Dress code appeal wears badly with women By Robin Fernandez KARACHI: An advisory issued by the city's biggest church on the prescribed attire and appearance of worshippers has received a lukewarm response from church-goers here some of whom question the merits of the dress code."Ask yourself what you should wear when you come to the house of the Lord," said Fr Joe D'Mello, supplementing a short notice in St Patrick Cathedral's Sunday service leaflet.
To the credit of the cathedral's prelates the question was, at first, open-ended and its subtlety guaranteed more than passing adherence. But within weeks it became clear that the church notice was aimed particularly at women who wore allegedly revealing clothes. Among the first to be cited for indecent exposure were young brides and their maids of honour. They were publicly admonished over their choice of attire, and if that was not enough more unsolicited advice poured forth from the pulpit for would-be brides. "Please be careful about the kind of bridal wear you choose. Make sure it it's not revealing," the priest in carge was quoted as telling women preparing for marriage. A similar note of caution was struck in the cathedral in recent weeks. Older men and women feel that it is time a dress code is enforced in Pakistani churches but most young women bristle with rage at the suggestion. "It's not as if women here are wearing strapless gowns and are going around in see-through clothes. How many women wear mini-dresses to church, anyway?" asked a flight attendent icily. "I'd like to quote an enlightened Muslim girl who told her conservative fiance that purdah (the act of covering one's head and body) is in the mind, not in the eyes." "Since the church earlier left it to the people to decide what is or isn't decent attire, it is not fair to talk of a dress code now," complained a female choir member. Much of the criticism about female dress may also be unjustified. The national dress of Pakistan (shalwar kamez) is suitably modest and chic, and most Christian women aged between 16 and 45 consider it a fair alternative, if not first choice wear, to Western-style clothes. Older generations of women, however, find the dress cumbersome and culturally alien, though their daughters and younger siblings have no such qualms. "Whether it is office workers or secretaries, sales reps or teachers the use of shalwar kameez has become more pervasive among women today," said an old female secretary who first took to wearing shalwar kameez 35 years ago. Apparently it is the skimpier versions of Western-style clothing that has prompted the church appeal for a dress code. Young women acknowledge that there probably are few breaches of the unwritten yetwell-defined rules of female modesty, but these are too few to be counted. "In any case women do know how far to go," said a twentysomething teacher candidly. The idea of a dress code for church-goers has not been rejected altogether but many people insist that the code be applicable to both males and females instead of being gender-specific. "Men can be sloppy dressers too," said a young bank worker."Modesty in clothing is a desirable goal. We should not show any disrespect to God by wearing indecent clothes. However the church should allow men and women themselves to determine what the criteria of modesty is," said a male marketing executive. "While the phrase Sunday bes __________________________________________________________________________ You have received this email from "TV-Email", developed by Wavetech. For more information on "TV-Email" click on http://wavetec.com/tv-email =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-W-E-B---S-I-T-E-=-=-= To Subscribe/Unsubscribe from GoaNet | http://www.goacom.com/goanet =================================================================== For (un)subscribing or for help, Contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dont want so many e=mails? Join GoaNet-Digest instead ! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Help support non-commercial projects in Goa by advertizing!! * * * * Your ad here !!
