Recently Bahawal Victoria Hospital announced a strict dress code for women doctors and nurses during working hours, which included a ban on jeans, tights, tight-fitted or see through clothes, heavy makeup etc. The superintendent Dr Warraich, said that the bill was introduced in order “preach Islam and reform the society“.
Celebrities like Shehzad Roy and Kanwal Ahmed had criticized the bill on Twitter by saying that it was sexist and heavily biased to keep women out of the workplace. Activist and singer Shehzad Roy took to Twitter to point out that a woman’s dressing did not define her capability of saving a man’s life and this bill was just another attempt by men to exert control over women
So does this mean that if a patient is dying next to a female medical officer in “half sleeves clothes”, she would not be allowed to save him? https://t.co/NztmsOeAx5
— Shehzad Roy (@ShehzadRoy) September 3, 2021
Similarly, founder of “Soul Sisters Pakistan” and producer Kanwal Ahmed took to Twitter to call out how certain clothing items like jeans were consistently associated with vulgarity when women wore them, but no one raises any concern over a man wearing jeans?
Why are jeans demonized SO much in our culture? Especially when women wear them. To the point that they have to be associated with “wahiyaat” clothing and be “banned”.
It’s literally just a (FULL LENGTH) pant made of denim. Twisted. 😕 pic.twitter.com/FhsJVLh1E9
— Kanwal Ahmed (@kanwalful) September 4, 2021
Other Twitter users called out the deeply sexist dress-code bill by pointing out how the blame of harassment and vulgarity has always been held over women, but men are never held accountable for their actions and yet keep working even after they harass or assault women
But who’s gonna tell their male drs nd nurses to mend their lower self? Whos gonna tell them to lower their gaze? Who’s gonna tell them to leave their Farailty at home? Who’s gonna tell them to mind their own ongoings instead of staring who’s in what attire? nd nt to harrass thm? https://t.co/1AP4ECLivt
— aysha (@cocomeeee) September 5, 2021
Another user pointed out that there is a bigger crisis of doctors getting false medical degrees that needs to be addressed by the authorities but instead they choose to find more ways to further malign women
They should be more worried about the high rate of male doctors having false medical degree’s in Pakistan than worrying about women modest dressing style that doesn’t impact their ability to work
— #EqualAccessQA♿️ (@nawaalakram) September 4, 2021
Many women also mentioned how society chooses to victim blame women over their choice of clothing and blame it for the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in our society. This user shared her personal experience of working in a school where a colleague reprimanded other women for wearing jeans because it was the reason why they were harassed by men
..that girls shouldn’t wear jeans. We argued that there was nothing wrong with wearing them if they weren’t too tight. Her answer? Auraton ko woh kapre nahin pehnnay chahyein jo mard pehnte hain 😮. Had no answer when it was pointed out that that applied to other clothes too 2/2
— Saba S. Sheikh (@sabassheikh) September 5, 2021
