Thanks to this blog, I chanced upon another blog which is maintained by an undergraduate (I think, although I could be wrong) who is currently studying in a university in Kedah. From her writing, I can tell that she is a driven, ambitious and feisty girl. All of which, I believe, are great qualities for a girl to have.
But problems can arise from being, how should I say, too opinionated, especially about a cultural symbol belonging to another.
In a recent posting, she openly disagreed on the new dress code rules imposed by her university.
I think it is fair and well within her rights to blog and inform the media about it. But here’s the part that made me wince. *I have bolded the statements she made which I have a problem with*.
She wrote: As a Risk Management student, let me do some evaluation on the RISKS of obliging the dress code by wearing baju kurung:
- Baju kurung is a physical hazard to the wearer!
The distance of the stairs of the bus from the ground is more than the diameter of the skirt, no matter how much you stretch the cloth. I saw a lot of people falling down at the entrance of buses while boarding the buses. Besides, while alighting the bus, people behind you might step onto your skirt causing you to fall down as well. - Baju kurung limits your movement!
That is the reason why you-know-who are so blardy slow when getting from location A to location B which would take only a few minutes if we are wearing long pants or decently short skirt. And I have a lot of classes to rush to, so I don’t have the time to enjoy the scenery along the way, thank you! - Baju kurung is a health hazard!
Baju kurung is made from a cloth material that does not absorb sweat (Now I know why there are unbearable BO every time I go near you-know-who) and we are living in a country that is experiencing summer all year long, which means that we are sweating most of the time! It is easy to fall sick (too heaty) when you are standing under the sun for too long wearing clothes that cover you from head to toe. I don’t know how you-know-who survived wearing a tudung under similar condition! (And some of them go to sports activities with THAT! Rimas aku!) - Baju kurung is a financial risk!
Baju kurung is not cheap, you know? With a set of baju kurung, I can have 3 long-sleeved formal shirts! Beside having to spend hundreds on books alone, we’ll have to spend more money on clothes. The PTPTN (Pity Pity Notes) loan that we are getting is not enough for books AND food, never mind clothes! You are not being considerate towards poor and needy students! We pay for education and knowledge, NOT clothings! - Baju kurung is a catalyst for criminal offences!
Baju kurung increases the possibility of mental stress. You see, beside worrying about our sucky academic performance, we have to worry about dress code. A lot of students are depressed enough because of poor academic performance due to biased and racist lecturers and you have toaddpour salt to the wound. People who are desperate for money would do anything, even if it is to buy proper clothes according to YOUR rules! Being a part of the statistics for criminal offence is something to be proud of, no?
Baju kurung causing BO? Among you-know-who?
I think I know whom she is referring to and it ain’t the same you-know-who from the Harry Potter books :P
It is such speaking-without-thinking comments that I find disturbing. It is disappointing too, coming from an intelligent young woman.
That is why I am glad someone left this comment on her blog:
I agree that universities should not enforce these kind of restrictions/rulings particularly those that pertains to dresscode and attire, as in my view, university is the time where one is treated like an adult, who’s able to make his or her own decisions, and this include deciding on what to wear to classes. I also agree that UUM’s management and staff have a rather outdated view when it comes to education and an even more outdated view on life. I remember a few years back, visiting UUM for a research project, and I was stopped and called by one of the academic staff there and was lectured for not covering my head, albeit the lecturer was aware that I was not a student and was a visitor. On that moment, I make the conclusion that the reason for the construction of the university at such remote place is so that people like him could be send and myopically think that they are god’s warriors.
Having said that, I also think that it is not right for you to just lambast ‘baju kurung’ and making all that ridiculing statements associating it such negativity. Please, baju kurung leads to BO? Not unless you don’t practise proper hygiene, which maybe the case for certain segments of UUM’s students population. Baju kurung is a physical hazard to the wearer? One could just lift the skirt slightly and voila, you can stretch as wide as you want. Again, its the case of the wearers, not the attire itself, but to make all that slandering remarks, it’s just totally uncalled for. – Maverick
I respect this young undergrad for having an opinion and the guts to stand up for what she believes in. But she, and all of us, must remember that we have to be responsible when speaking our minds, especially when it touches matters as sensitive as culture.
Stick to the facts and don’t let our emotions and personal biases cloud our thinking and judgement.
Update!
http://clareng.com/2007/07/30/i-not-stupid-you-are/
Comment left by zewt:
that is very extensive research you’ve done there… even to the satin part about pyjamas. but i have to say… to blame BO on baju kurung is a bit far fetched. i think there’s no need to list out a reason why baju kurung is not of preference. so long as you’re genuinely being forced to wear it… i think that’s bad enough.
Reply by blogger:
You see, I never blame it on baju kurung…I picked the attire because we were forced to wear them. For the BO thingy, any attire is prone to BO or rather enhance it for certain people…same goes to cheongsam, no? And I have to explain myself long-winded for many people out there who do not understand what I was talking about and called me a racist…Too bad, some people don’t seem to have the intelligence to distinguish between racist remark and non-racist remark…sigh~
Posted by Kamm on July 30, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I would be pissed off too if I was to be controlled in what I can and cannot wear at university. Feels like high school all over again!! Her points about baju kurung are silly (shows lack of respect and knowledge of other cultures) but it’s a pity that the University is doing this as I can’t see what the main advantages are?!!
Posted by suziemclean on July 30, 2007 at 2:32 pm
The dress code issue has been highlighted in the newspaper, so I’m not so worried about that.
I mean, the fact that it has been highlighted means that people are watching the uni closely and they have to stop the nonsense going on there.
That is why I didn’t harp on it and chose to highlight her unresearched views on baju kurung instead.
I frankly don’t see what is wrong in girls wearing skirts to class. In fact, I’d encourage them to wear dresses (sun dresses perhaps) to class because it makes them look more presentable. :P
Posted by zewt on July 30, 2007 at 11:52 pm
wow… didnt know this notion has turned so big.
Posted by fookiat on August 1, 2007 at 4:08 pm
come on people, can’t you tell that its a joke when you see one? coming from a risk student, risk is a very subjective subject. it my look like that to her and it may look the other way to others. that doesn’t mean she force you all to agree on her thoughts. and yeah.. we risk students stick together through thick and thin, mind you. read the blog post, laught at it and get on with your life.
Posted by suziemclean on August 1, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Oooo… it’s a joke is it? Sorrylah… i forgot to laugh…(NOT!)
Good for you for sticking up for your friend. But I’m still sticking to my view. And no… I still don’t find it funny.
Posted by Silent thinker on August 2, 2007 at 10:45 am
Actually, the post is not a joke. She presented all the facts and what she had researched about the baju kurung in quite a layman’s manner. In other words, the way she has written her post regarding the attire code fits the students’ dilemma of her time, words that are not meant to beat around the bush. Should she has written her post in a more professional, high and mighty manner, you might have agreed with her totally. All the same, what she had presented hit the nation well.
Posted by suziemclean on August 2, 2007 at 12:15 pm
“Should she has written her post in a more professional, high and mighty manner, you might have agreed with her totally.”
Me? Agree with her? Nah… I doubt it.
The issue here, my dear friends, is passing judgements on another’s highly regarded cultural symbol. I may not like wearing baju kurung or cheongsam or sari – but WHO AM I to judge it?
These traditional dresses became cultural icons of a specific ethnic group for a reason. However impractical they are for daily use, at least respect them for what they are – well-respected cultural icons.
Posted by arni on August 2, 2007 at 6:12 pm
fookiat, if you risk students stick together through thick and thin, we journos stick together too. (but only for the right reasons, of course! we, after all, have a mind of our own, you see..)
but in this case, i have to agree with suzie. i didnt find the statement your risk friend made to be funny. you don’t make fun of another ethnic group’s way of life.
*comment has been edited for… ahem… clarity :P
Posted by suziemclean on August 2, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Thanks for the support arni. One veryberrystrawberry coming right up! *lol*
Posted by fookiat on August 3, 2007 at 12:02 pm
arni and suzie, I don’t blame you all for not finding it funny, cause you didn’t attend the risk management class. as ridiculous as it is, risk management is like that, again I’m saying that its very subjective. let me give you some simple example, if you want to retent your risk in divorce after marriage, what do you do? the text book answer would be don’t get married in the first place, its stupid and ridiculous, right? that’s why you all can’t get the joke and well, I don’t really blam you all for it. all those technical jargons must be getting to our heads..
Posted by j theeban on August 6, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I thought I would cut and paste my comments on Kampua Talk (http://clareng.com) here:
Dear Clare,
I find it amusing that despite all your supposedly self-declared intelligence you entirely missed the point of what Suzy and arnie are desperately trying to make (in http://suziemclean.wordpress.com). Perhaps the best way to make u understand is to first attempt to detach you from pre-conceiving that I am a malay who is childishly hurt by your “well-intended” jokes. So here goes, I am an Indian. Therefore what follows is as impartial as it can get. I hold a degree in law so you could at least assume that this is also an educated response.
Your negative remarks which you supposedly meant as jokes tread on a very fine line between “researched facts” and just “distasteful”. We all conclusively know that BO issues are entirely based on one’s personal hygiene. Simply put, if u develop BO upon wearing a baju kurung for the day, it’s not the baju, it is u who needs to upgrade your antiperspirant/deodorant and keep yourself powdered.
Secondly, in a racially sensitive multi-ethnic environment, you do not lash out at a costume which is culturally worn by a particular race and expect to get an lol (laugh out loud) applause for your humour. What irks me more is your tenacity in trying to defend your words by labeling opposing respondents as stupid.
Suggestions:
1. Apologise for having offended those you didn’t mean to
2. Realise the actual damage of your unintended pun…then come out shining as a great blogger who is sensitive towards her readers and especially to our delicately balanced multi racial society.
ps: you look great in all the costumes….just try and write like how you look in them.