August 16, 2020, 12:29 PM
A Malaysian woman was not allowed to enter a library in Kuala Lumpur because her bra "could be seen" through her white blouse.
In an Aug. 12 tweet, Syarifah Amin stated that she was denied entry as her outfit was "revealing".
Here's a picture of what she was wearing:
Got denied entry into Perpustakaan Kuala Lumpur this morning because of pakaian “menjolok mata” sebab “nampak bra”. This was what I was wearing. pic.twitter.com/yugY9GZN1c
— Miss Atomic Bomb (@SyarifahAmin) August 12, 2020
Told to cover her "bra lines" with a sweater
In a subsequent tweet, Syarifah said that she had gone to the library to study.
However, the library's receptionist kept asking if she had a sweater to cover her "bra lines".
Syarifah added:
"Makcik, if I don't wear a bra, my nipples could be seen. Anyways, I told the guard and the receptionist. I came here to study.
I’m wearing long sleeves and long pants. I’m not going to wear a "sweater" to cover my "bra lines". I literally just want to study."
Okay lah, I’m telling my story a little less aggressively, but I was actually mad pissed and literally fought my way in. They let me in cause they were scared I was gonna make a fuss. kbye✌🏻
— Miss Atomic Bomb (@SyarifahAmin) August 12, 2020
the Receptionist then kept asking if I had a sweater to cover my bra lines. I mean what’s the point if I have a sweater and I’m gonna take them off anyway upstairs 🥴
— Miss Atomic Bomb (@SyarifahAmin) August 12, 2020
here are some other angles of my clothing since some comments are still justifying its inappropriate. If you zoom hard enough... you can see the pimple on my chest. help me pop it pls pic.twitter.com/hu23r4mpWF
— Miss Atomic Bomb (@SyarifahAmin) August 13, 2020
The library's dress code
According to a Facebook post by the library, there is a dress code that visitors have to comply with.
If they do not adhere to the rules, they will not be allowed to enter the library.
Besides wearing "revealing" outfits, here are some other clothing that are prohibited:
- singlets
- shorts
- skirts above knee length
- clothes with offensive slogans
- pyjamas
- slippers
- caps/hats
- tight clothes
Here's the full Facebook post by the library:
Not the first time
In an interview with World Of Buzz (WOB), Syarifah, who is the co-founder of advocacy group Malaysian Youth Advocates for Gender Equality, said that she was angry about the incident.
She believed that she did not break any rules based on what she was wearing that day.
She also said that this was not the first time she experienced an incident like this.
According to WOB, she has dealt with similar situations "throughout her life", which made her realise that people will constantly "hypersexualise women regardless of their age".
Syarifah added that women should stand up to authorities and should stop getting policed for what they wear.
Totally unrelated but here's the latest episode of our podcast
Top images from @SyarifahAmin/Twitter.
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