Uttarakhand’s newly appointed Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat’s statement about women wearing ripped jeans has sparked outrage. Women have taken to social media to assert that nobody is entitled to judge anyone on the basis of their clothes.
Here’s what CM Riwat said about women wearing ripped jeans:
Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat said that wearing ripped jeans paves the way for societal breakdown and is a result of the “bad example” parents set for children, which also leads to substance abuse.
Recalling an old incident where he met a woman who ran an NGO wearing ripped jeans, he said, “If this kind of woman goes out in the society to meet people and solve their problems, what kind of message are we giving out to the society, to our kids? It all starts at home. What we do, our kids follow.”
How social media user reacted:
Soon after, angry social media users slammed his ‘misogynistic and patriarchal’ comments aimed at dress policing and called his mentality ‘ripped’.
Actor Gul Panag, former air hostess Ankita Konwar, and Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi were among those who slammed #Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat for his comment on #rippedjeans, and asserted “nobody must judge women based on their clothes”.
Reacting to his statement, a social media campaign with hashtags such as #GirlsWhoWearRippedJeans and #GreetingsFromMyNakedKnee are currently trending on Twitter.
Social media users especially women are now sharing photos of themselves in ripped jeans, as mark of protest.
The trend soon after journalist Nishtha Gautam called on women to share their pictures in the outfit, condemned by the CM.
‘She wrote, ”I hope some of you remember the #GirlsWhoDrinkBeer hashtag from 2018 as a response to Goa CM’s statement. It’s that time of the year again: Another CM, another attempt at policing women’s choices. Let’s tweet our #rippedjeans pics with #GirlsWhoWearRippedJeans. What say?”
