The Woman in the Yellow Dress

A few seconds before the MRT train door closes, a young woman enter and stood beside me. She was wearing a dress in garish yellow, its length barely a few inches below her crotch. The dress has a plunging neckline and as she stood beside me, I was dismayed to get a glimpse of hair on the nipple of her right breast. The guys beside me excitedly tried to get a look but I managed to block her from their view. Not that I did that out of a sense of propriety but because the train was full and moving is not possible.

I tried to concentrate on the book that I was reading. But it got me thinking that a woman would only dress like that for either of these two reasons: (1) she is a professional escort and (2) she has a very wrong sense of fashion sense and thought she's giving herself justice by wearing that yellow dress.

But a lot of women dress like her, most of them thinking they look real sexy. Sure. They do invite a sense of lust from men and maybe from some women but it does not really get them any admiring looks as they pass you on the street. Most people would easily judge and treat the woman as trash. In some way, can you really blame them? Although it is not fair that a woman is judged by the way she dresses, it is still a matter of perspective. Garb an intelligent woman in trashy clothes and see if she gets the respect she deserves. Of course if you see a guy dressing shockingly brash, we avert our eyes in shock and dismay but we don't treat them like trash.

I am not a feminist but the woman in the yellow dress did get me thinking. I wonder if she is aware of the sensation she created as she entered the train doors. And did she feel the eyes of a lot of people poking holes on her back as she stepped out and left the train.

If only we can get an inkling of her thoughts at that moment. A penny for her thoughts but definitely no nickel for her kiss.