Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat's comment criticizing women for wearing distressed jeans would have been funny if it did not have dire implications. Speaking at a workshop on substance abuse among children, Rawat recounted that on a recent flight, a woman “wearing gumboots and jeans... torn at the knees” was sitting next to him. “She runs an NGO, her knees are visible, she moves around in the society and kids are with her,” he said, going on to question the “kind of message” she was sending out to society and the “culture” she was imparting to children. Wearing ripped jeans, Rawat said, paved the way for “societal breakdown”.
The Uttarakhand chief minister’s agitation over a woman’s bare knees is hilarious. Sadly, his reaction cannot be dismissed as a mere joke. His comments lay bare a narrow, judgmental and misogynistic mindset. That Uttarakhand’s chief minister has such a mindset is of grave concern to the security of women in the state. The kind of policies that will emerge from such a mindset is worrying. Rawat’s observations are problematic for multiple reasons. To link a woman’s attire to a set of values is not just illogical but also reeks of stereotyping. People like Rawat deem women who wear jeans or skirts, speak English, are independent and live alone, as ‘western’ or ‘modern’ and thus ‘immoral.’ They jump to conclusions about a person’s character and capacities based on a few superficial clues. His remarks are hypocritical. If a woman’s baring of her knees is objectionable, why is he silent about RSS Pracharaks marching around in khaki knickers?
Accusing women who wear distressed jeans for “societal breakdown” is like blaming a woman’s use of mobile for her rape. Patriarchs believe in controlling women, their bodies, behaviour, decisions, actions and attire. Any challenge to that control threatens patriarchs. They respond with insults, intimidation and violence. This is what Rawat is doing. He has appropriated to himself the role of guardian of public morals. His remarks could encourage others to engage in moral policing and violence. He must be told to stop this. Else he and others like him will be dictating what we should wear, when and where.
There is no need for the government or anyone else to decide the length of sleeves or skirts or condition of the jeans. What a woman (or man) wears are their decisions. This is not the business of anyone else. There are countless other issues, including violence against women, communalisation of politics and deforestation of the Himalayas that are crying for the chief minister’s attention. Rawat should focus on those issues rather than the dress choices of women.