I still remember the image my eyes captured one day at a bus stand. I badly wanted to capture the image with a camera/my phone but I was a bit afraid.
A girl of about 25 years - Let's call her X. She was wearing a sleeveless top and a mini skirt. Sunglasses covered her eyes. Behind her were standing two Muslim women. They were clad in the traditional burqa outfit. And one of the women's eyes fell on X. The women did not just glance at X and turn away. Her gaze continued like it did not have an end.
What was the woman thinking as she saw X?!
I wanted to know desperately.
When an average man looks at an under-dressed woman, the man's thoughts could be brought down to a very limited set of possibilities.
But what does an average woman think/feel when she sees an under-dressed woman?!
Does she experience a longing? Does she feel disgust? Does jealousy take birth? Does she feel sad that her body is not built in such a way so as to be exposed? Does she feel happy that her body is built in such a way that she could never ever get an intent of under-dressing? What would be a woman's definition of under-dressing?
I wanted to know desperately the thought process that was running inside the Muslim woman's head as she looked at X.
But I was afraid to ask.
And I let the thoughts of the Muslim woman - whatever they were - to remain safely locked away in her eyes. The way many thoughts of most humans stay.
****
Why have we become a society that treats the clothing of a person as the most important indicator of the person's qualities/principles?
I do not want to comment on if such an approach is right or wrong.
But think about the following situation.
It is about 11:30 PM. You are walking alone on a deserted road. As you keep walking, you see a man coming from the opposite direction. Now, from the two given options below, when would you feel more relaxed:
- The man is attired in formal wear
- The man is clothed in a very loose, slightly shabby outfit
If you are a person who says that the second option makes you more relaxed, I must admit that I really respect you. But if you feel that you would be comfortable with the man in the formal wear, I want to extend you my hand (sadly) and let you know that you have a friend.
Now that our friendship has been established, let's think about this.
We do not know that the man attired in formal wear is a really good human being. Similarly, we are very vague about the intentions of a man in a loose, shabby outfit. But what makes us feel more secure in the company of a properly dressed person?
Is it the knowledge that a man in a formal wear is well educated and hence, harmless?
Which brings me to my next question - Is it right to judge the knowledge of a person from his clothing? Is it right to judge the moral and ethical values of a person from his attire?
One of my colleagues told me this story some time back.
He had been travelling in a crowded train in Tamil Nadu. Next to him had been standing a man, about 40 years old, holding onto a huge carton inside which lay a new desktop monitor for his son. His outfit - a loose and a slightly shabby one. And nearby the man had been standing a guy about 30 years old - Let's call him Y. Y had been in a professional outfit. The 40 year old man, unable to hold onto the heavy carton, had requested Y to move his feet so that he could rest the carton down. He had even explained Y what lay inside the carton and why it was important for him to protect it. But Y had refused (Who knows what problem he faced at his organization that day?). The man had requested Y again. Y had slightly moved his feet. The man had thanked him and placed the carton down, vertically, near his feet. Owing to the train's motion, the carton had fallen on Y's feet and Y, frustrated, had pushed the carton aside. The 40 year old man, angered by this, had asked Y why he had pushed the carton. Y, angered beyond control, had started shouting at the man and in a couple of minutes, the fight had become so big that all the passengers of their coach had gotten into stopping the fight. And a couple of minutes later, as the train approached a station, the passengers had forced one of the two men to get down.
Any guesses on who that person was?!
The 40 year old man and his carton containing the desktop monitor had been penalized for a simple mistake of the man.
He had not been in a professional attire.
If he had been in one, I doubt that he would have been forced to get down at the next station with his carton.
We belong to a race that believes that a book must not be judged by its cover.
Doesn't the same apply to a person's clothing?!
Why have we transformed something that started out as a means of protection from adverse climate into something that has become a basis for judgement of character?!
In the film Batman Begins, there is a line which is one of my favorites.
It is not who you are underneath, it's what you do that defines you.
I feel bad that in today's scenario, the term 'do' can very easily be replaced with the term 'wear'.
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