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Cultural Differences Visiting India
They pointed at me for wearing shorts
My parents are from India but I grew up in America.
When I was a child in New York, day trips to Jones Beach were highlights of summer.
Mom and Dad never wore bathing suits. They stayed under a shady umbrella, relaxing out of the sun and enjoyed watching the waves and keeping an eye on the kids. Sometimes Dad would help us build a sand castle or swing one of us in the water. He would sometimes walk in the water but Mom didn’t want to get her feet wet.
When we went to India, when I was 12, they took us to Juhu beach near Mumbai. It would have been fine, except I wore shorts.
Not a bathing suit, mind, like I would have worn in the U.S. I wore conservative shorts long enough to cover my knees and an opaque blouse. I thought I was modestly dressed. The Indian men did not.
Fortunately I was with my family, so no one actually physically harassed me. But they stared at me non-stop and made comments and pointed. It was very embarrassing, particularly for a young girl.
My parents had apparently forgotten how awful Indian society could be for women.
Growing up in New York, even wearing shorts or a mini-skirt, I generally felt safe. I knew what areas to…
