Read the caption below to read the story and concept related to the artwork.
I am dedicating this post to my school teachers and those aunties who told me about dressing properly as a teen, to whom I never spoke back since I was unaware of what I felt was right or wrong.
The men and women in Kerala did not have a clothing to their torso. Of course clothing were only drapes and there wasn’t much advancement in Kerala back then in clothing. Interestingly women were scrutinised more than men. They became the object of sexual gaze and not men. Now this was after colonial systems in the education and Victorian morality came into the picture. The britishers were shocked to see the bare chested women, and thought of the people as barbarians back then. And for years we claim it to be our culture to cover up all our body.
Later the women had to fight to cover their upper bodies in a time. These were due to the cast structures, that used clothing to identify the other person’s cast. And today every woman irrespective of their cast wear what they want. But that’s not the end to it. When our ancestors used clothing as an identifier for cast we are using it to identify the character. Well I have one thing to say for girls in their teens. If you ever felt bad about that person who questions your clothing, confidently tell them why you want to wear. Because like a simple judgement of clothing given by an outsider it always comes. Women are always subjected to the sexual gaze to a body part that isn’t even their sexual organ. It is simply an extra flesh or the part where they feed their babies milk. How can that part be bad? I mean once we go back to our roots who can claim it is our culture? Is it really though? So next time some one relates your clothing to culture, ask them what that is. If they can’t answer then the opinion doesn’t matter.
Btw if one of these ladies in the picture would be in today’s world I think they might be the best free the nipple protestors!! 😎 Burning the aunties!!!!
I am dedicating this post to my school teachers and those aunties who told me about dressing properly as a teen, to whom I never spoke back since I was unaware of what I felt was right or wrong.
The men and women in Kerala did not have a clothing to their torso. Of course clothing were only drapes and there wasn’t much advancement in Kerala back then in clothing. Interestingly women were scrutinised more than men. They became the object of sexual gaze and not men. Now this was after colonial systems in the education and Victorian morality came into the picture. The britishers were shocked to see the bare chested women, and thought of the people as barbarians back then. And for years we claim it to be our culture to cover up all our body.
Later the women had to fight to cover their upper bodies in a time. These were due to the cast structures, that used clothing to identify the other person’s cast. And today every woman irrespective of their cast wear what they want. But that’s not the end to it. When our ancestors used clothing as an identifier for cast we are using it to identify the character. Well I have one thing to say for girls in their teens. If you ever felt bad about that person who questions your clothing, confidently tell them why you want to wear. Because like a simple judgement of clothing given by an outsider it always comes. Women are always subjected to the sexual gaze to a body part that isn’t even their sexual organ. It is simply an extra flesh or the part where they feed their babies milk. How can that part be bad? I mean once we go back to our roots who can claim it is our culture? Is it really though? So next time some one relates your clothing to culture, ask them what that is. If they can’t answer then the opinion doesn’t matter.
Btw if one of these ladies in the picture would be in today’s world I think they might be the best free the nipple protestors!! 😎 Burning the aunties!!!!
