My Attire Does Not Define My Values

By Soumya Gupta

Politicians' words have a major impact on every country's population. It's astounding how powerful politicians can influence people's decisions and perspectives. They are our representatives, and we abide by their rules; their presence is undeniable Throughout its democratic history, India has had a large number of political parties. After India's independence in 1947, it is estimated that over 200 political parties arose. In India, political parties are often led by well-known families whose dynastic leaders actively play a dominant role in the group. We elected this individual, and they bear a great deal of responsibility, as making mistakes would harm not only their credibility but also India's social rights, beliefs, and the civilians.

What is a politician? Why do we believe in that person to make a change? We as citizens trust that our representatives will make the right decisions and help the country. It is their responsibility to ensure that the nation grows. Instead, we see incidents where justice isn’t being served, or even going against something important to the nation.

Recently, a similar scenario erupted. “I am not against people wearing clothes of their choice. I, too, have a daughter. But while clothing is an individual choice, people should respect their culture and traditions”, according to The Times Of India said the CM of Uttarakhand explaining his remark “not against jeans but just ripped jeans”. This particular subject on which he spoke had a significant impact in India. He has made a comment criticizing women’s ‘sacraments' specifically judging a woman's attire to put her ideals into question. Physically and emotionally, there were raging protests, and many women banded together to stand against the fact that ripped jeans allegedly define their character, refusing to let the remark leave a negative effect on India. At a workshop hosted by the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, Tirath Singh Rawat criticized an unknown woman he encountered on a flight. He goes on to say that if the woman works for an NGO and has children, what values does she impart to her children and society if she wears ripped jeans? The question that arises is what is the connection between one’s values and clothes?

Many women voiced their opinions on the subject. Hashtags like #RippedJeans and #RippedJeans were trending and swept Twitter with over 1 lakh mentions. Women, in particular, made their statement on social media by posting images of themselves wearing ripped jeans as a protest, using the hashtags #GirlsWhoWearRippedJeans and #GreetingsFromMyNakedKnee, while opposition party leaders criticized his comment. We must ask ourselves why India is talking about torn jeans. It's because even though it's a minor problem, it casts a negative light on all women based on that one example. It predicts, without providing any rationale, that women and children would follow strange fashion trends that are anti-Indian as per society due to a lack of morality. Misogynists, according to Deepti Jacob, rider and founder of Rotten, a women's liberation organization, are still present. “Had women held themselves back because of such views then none of us would be studying and working. If you look at women through centuries, they have never been scared. Thanks to them, we are able to walk free, talk free and chase our dreams,” she says. It is understandable that we must uphold our respective cultures and customs, but that does not mean we cannot evolve. We must progress over time in order to comprehend this world, and most importantly, a minor problem such as clothing does not determine whether or not we have values.

We can see how women banded together to protest against it. Such comments may not be enough to undermine India's social rights and values, but they do have the power to impact them. Chief Minister Rawat's comments attracted widespread condemnation in India. The opposition Congress party issued a statement asking him to "apologize to all Indian women" - or resign. As told to us by Geeta Pandey from BBC News, Delhi. We need to see what kind of progress we can accomplish if we come together and fight for our rights; many young boys and men wear distressed jeans and no one seems to mind, so why the disparity? We can see that women are subjected to discrimination not only in this issue but also in many other circumstances that we are unaware of.

In a comment made by Smriti Irani, she tells us that, “In India, we have 1.3 million women serving in panchayats, no other nation in the world has such a big contingent of women politically serving doesn't get recognition. There is this potential that needs more and more opportunities because wherever women have been given equal opportunity to compete they have done well.” It is not about a fight against one person, it is in fact a fight for womanhood!