Last April, when the weather was just starting to creep its way into the upper seventies, my friend and I decided to explore the downtown near her college campus, and I chose to wear a short dress. We walked along the streets filled with orange construction cones with overpriced smoothies in our hand. Then, the ever familiar and dreaded encounter happened. A man walking alone got uncomfortably close to us and hissed something objective. That man probably hasn’t thought of that particular moment since it happened, while I’m writing about it almost a whole year later. A recent news story made me relive that moment again, and made me peeved enough to write this article in response.
Recently, a Thai official, Sutthipong Chulcharoen, suggested women dress more conservatively in order to prevent sexual harassment. Did you just cringe as much as I did when I first read the headline? Chulcharoen was referring to a certain event, the The Songkran Festival, where people celebrate the Thai New Year with such festivities as water gun fights. 59% of surveyed women have said they have been sexually harassed at this festival.
Instead of recognizing that sexual harassment is the real problem, Chulcharoen offered an insensitive solution to women: cover up. After all, what sounds more fun than being told you have to wear full length pants and shirts in a water gun fight? Bring on the uncomfortable wet and heavy jeans please.
Women in Thailand are campaigning for freedom to dress how they want, because duh, women should be able to wear shorts and skirts without the fear of sexual harassment at an event that is supposed to be fun and lighthearted. Side note: freedom to choose what to wear also means the freedom to choose to dress conservatively if that’s what you prefer. Cindy Bishop, a Thai celebrity and model, publicly criticized Chulcharoen in a now viral video. She started the hashtag #DontTellMeHowToDress to spark the conversation of women’s freedom to dress how they want to.
Much like the women of Thailand, I wear what I want for reasons of my own. I wear short skirts to feel confident, because. god-forbid, I actually like my legs in a world that is constantly telling me I shouldn’t. I also wear it for convenience because the warm sun feels good on my skin. To the many men who have sent unwanted comments my way, I wear shorts for me, not to entice you or invite you to comment on my appearance on the street. The problem isn’t the length of the fabric, it’s the sexist ideology that circulates that makes men believe short skirts is a ticket into possessing women’s bodies. Instead of telling women to cover up for safety, tell men that the only body that they can control is their own. Let’s be proactive instead of retroactive.
To all my fellow ladies out there, wear what you want, whether that clothing covers a lot of your skin or not much at all! You’ll look amazing in whatever you choose to wear.