Modesty is always directed to the women not men

I was asked the following question: Should schools dictate what underwear colour girls should wear?

Below are my comments and opinion of full interview.

After thirty years of democratic dispensation, I am appalled by these institutional outdated unfair dress code policy restrictions imposed on a Girl child. I cannot imagine the struggle and exhaustion of expensive school uniforms that the parents and guardians are facing, let alone the overburden of underwear uniforms. Considering the socio-economic condition faced by many unemployed parents, clearly it is also a money making scheme for those uniform suppliers who are aiming at capitalising on these ‘underwears’. Many parents’ resorts to second-hand uniforms for their children. One cannot buy second hand underwear. 

I think the boundaries of invasion of privacy seem to have already been violated.  How did they come to know the colour of their undergarments? Is there any correlation between the type of girls’ underwear and their concentration levels in the classroom?  

Let me explain underwear- underwear functions as a source of a human’s self-identity and it is a reflection of personal style. First, at times when women are menstruating, they will opt for full underwear to accommodate the sanitary pads, second, G-string will be an option when there’s heatwave, or nothing! Third, underwear is a fashion statement to some people, fourth underwear is a fashioning tool to those who are active in sports and finally, some people use underwear for intimate needs. Therefore, underwear is the choice that should not be restricted. 

In my view, School uniform policy is part of a hidden curriculum that perpetuates patriarchal norms dictating the oppressional code of conduct through clothing that is extending its influence into adulthood. This hidden code of conduct uniform policy reinforces the societal norms of femininity, and ignores trans sexual people. I am imagining who will be policing these “underwear” at each school day, wont that constitutes sexual harassment? 

Additionally, unnecessary scruitinasing of invasive private organs and violating the dignity of the girl child!

The policy of dictating underwear as school uniform is explicitly directed to the girls, not the boys, is an extremely school-prison pipeline aimed at controlling and suppressing the freedom of RIGHT in choosing the underwear. 

This underwear dictating is further positioning the girl child as a social disturbance or provocative victim. This is also a perpetuation of heteronormative binary control and suppressing the individual differences of trans-identity learners. 

The School Educators and Governing Body should focus on teaching egalitarian values and principles to the learners in order to breed some optimal citizens, rather than targeting the girl child modesty.