Notes on a Woman in Calcutta

Thought provoking questions which could all lead to some great discussion.

In the case of my reaction, its’ basically about the cultural relativism of modesty. More than 50% of my readers and Facebook friends are 1) conservative (I’m using this in reference only to dress, not politics, religion etc) Pakistani Muslims, 2) conservative Christians. The begging or ‘exploitation’ factor would not likely be an issue, but an almost entirely exposed breast would be.

In context of Pakistan and northern India, women (outside of posh areas) are expected to be covered. Leaving your dupatta (large scarf) at home or not using it fully cover your chest – in addition to your clothing – is seen as being close to naked. Even just seeing the contours of a woman’s body often makes people uncomfortable. This is why the ‘wet sari’ scene is so risque in Bollywood movies.

A friend of mine went into a theater where the equivalent of soft porn was being shown, and local men were getting off just watching girls without their scarves running around on the screen. The girls were still wearing shalwar-kameez and completely covered by western standards.

So with that in mind, you might be able to imagine how me sharing a link to this article would be kind of like sending a link to an X-rated site.