It’s common with all school-goers like me to be restless to dispose this school life and be anxious to begin college. It seems to be, by all accounts, the best time of our lives. However, this isn’t the reality. My school has an alumnus, Alisha (name changed) who totally changed my perspective on college life. She had her own particular manner of dressing in school which she had to change entirely within her first month at college.
Every woman has faced situations when she has been told by a parent that you simply won’t be allowed out of the house in a skirt that short, or reprimanded by an educator or leader in your religious community for being too ‘suggestive’ in your apparel choices, or informed by a college mate that your clothing is making him ‘feel’ a certain way in the campus. You know the sting of implications made about your personal worth based upon how you’ve chosen to explore fashion.
Hear this out, everyone! Why don’t you try seeing the women on your college grounds the way you see men!
OK wait, would you comment on the clothing worn by your male classmates or educators? Would you call a dude on the street and tell him you love his big chest and get irritated at him for not smiling and thanking you for it?
“Like the shirt!” or “Nice shoes!” might be fine, depending on how familiar you are with the person.
But “Love that shirt, Dinesh. Totally shows off your biceps!” would be inappropriate.
Perhaps next time when you think about complimenting a woman, just pause and think if you’d say something similar to a guy. If not, don’t say it to women either.
A popular saying goes in English – “Do not judge a book by its cover”. I say do not judge a woman by the dress she wears!
Can any anyone explain why a companion or an educator sexually assault a young lady? For what reason does a young lady refuse to visit her college dormitory again after what occurred there one night?
The hidden reason for the inappropriate behaviour is more profound than simply the security measures made for women on the college campus.
Indeed, during a time of overpowering workloads for undergrads, round-the-clock library access on the campus can appear as a gift. Students can do their reading and research until dawn. But in any case, the dim pathways of the library can’t be vanquished. You won’t be able to find a decent number of women who would dare to do their reading in late night hours in a library.
While I believe that women shouldn’t hide behind masks with regards to such circumstances, I would not be able to point a finger at them for being terrified as the threat posed to them is very real.
It’s generally after school ends that we get involved in serious relationships. On the off chance that a woman refuses a man’s advances or tells him that she doesn’t want to have sex, he might just throw acid on her.
This reminds me of the recent stabbing of a 20-year-old Aswini Mohan outside her college in Chennai.
These are annoying and daunting to hear, of course, and to be perfectly honest, unsuitable insights and the truth they speak to brings up a fundamental question asked by an average woman: “How might I remain safe?”
Obviously, you would go for measures like taking self-defence training, but the ideal answer to this is to change the way men look at women.
Once a lady has been offended or assaulted, whether on a college campus or wherever it be, it affirms that all measures to slow down savagery have fizzled. Reaction in the form of declaration of enhanced punishment is largely an expression of helplessness and disappointment. The emphasis should be on prevention and rehabilitation.
Women cannot solve the problems by themselves. Women should comprehend men and men should comprehend women. I say both should cooperate to destroy the danger in the campus.