Things That Bang

A couple of weeks ago the front page of Bangalore Mirror carried the news that a leading IT company had enforced the wearing of Ties on Monday and Tuesday. I snickered over sensationalizing the mundane. Whats the big deal about enforcing formal wear at work?

What would have made news if the company had enforced women to wear formal Western wear as well seven days a week.

If men are not allowed to wear Indian formals to work why should the women be allowed to wear salwaar kameezes and horrendous worn out sandals to work?

All said and done, snappily dressed people always speak well for the company instead of shoddy employees who look as if they dragged themselves to work straight from their beds.

Enforcing rules that women be well dressed and wear closed shoes should not be that difficult but the problem is most male bosses/Companies are apprehensive to enforce such a law. No one is telling the women to dress like Playboy bunnies to work but the only places where I have seen most women take pride in their clothes (even those in ethnic wear) are in Indian schools or in the hotel industry.

Why is this? Because they are told that the way they dress reflect the institutions they work for. Isn't that what men are told at private work places as well? Why should the rules be any different for women who work for these mega corporations?

Why are men forced to put up with these double standards? Why don't women managers who consider themselves to be fair feminists take this matter up with their HR Department?