Gratitude Day 162 - Dress Code - Oppression or Emancipation?

Dear Friends,
It’s a long posting! It was a relaxing weekend, and the topic of "clothes” is close to my heart!


To paraphrase a Russian saying; people judge us by our clothes when they meet us, by our brains when they leave us! 


Clothes have certainly come a long way since they were made of leaves, straws and animal skins to barely cover us up.
Way before designers came along, clothes had already developed socio-economic values. Then, they became an "eyebrow raising" symbol of liberation, from Coco Chanel to the hippies. Today, it seems clothes are all about female sexuality - flaunting it or hiding it! In Toronto, at the intersection of Yonge and Eglinton, there are women in full hijab and women in skimpy shorts and tops. Oppression, emancipation or simply a matter of personal choice? 

In my time and circle, every occasion and establishment required its proper attire. We played tennis in white, dined in skirt (lined), wore pants only on picnics. Checkered and stripes did not go out at night; silver, gold and sequins never saw the light of day. Shorts belonged on the beach and jeans were for cowboys! 
When it came to dress code, “laissez-faire” was not an option, for women or men. Thus, as far as “protocol,” I can appreciate dress code, not because I believe in it, but because I was raised with it. However, once “dress code” becomes a matter of “coverage” for women, I develop major issues! 
If I wanted to be told what to wear, I would have stayed in Iran!

At my school, we are teaching our female students to respect their body by reinforcing a dress code that we are to follow as well.

Which sex, culture and age-group should decide what's appropriate? Where do we draw the line; at mid-thigh? Two centimetres below the shoulder? The hair? The eyes? The curves or the voice? Who should set the norm; people with bare upper body in Africa, or head-to-toe covered people in Saudi Arabia? Strangely enough, we live in a city that allows both! 

When we tell eleven/twelve year-old girls to follow the “appropriate" dress code, we are telling them they have developed sexuality. And then, when they engage in “sexual” behaviour, we wonder why. I vote for uniform! Although it does not slow down growth and development, it demands esteem for the integrity of the institution, not just covering skin.  


Respecting, protecting and taking responsibility for one’s sexuality involve a great deal of education and discussion. Merely telling girls to follow a modest dress code is not enough, especially when the “banned" attire is quite acceptable elsewhere! When it comes to female body and persona “appropriateness” is relative to culture and upbringing. (I personally belong to the generation of the hunchbacks!) 


I'm so very grateful my body has become esthetically challenged - I cover it up voluntarily. If it were worth displaying, I'm not sure how I would have felt following a "dress code" in twenty-first century Canada, where we dine in jeans! 
By the way, what’s up with track suits and sweat pants?! 


Have a “laissez-faire” kind of a day!