short skirt

A Decade back while I was a school going lass, I confronted a weird problem. It was my teenage years, where I was undergoing many hormonal and emotional changes within me. Being brought up in an upper middle class family, my parents never used to object to anything I chose to wear. In fact they encouraged if I opted for a modern dress on my birthday. Yet, seeing the environment around me, I had set my own rules and regulations of decency at the back of my mind. My school dress had a tunic skirt and a shirt. My Hemline was always four inches below knees, beyond which  I had stalkings/socks to cover up. Even at home my casual frocks and skirts where stitched in similar fashion. My mother used to call me old fashioned village girl owing to my taste in dressing up.

Everything was alright till the turn of the century. While 1900s were turning into 2000s a high tide of westernization came afloat. I remember very well my school contact letter with instruction that the uniform skirts should be stitched four inches “above” the knees. It was like an embarrassing thing for a girl like me. I was ‘hurt’ At that point of time thoughts like “who are they to decide what I should wear?”  erupted violently. Nevertheless, I refused and went directly to my Principle saying, my skirt will be below knees like always. Hearing, she laughed out and then appreciated me in front of other teachers and students saying ‘ this girl has a mind of her own and you all will see , one day she will rule!’ As a result of this small rebellion, she made me Vice captain, Captain and finally Head girl of the school. Not that I am appreciating myself, but only I want to convey my point that Dressing up in shorts or long dresses should always be a personal decision.

Nevertheless, there also lies the fact that present day increase in rape, molestation and similar crime rate is quite high. Yet, Shorts and dressing sense has nothing to do with it. Vulgarity lies in the thinking of the criminal society. If you wear dark glares and watch the moon, wouldn’t it appear dark? Even if females start cladding themselves from head to toe in excess of fabric, ill minded male chauvinists will still find ways and means to discriminate.

Therefore, one should mind one’s own business and stop moral policing.