Ants in pants
A section of orthodox parents is crying hoarse over a school’s decision to introduce unisex uniforms
It is not funny how what we wear can create friction in society. It is as if fashion maligns culture. For some, the baggage of illogical and impractical traditions is lighter to carry than the weight of change. Take the case of girl students. Why does it always have to be girls, or women, when it comes to experimenting with change or conflicting with it? The latest is a section of Muslim community unhappy with a Kozhikode school in Kerala introducing unisex uniforms. A notice of the Government Higher Secondary School said boys and girls will wear trousers and shirts. If the girls wish to wear scarves or mufflers to cover their heads to respect their religious beliefs, they are allowed to do so. Is that what hybrid culture is, a mingling of the retro and the modern, a fusion of haute
couture and tradition? That is a debate for another day. The school principal said they consulted the stakeholders — the students and their parents — before affecting the change. Incidentally, the move comes close on the heels of salesgirls in Kerala winning a court battle to get the right to sit while on duty. However, some conservative Muslims in Kozhikode are miffed at their girls dumping skirts for pants. They have organised protest marches, intent on making it a political issue. They must have realised the futility of the protest because no women joined them.
The Government, too, believes a uniform uniform bridges the gender gap and is a sprightly step towards gender equality. Some Kerala schools had introduced three-fourth pants a couple of years ago despite facing opposition. It would have been welcome had the debate been on whether the concept of gender neutrality that is sweeping across the world should impact school uniforms. The issue here, however, is quite narrow. It is a patriarchal objection to girls wearing pants. One of the Kozhikode protesters let the cat out of the bag by arguing that women wanting to progress does not mean they wear the same clothes as men. He makes two other points. One, that pants are “undemocratic” because they amount to a denial of “diversity”. Imagine! Two, it is a “liberal” approach. That, surely, is the crux of the problem. The orthodoxy does not want progress to pass it by, leaving it alone by taking away the children. The girl students are thrilled to wear pants to school. They may have been more thrilled if they had a choice. The whole theory of empowerment of women goes for a toss if it is not about them having a choice. Reacting to a similar neutral uniform row in Ernakulam last month, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor remarked that making girls wear pants is no different from making them wear skirts. Why cannot they have the freedom to choose a uniform that makes them feel comfortable and confident? Wonder why boys are never asked to mandatorily wear dhoti and kurta.
Source: The Pioneer
