What is their problem!?

lotus blossom

i'm amazed at the number of women here in benares who dress in skimpy clothing; bellies showing, low slung pants, cleavage baring shirts...

i've talked to some of my female friends about it, asking them why they think women do it.

Is it because:

1. they want the attention
2. they are completely clueless
3. they are telling the culture, where women dress modestly, to f*ck off!

why do they do it?

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capt_mahajan

err, where exactly in benares?

More seriously, maybe they just don't know enough about the culture gap. Many people who travel abroad specially for the first time have a problem with what is inappropriate in a different culture.

somnath

Hmmmm….. I’ve noticed during my last trip but thought just another group of tourist. lotus blossom, do you think there is a group / cult in dressed liked that to convey something or …….?

Capt. shaahab, around Gadowlia Chowk .

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lotus blossom

ummm...well, i'm in assi, and i see lots of 'em here...

perhaps there is ignorance, but then again, it doesn't take a helluva a lot of common sense to figure things out rather quickly, no?

lotus blossom

well, i'm not sure what they are trying to convey - their sexuality, their ignorance or their rebellion...

capt_mahajan

or all of the above.

I definitely think the cultural sensitivity bit is overdone, though.

A girl I know once told me she loves India but prefers to live in the US ( she is of Indian descent) because you can do your own thing and nobody hassles you.

lotus blossom

yes, i too love this freedom, no doubt about it, even though when at home i still tend to dress modestly unless it's a sizzling hot day or i'm out clubbing, which is then a whole 'nuther matter...

batistuta

I think they are not aware of the cultural thing.Just ignorant i guess.After reading the posts i am more interested in your clubbing though.(Hey,Just kidding ok,Peace)

Women dressing modestly is not the norm in all parts of India.Bangalore for ex does not fall in that bracket.

Palexurdy

I can't believe that any but the dimmest of the dim would fail to notice the clothing etiquette of a country which they've gone out of their way to visit. Therefore, I call them spoiled, degenerate philistines who stand no chance of getting the local price in the silk shop.

gertie

I wonder if it is some misplaced sense of liberation?

I wore a sleeveless top once in Chennai... Haven't done it since!

I generally dress with respect to where I am going (as most people do) - salwar kameez for the market, jeans and shirt for hotels, 3/4 linen pants for the beach etc etc. The main reason is that I blend more easily into the environment and feel more comfortable, rather than worrying about offending the conservatives!

Gertie

ninasimone

I loved wearing the salwar kameez, I felt liberated actually and didn't feel that competitiveness thing in India I have felt living and working in busy downtown Sydney. I think its probably a bit of attention/attitude thing. Also depends on the age/maturity(don't mean to be ageist here). I bet they are in a group mostly, I would be surprised if they were travelling solo and doing that.

steven_ber

A couple of years ago, a long-time member of indiamike suggested that the kind of tourists visiting India were changing for the worse, and that the Internet was making this possible, I never forgot it.

Since then, I've noticed a marked increase in the number of new members who run past indiamike.com and shout their demands (sorry, questions), no research, no information offered, and politeness kept to a minimum, many members reply with the usual great information, but the new member never even bothers to log in and say thanks, I lost count (too long ago) of the number of times I spent hours on a reply, and the member either never replied, just said "thanks", or replied with another list of questions.

It is all too easy these days to just book a ticket and turn up in India, you don’t need a long time dream, or a big interest in the culture, and no research is needed.

To most of us though, the idea of turning up in another country without doing any research or having any interest is crazy, and we have the common sense to know that we'll be the ones who lose out.

But others seem to think it's OK.

I just can't figure out what those women are thinking of, surely they know they’re dressed in a totally different way to the local women (and other female tourists), surely they know that Indian men are staring at them.

The worrying thing is, these women will go home and tell tales of how "those perverted Indians" kept staring at them.

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gertie

You just know its going to happen!

Thing is, people travel to experience different cultures. I don't understand how you absorb anything if you are so oblivious to your surroundings that you don't notice how inappropriate skimpy dress is.

steven_ber

Some people travel to tick boxes or to add the trip to a CV.

CliveG

A German cruise ship came to Bangaram a few years ago and some of the passengers attempted to wear thongs on the beach and were quickly told to cover up. Another German woman thought that wearing a gold lame suit with gold lame high heel shoes on the coral sand beach was appropriate until she got stuck in the sand!
Sadly some people can now afford to come to India not for the culture and history but because it is the latest destination. They are just here for a good time, a sun tan, alcohol and clubs. It is these same people who
have helped destroy Greece, Teneriffe, parts of Spain and many other European tourist centres. They are ignorant and totally unaware of different cultures. They have bought their clothes to go on holiday with and they are damn well going to wear them - bring in the fashion police I say - I see this fashion everyday in the U.K. (even in the winter) and it puts you right off your breakfast!