Controversy in Brazil over a student wearing a short red dress to her college class echoed the recent controversy in France surrounding France's parliament's reluctance to allow women to wear the Burqa. Though at face value, these incidents couldn't seem more opposite (the extremely modest Burqa versus the red dress that managed to scandalize the nation with nude beaches) actually share almost everything important in common. They both push people's buttons, albeit opposite buttons in people who hold opposite viewpoints. The Burqa was opposed in France on the grounds that it prevented women's free expression, and served as a symbol of subordination. The red dress greatly offended the Catholic majority in Brazil who hold traditional viewpoints on student's dress in college, which is still extremely modest. However, the overriding question is: why, exactly, do legislators and university administrator's feel that what student's wear in private universities is in their sphere of influence? When did the lines blur between private high schools with a dress code (seems reasonable) to public schools which prohibit certain revealing items and gang attire (seems a bit murkier) to universities (seems outrageous)? This seems to to be edging closer and closer to dangerous ground, with restrictions of individual freedom being infringed upon in what have traditionally been seen as nations supporting public freedom.
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