Read other letters about this article

• Monday, June 22, 2009 04:20 PM

  People shouldn't be forced to expose more of their body than they're comfortable with

  My great-grandmother was born in 1899. For her entire childhood and the beginning of her young adult life, grown women wore ankle-length skirts. This was the standard of modesty to which she was accustomed, and she wasn't comfortable exposing more of her body. (Just like how it's common to sunbathe topless on some European beaches, but not all of us North Americans would be comfortable removing our bathing suit top even if everyone else was doing it.)

  When hemlines rose in the 1920s, she continued to wear ankle-length skirts. When knee-length became standard and not at all scandalous in the 1940s, she continued to wear ankle-length skirts. When pants became common casual wear for women, when her granddaughters were running around in miniskirts, she continued to wear ankle-length skirts. Even those all these evolutions in fashion are considered progress for women in general, my great-grandmother as an individual would have felt overexposed showing that much of her body. So she happily wore ankle-length skirts until the day she died at the age of 103, making them herself when she couldn't find anything suitable in stores. She left behind dozens of descendents of various generations, all of whom would have felt oppressed if forced to wear ankle length skirts all the time. However, she didn't find it at all oppressive, and in fact would have felt humiliated if forced to expose her legs in public, the same way many of us would feel humiliated if forced to expose our breasts.

  I'm thinking that a woman who has grown up accustomed to wearing a burqa in public might feel the same way about it. She's used to a certain standard of modesty in public. She's used to not having to expose her hair or face or body shape to randoms. To forbid her from covering herself as much as she is comfortable with would be just as cruel as forcing my great-grandmother to walk around in public with her legs showing.

  —thisisnotmyrealname Read thisisnotmyrealname's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel