I am sure at one point in your life you have experienced the comments of Indian aunties stating, “look at how she is dressed!” or even “her parents must be so ashamed of their daughter.”
The Indian-American society unknowingly dictates the choices women make, especially the way a woman should dress. Through her dressing styles, an ideal Indian woman should carry herself with grace, be traditional, and look beautiful in the best way possible, but this is just a set standard created by society which should not exist.
Why is it that women are belittled for how they dress and the way they portray themselves in our society?
To my understanding, not all people within the Indian culture believe this. However, there are still many Indians that feel that women should be covered and not reveal too much of their bodies. Indian women should have the right to dress whichever way they want in order to express themselves as an individual.
Picture By: thesareeroom
Blouses vs Crop Tops
When an Indian woman wears a traditional blouse, they are seen as sophisticated and proper; however, crop tops, a piece of clothing from the western culture that is just as similar to a blouse, are seen instead as inappropriate and shameful. Most of these stigmas of wearing revealing or supposedly distasteful clothing mainly stem from the traditional Indian mindset that a woman should cover herself and not show too much of her skin. Honestly speaking, it also comes down to the Indian society believing that men will view a woman inappropriately if they are wearing revealing clothing.
Here’s a quick thought: "Instead of making our daughters and wives change the way they dress, we should teach our sons how to respect women and not judge them for their appearance. This is not to say that everyone is like this or that all men see women this way, but overall this is what I have noticed as a common trend, and I personally feel we should emphasize this change in our society."
Rip The Stigma
Picture By: Teecaake
Our generation is greatly influenced by these stigmas and is challenging them in the best way possible. If we go way back in Indian times, women used to cover their heads with a long veil over their faces and were not able to show anyone their appearance, except to their significant other. Now looking at our generation, we are able to modernize and wear ripped jeans, shorts, tanks, and other American styled clothing in the US and in some parts of India. Also, Indian women are beginning to wear the traditional blouses in a modern style and are beginning to revamp and look more similar to American culture.
A Look At The Other Side
Gender roles also play a huge part in dictating clothing styles. I asked my guy friends if they have ever been judged for the way they dress or if they were called out for wearing something inappropriate. Not surprisingly, I got the answers of, “No, never.” or even, “People do not care what we do.”
From this it seems as if men do not have the same standards as women. For instance, if I were at an Indian function, and a man and woman were dressed in jeans and a shirt, the man would not be judged, but it would be disrespectful of the woman to not be in traditional Indian attire. This is essentially a form of sexism. Men and women regardless of what they wear should be considered equal and allowed to express themselves through their own styles.
Our generation must continue to change the dressing norms of the Indian culture and respectfully challenge these thoughts.
It’s important to note that whether a woman chooses to dress in her respective traditional clothing, completely cover her body, or wear a bikini, it’s her right to choose and her right only.