(여성/인도) 여성들이 입는 옷을 지정하는 인도 정치인들에게 전하는 말

출처: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-37218487

** 밝은 하늘 **

   인도 정치인들이 외국 여성 관광객들에게 짧은 치마를 되도록 입지 않으면 좋겠다고 한 말이 공분을 샀다는 사실이 이해가 되면서도 이해가 안 된다. 이런 조치는 여성들이 옷을 권리를 빼앗았다는 측면에서 볼 것이 아니라, 여성의 신변안전을 걱정해서 내놓은 것이기 때문이다. 

   실제로 인도에서 외국 여성 관광객들이 수 차례 강간당하는 사건이 있었기 때문이다. 성욕을 제어할 수 있는 사람들이 있는 반면에, 그렇지 못한 사람들도 있다는 사실을 여성들이 기억하고 처신을 해달라는 취지였으리라 생각된다. 그리고 실제로 여성들이 짧은 치마를 입으면 그렇지 않은 경우보다 님상들에게 성적 자극을 준다는 사실을 여성들은 잘 알면서도, 세상의 냉엄하고 추악한 측면은 간과하는 것 같아 답답하다.

   여기서도 나는 여성들의 이중성을 엿본다. 남성들이 자신의 몸매를 봐주기를 바라는 심리와 성적인 눈으로 자신의 몸매를 바라보는 건 싫어하는 모순된 심리 말이다.

Tips for Indian politicians who tell women what to wear

• 2 hours ago
 
• From the sectionIndia

Millions of foreign tourists visit India every year

An Indian politician has caused outrage once again for saying that foreign tourists should avoid wearing skirts. The BBC's Geeta Pandey in Delhi has collected some tips for politicians with a tendency to dispense unsolicited fashion advice to women. (dispense: 내놓다. 제공하다) (unsolicited: 청하지 않은) 인도 정치인들이 외국 여성 관광객들에게 짧은 치마를 입지 말아 달라고 한 말에 공분을 샀다. 그래서 델리에 있는 BBC 통신원이 여성들에게 청하지도 않은 패션충고를 내놓은 인도 정치인들에게 전하는 몇 가지 팁을 모아보았다.

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So what advice do politicians give to women?

There was uproar at the weekend when Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that a list given to tourists at airports advised them not to wear skirts or dresses in India or venture out alone at night in small towns

Sadly, he is not the first - and he certainly won't be the last - to deliver such advice to women on how to keep themselves safe and avoid rape.

Indian politicians often tell women to cover up

Time and again, ministers, politicians and other influential community leaders have been telling women and girls not to wear jeans, short skirts, dresses or shorts. Women have also been told not to go out after dark, date, be friends with boys, or even use mobile phones. (time and again: again and again 몇 번이고 되풀이해서) 여성들이 입지말라는 옷: 청바지, 짧은 치마, 드래스, 반바지. 여성들은 밤에 외출해 데이트해선 안되고, 남자들과 함께 있어서도 안되고, 모바일폰을 사용해서도 안됨.

Here's a list of recent offenders: 최근 범죄자의 명단

• Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said scantily-clad women attracted male attention and that rape cases were on the rise due to "women wearing less clothes". (scanty: 빈약한, 옷의 몸을 가린듯 만듯한) (clad: 옷을 입은) (scanty-clad: 몸을 가린듯 만듯하게 옷을 입은, 노출이 심한)
• Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the right-wing Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which is the ideological mentor of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, said rapes were an urban crime shaped by westernisation, and were not happening in rural India where traditional values were upheld. 밝은 하늘: 이 발언은 옳지 않다. 여성 관광객들의 강간 사례는 인도에서 도시만큼이나 시골에서도 많이 발생했다. 개인적으로 보면, 옷을 짧게 입는 것과 강간의 상관관계는 충분히 있을 것으로 보인다.
• A female politician, Asha Mirje, caused outrage for saying that "rapes take place also because of a woman's clothes, her behaviour and her being at inappropriate places". 밝은 하늘: 개인적인 견해는 꼭 여성의 야한 옷차림 때문에 성범죄가 발생하는 건 아니겠으나 충분히 상관관계는 있을 것으로 보인다.

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Why does political language matter?

India has seen several protests over rape cases and the treatment of women

Since the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in December 2012 in Delhi, there is much more scrutiny within India - and globally - of what influential people and opinion makers say about violence against women.

The justification offered by many in India's largely paternalistic society is that these remarks are well meaning and actually meant to protect women.

But women activists and commentators disagree - they say that there's no correlation between short skirts and rape.

"It's very very important that these politicians stop telling women what sort of clothes to wear or what not to wear," Swati Maliwal, chief of Delhi Commission for Women, told the BBC.

"It's time they stop trivialising issues like rape and sexual harassment and do something constructive to address these serious problems."

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Some tips for politicians...

For the politicians who seem to be afflicted with foot-in-mouth disease, former public relations professional Chaya Srivatsa, who is also a life coach with an info-tech firm, has some good advice. (foot-in-mouth disease: 실언병)

She points out that Mr Sharma also suggested that if female tourists were taking a cab at night, they take a photo of the number plate and send it to a friend or family member so that the driver would know not to misbehave.

"That was a good thought, but that went completely unnoticed. Our politicians are not good at communication. They should learn to say it in the proper manner.

"He should have just said: Sorry we have jerks here, be careful."

I also asked comedienne Neeti Palta to come up with suggestions on what our politicians should not say to stay out of controversy. Here's her wish list:

• Please remember it's not the clothes that maketh the woman. The only clothes that are rape-proof are clothes without women in them.
• Get three women to approve of what you say before you make it public.
• Put yourself in a time machine and emerge in 2016.
• Lock people like yourselves after dark so we are safer from foot-in-mouth disease

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Where did modest clothes come from anyway?

Politicians have been told to emerge in 2016. Or, perhaps they could go back to the past.

For, according to historians, modesty crept into Indian women's wardrobes during the Victorian era.

The blouse and petticoat were introduced to India by the British

And what would surprise many is that the blouse and the petticoat - worn with the sari that's often described as India's national dress - were actually introduced to Indian women by the British. This means the notions of traditional modesty may not really have their roots in Indian tradition.

Whatever the argument over where prudishness came from, Indian politicians would do well to heed this sage advice - that instead of advising women what to wear, they should advise men on how to behave.