women and tank tops

Disa1

I have heard rather conflicting opinions. Is it ok for women to wear tanktops in India. Not the tight little ones just normal shoulder showing shirts? Or is this liely to result in more harassement?

thanks
disa

haritha

You can be in tank tops --- preferable in toursit towns or beach areas .

Better nto at other places .


If you want so in other places carry a light cotton shawl with you and keep around if there are too many stares and also good top protect from the sun .

look around and feel yourself the dress you wear

happy travel in India

phantom

Are you travelling alone or in a group ???
The answers are different ..... look at this thread.

gypsichief

It would be ok to wear tank tops in big cities or tourist hubs and beaches but it might be wiser to be more conservatively dressed in towns and villages , else it might attract too many stares and comments.
also, if you are travelling alone in lonely places or at night it might be better to be decently covered up

shanthi

I agree! In touristy places (Goa for example) it's entirely ok - but in smaller towns and villages, and rural areas, it would not be acceptable at all. They're only the type of clothing worn by younger people in India (then of course, not ALL young people by ANY means) or by tourists in resorts. As Haritha says, you'd be better off to wear clothes that cover you correctly when first visiting any place, and see what is being worn by females in that area. Better be safe than sorry!

belkin_wonder_boy

Once again:

1. Indian girls and women, especially teen and college-aged women, can get away with wearing clothing in India that foreign women in India cannot.

2. You can wear whatever you want in India and you will be treated accordingly.

I would never wear a tank top in India because I would not care for the resulting treatment.

Ikuru

I think the key is to dress respectfully. That is to say try avoiding to be the centre of attention.

And when in a tourist place like Goa, you can basicly wear whatever and still not stick out... Just be carefull and respectfull and watchfull thats all.

Be wise.

__________________
http://www.ikuru.se My art.

belkin_wonder_boy

The problem with using terms like "modest" or "conservative" or "respectful" is understanding that those are culturally relative terms. "Conservative" in Los Angeles is clearly not the same thing as "conservative" in Delhi.

phantom

Who said that you will get wrong treatment if you wear a tank top ?? A lot of my friends(females) who have visited India, worn the same clothes that they wear back home except the minis and micro minis. They stayed in Uttranchal, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Bangalore, Kerala.. and nobody treated them badly because they wore a tank top !!!$$##@@!!

I think you have got a different view of India .. Its not the same India that I live in. Or maybe you have met wrong people !! If you come across some rowdy elements then you'll be treated badly, no matter what you wear! It depends on how one carry oneself, to get the respect or vice versa.
Some wise guy once said.. we dont wear clothes.. we wear the attitudes.. so if you got the right attitude, nobody can dare say anything that you dont wanna hear.

mridula

I live in New Delhi and this is some of the things I do regarding dress. If I am going to a mall or driving my own car with my husband, I can wear tank tops. If I am going to the mall alone and driving alone, I will make it sleveless. I will avoid tank tops if I am traveling by public transport at all costs even if I am with my husband.

It also depends where you are going and if you are in a group. In Ladakh, Goa, even Manali, you can get away with the tank tops. I think you should definitely bring a few with you. Once you are here, you will get a better idea when to wear them and when not to.

__________________
Mridula

Travel Tales from India

jpvs

I dont think anyone will have a problem even with spaghetti straps in major and medium cities. these things are passe in shopping malls, pubs etc. But as posters had said, they may not be the in-thing when you visit a mosque, or a gurudwara or a temple. i dont see any problems with loosefitting tank tops. just dont wear tight fitting and midriff baring types ...

Chandra

I very rearly wear tank tops in India. Of course you can "get away with it" many places, but why should it be important?
Moderating my way of dressing costs me nothing, and I think it's the least I can do. And it has less to do with avoiding bad treatment than with showing an openness towards the Indian traditions.

Goa and certain areas in the largest cities are exceptions, of course. The only place I felt it more natural to be wearing tight/revealing clothes was Bangalore.

C - strong minded on this one

Gayamom

Why not decide if you're comfortable wearing a tank top once you've gotten to India and gotten a feel for the places you're visiting?

Personally, I don't wear tank tops as shirts (just not my style), but I always have two or three 100% cotton and silk ones in my luggage. They are great to layer under translucent kurta (to make the kurta opaque), under a shirt when in a hill station or over-air-conditioned space of any sort (for warmth), or with your pajamas (for comfort). They pack away into no space at all.

If you do decide to wear a tank as a shirt, well, your travel wardrobe will be that much more flexible. If you decide against it, I'll bet they will still find uses, as long as you stick with natural fabrics (no lycra etc.), solid colors, and avoid the midriff-bearing ones.

If any one who actually knew nerdy me found out that I had been so bold as to give fashion advice, they'd be rolling on the ground in laughter.

GM

Merchant

If being ogled bothers you, cover up. If you don't care, wear whatever you want. This is true everywhere in the world, not just India. The difference in India is that you are going to be stared at anyway. Removing what India considers overt sexuality from the equation can make your life a little easier.

Nick-H

What is a tank top?

Oh God I feel like a High Court Judge!