Student Harassed For Wearing ‘Feminine’ Clothes In College, Asked To “Dress Like A Man”. When Will This Moral Policing Stop?
I don’t know about the Covid-19 pandemic but we surely have one disease that has turned into an endemic in India. It’s called ‘Log kya kahenge?’. This never-ending bimari has plagued a large number of people across the nation and most of these people also experience a symptom called ‘moral policing’. Such people just cannot help but judge others for their choices and try to confine them to the social norms because ‘log kya kahenge?’. I strongly believe that one should have the freedom to choose what they want to wear irrespective of their gender or of what people think. I’ve always adored Ranveer Singh for sporting a skirt and I also loveeee choreographer and influencer Jainil Mehta for all his lovely skirts (TBH, I’m a tad bit jealous of how gracefully he carries it all). Now, we’ve come across several examples of this problem wherein women were schooled for their choice of clothing or makeup or something very random that does not even make a difference. But this time, it was a man who was schooled for his choice. Recently, a student, Pulkit Mishra took to social media to share how he was stopped from entering his college by the guards as he was dressed in a ‘feminine’ outfit.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post, the student revealed that he arrived at the main gate of his college along with his friend and the second the guards saw him, 4-5 of them surrounded him and barred him from entering. They asked for his ID card and after verifying it they questioned him about his clothes and asked him why he was wearing a “feminine” outfit. They went on to reprimand him and suggested he dress “like a man”. In response, Pulkit Mishra told them that it was his choice and he can wear anything he wants, to which the guards said that he will not be permitted to enter the college as he is a boy dressed in a girl’s clothes. After much struggle and requests, the student finally asked them if he could cover up his top with a shrug which was on his shoulders but was told that off-shoulder clothes weren’t the problem at all. He went on to reveal that he was embarrassed after several students entering the college stopped by to watch the scene unfold and he also missed his first lecture due to the same.
Take a look at his stunning outfit. I think he looks lovely, TBH!
In the now-deleted post, the student had revealed that he then asked a friend for a shirt to cover up his clothes but chose to keep the buttons open and the guards still had objections. He was forced to close his buttons before entering college. He also shared a picture of himself in a shirt after the incident. Check it out.
Speaking further, the student shared that he ran into one of the guards inside the college and received some unsolicited advice about his choice of ‘feminine’ clothes. “Ladkiyo ke kapde ladkiyo par hi shobha dete hain, tum ladke ho to tumhe ladke jaise kapde hi pehnne chahiye,” the guard allegedly told the boy. Feeling agitated by the incident, the boy told the guard that clothes have no gender which was opposed by the guard. Responding to it, Pulkit Mishra pointed out that if his parents and faculty members don’t have a problem with his clothes who are they to judge him and why do they have a problem.
Also Read: Madras HC Issues Directive To Sensitise School Teachers On Problems Faced By LGBTQIA+ Students
Soon after he shared the incident on social media, netizens showed their support. Karnataka’s First Trans-woman Doctor and digital creator Dr Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju also dropped a comment in support of Pulkit while sharing that Supreme Court’s NALSA judgement prohibits discrimination against people on the basis of their gender expression and identity. LGBTQ+ activist Harish Iyer also commented on the post and shared his contact details with the student asking him to reach out in case he needs any help dealing with the college authorities.
Also Read: Karnataka High Court Issues Notice To State Government In Plea Seeking Separate Hostel For Transgender Students
TBH, educational institutes are where we explore ourselves and find our identities and for the same very place to stop us or hold us back from growing can really be heartbreaking. Moreover, I cannot help but point out that this sickening mentality is still prevalent in our society making it difficult to normalise men being themselves without being judged or schooled for being emotional or feminine. Guess, we really have a long long way to go to reach a place where men too are allowed to express themselves however they want without the fear of judgement or harassment.
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