Dressing Up
By: K S S Pillai
The first man and woman, Adam and Eve, had no inhibition about their nakedness and used to roam like other animals. After eating the forbidden fruit, they felt guilt and shame about their nakedness and hid their private parts with sewn fig leaves.
Later, God replaced their fig leaves with garments of animal skins, symbolising a more complete and divine covering for their sin and vulnerability. Since then, human beings have linked nakedness with sexuality, privacy, and vulnerability.
It seems God liked all living beings in their natural form as they were born. The animals living in extreme climates were equipped to face that climate. They had, for instance, thick skin and fur.
People living in those areas had houses and dresses that could nullify the climatic effects. Those living in other places wore dresses made of natural materials like cotton and other materials suitable for those places. In some parts of the world, such as Antarctica and Greenland, where it is cold throughout the year, people live in snow huts called igloos, which are insulated against the extreme cold.
With the rising population, national boundaries have become hazy. Modern technology has made the whole world a big village. People move to all parts of the world seeking a better life and dress according to the local climate.
In my native state of Kerala, it used to be hot most of the year. Since the state has several perennial rivers and ponds, people used to bathe in the morning and evening. While at home, most males and male labourers working in fields kept their upper bodies naked, with a thin white towel called ‘thorthu’ tied around their heads to wipe away the sweat.
The male devotees, like priests and other employees, still remove their shirts while entering the sanctum sanctorum of certain temples. Women also wear garments made of cotton, which are friendly to the hot climate.
It is the practice for the participants to wear sarees and blouses of similar colours with flowers in their hair while singing traditional songs in the ‘Kaikottikali’ or ‘Thiruvathirakali’ around a lighted oil-burning bronze lamp.
At long classical music sessions in some temples, the male artists remove their shirts and cover their upper bodies with other clothes. The female performers invariably wear expensive silk sarees and blouses.
With more and more people living alone in most countries, they keep pets like dogs and cats as companions, even sharing their beds with them. Some of these pets are dressed like human beings to hide their nakedness, disregarding the discomfort it causes.
It has also become the practice of circuses, which have become almost extinct due to legal restrictions, to dress animals like monkeys, dogs, and bears.
Uniforms have become normal in many spheres for different reasons. Schools prescribe them to give their students an identity as the students of that school. Most schools have unique uniforms for their students, and some even insist that they be purchased only from certain shops. I often sympathise with the students of hot climates compelled to wear leather shoes, neckties, and dresses made of non-cotton fabrics.
Universities also prescribe uniforms for those attending their convocations. Scholars about to receive their degrees dress in the prescribed attire, usually a gown with a square hat. In the past, Indian cinemas used to show a photograph of the hero or heroine in a uniform, receiving their degrees. The ritual continues, though some universities have changed to ‘deshi’ dresses at the convocation.
With people going for readymade dresses, the tribe of tailors, who used to measure their bodies to make dresses, is fast disappearing. The dress code has also changed with the passage of time. It is common to see females wearing jeans and shirts like their male counterparts.
Uniforms have been made compulsory for the employees of some departments, like the police and military. That is the case with sportspersons, peons, railway coolies, and security guards. Some organisations and political parties have adopted this practice, making their members wear a particular uniform at official functions.
With females demanding the same status as males, they have started dressing like their male counterparts at work.
(The author is a retired professor of English. A regular contributor to ‘The Kashmir Vision’, his articles and short stories have appeared in several national and international publications)
