Watch Your Dress Code

This article is in Indian Context

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So often we hear of “Crimes against Women”. Domestic abuse is most common crime against women. But generally, molestation is considered as most shocking. May be because it signals of unhealthy social set up. In some cases it is found that victim of molestation was dressed in provocative clothes. And dress code becomes a hot topic of debate. Some (so called moderns) argue that women should have a right of dressing the way they want. Whereas others (so called conservatives) support the argument that dressing in provocative clothing is likely to invite trouble. Till recently I had never been able to decide who is right. Moderns are right - women should have all the independence. May be conservatives are also right - it is likely that people will get tempted when they see some one in provocative dressings.
Today I read an interesting article on wikipedia, which has helped to decide my VOTE. Now I feel that not being allowed to dress in provocative (socially not acceptable) clothes, can not be considered as curb of freedom. If it is just an individual freedom, even person committing crime can argue that he should be free to molest some one whom he likes. No, that will not be freedom. Some thing which involves more than one person should be bound by social values and practices, rather than individual choice. And as I realized (after reading this article on wikipedia), Dressing had always been guided by social norms. For example one dressed in “Saffrons” is likely to be taken as a hindu priests in India. Whereas, in some other part of the world this may not be true.

Let us have a look at what Wikipedia says:

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Clothing may signal an individual’s receptiveness to sexual advances. Some garments signal lack of interest in advances; some garments and accessories indicate openness to flirtation. What constitutes modesty and allurement varies radically from culture to culture, within different contexts in the same culture, and over time as different fashions rise and fall. Often, exposure of skin and hair is an availability signal; covering skin and hair signals unavailability. However, minute adjustments of “modesty” signals can subvert the surface meaning and convey a mixed message (”I’m nice but I like to flirt too”). Many Muslim women wear a head or body covering (see hijab, burqa or bourqa, chador and abaya) that proclaims their status as respectable and modest women. Streetwalking prostitutes in countries such as the United States where prostitution is illegal dress to advertise their status to potential customers, while avoiding anything that might constitute an unambiguous offer of sex for sale (which would increase their chances of being caught and convicted). They tend to wear current fashions in exaggerated form, bare a great deal of skin, and wear heavy makeup.
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I fully agree with this fact. I feel that women should watch their clothings and should dress up as per the local customs and social values. If in a certain region, a particular clothing can be mistaken as sexual invitation, wearing that is inviting trouble. A men shall not be solely blamed for that. They are just responding to the wrong signals.

My views here are based on pure reason. Please do not mis-understand me as SSP.