, 2017
Dressing like a man gives you PCOD?
Just bought a suit from Raymonds.
Should I go to a Gynaecologist?#DressLikeAnIndianWoman pic.twitter.com/ydcA1IW2TK
Of course, I like to #DressLikeAnIndianWoman . Tell me one more time what to do with my body. pic.twitter.com/9Pz8BI4K6o
— Priya Sometimes (@PriyaSometimes) February 7, 2017
Indian women's football team #DressLikeAnIndianWoman pic.twitter.com/pXKM9MfRYO
— Arunava Sinha (@arunava) February 7, 2017
#DressLikeAnIndianWoman every woman is great as god , respect women pic.twitter.com/NfjFW8h04U
— (@viragpant) February 7, 2017
PCOS is a hormonal issue and according to a 2015 report, 18 per cent of Indian women suffer from it.
Currently, the women of the college wear the same uniform that men do - a white shirt paired with black trousers. However, if Deshpande's comments are anything to go by, then women will soon be wearing salwar kameez. Already, the college canteen has a notice in Marathi segregating spaces for men and women.This, according to Deshpande, will reduce the risk of harassment.
While the school principal is guilty in this case, stories such as this one aren't uncommon in India. Last August, Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma asked female tourists to dress appropriately 'for their own safety'. Sharma had earlier even made a statement that going out at night may be acceptable elsewhere, but wasn't part of Indian culture.
In 2014, Asha Mirje, a member of a government panel for women, said women too were "responsible to an extent" for rape and that their "clothing and behaviour" played a part. She later issued an apology, but said that she stood by her statemnts as they were her own.
The issue of women's dressing came up after the mass molestations in Bengaluru on New Year's Day. At the time, Mumbai resident Rameez Shaikh put up a Facebook post where he said, "After you’re done hearing their multiple horrific stories, ask yourself a simple question: Do all of them dress and speak in the same manner? Smoke, drink, have piercings, or do whatever is deemed against our ‘culture’? As a man, you can walk shirtless in a street thronged with 50 women without the fear of as much as being touched. Can a woman do that in a street full of men? As the Bangalore incident proved, they clearly can’t."
The hashtag #DressLikeAnIndianWoman, interestingly, is a derivative of the #DressLikeAWoman, which was created last week, after US President Donald Trump reportedly said that he likes his female staffers to 'dress like women' i.e. appear groomed to work. Several people took offence to his alleged comment and took to social media to voice their disgust. While celebrities did share their view points, one of the most retweeted stories was that of a cop who posted a selfie of her in uniform and the line, "I'll dress like a woman once you act like a president." Although the tweet has since been taken down, it was shared by BBC. Celebs, too, took to Twitter to share their #DressLikeAWoman moments.
Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson. #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/tLJOyAKZ5z
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) February 4, 2017
This is how the Barringer sisters were raised to #DressLikeAWoman pic.twitter.com/3CX4FjWWUf
— Jenny Simpson (@trackjenny) February 6, 2017
Director/producer/writer/academy award winner in her office with a view. I'll dress how I damn well please thankyouverymuch #dresslikeawoman pic.twitter.com/G7fJPuLvnE
— Brie Larson (@brielarson) February 4, 2017