Massive cover-up in the name of morality

BANGALORE: With moral policing entering our educational institutions, young students are forced to be ‘who the institution wants them be, rather than who they really are’. In an age when students have varied choices in education and career,  often the debate of a dysfunctional wardrobe may seem unnecessary. City Express takes a look at dress code policies implemented at various institutions in the City to understand the freedom or lack of it in choosing their clothes.The incidents of colleges imposing a ‘dress code’ dictating terms of what is acceptable and obscene are increasing at an alarming rate. “I want to wear jeans, but the college authorities have imposed a ban on them. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to wear what I want”, questions Farima (name changed). But if you think that banning one of the most worn garments in the world is appalling, the reasons given to ban the clothing is worse. “The reason we don’t encourage jeans is because many students wear torn and dirty jeans. As long as they wear clean clothes we have no problem. Hence we discourage jeans in the college premises, ” a faculty member of the Christ College said.But ‘fashion policing’ by college authorities does not stop at jeans for ‘deep neck’ and ‘sleeveless tops’ are another one of their obsessions. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, officials from another college state that ‘cleavage show’ is a complete no no as the same is considered obscene and ‘non student like’. But what is the acceptable measure of a deep neck without outraging a woman’s modesty and who monitors and implements this law? Most colleges have men looking into such matters, and if this is the case, would that not amount to obscenity on their parts as well, Shalini, another student sought to know.Older students acknowledge the scope of ‘acceptable dress codes’ becoming stringent by the day. “When we were studying in colleges, there were no dress codes but there were no complaints about the way women dressed as they had the liberty to choose and did so judiciously,” Vimal, a software employee says looking back on his college days in the city five years ago. He also pointed out that students accepting ever changing college dress codes would only make matters worse in the future.But hope remains as some colleges do not impose any strictures. Mount Carmel College is one of the few colleges who have refrained from imposing any such laws. “We have not prescribed any such codes and have left this at the discretion of students”, they say but clarify that figure hugging clothes or slogan T-shirts would not be allowed. Jain College authorities add to this as they have imposed a law of no spiked hair or coloured hair for boys as well.