Cover your 'bra lines'? Malaysian woman denied entry from library for 'revealing' top

With the unending list of perfectly natural things that have been deemed faux pas — from VPLs to visible bra straps — getting dressed can be a needlessly stressful affair for women.

Now, it seems that "bra lines" are the new thing to avoid, at least according to Kuala Lumpur Library.

Despite being dressed in a long-sleeved blouse, a Malaysian woman says she was denied entry into the library, sharing in a string of tweets on Wednesday (Aug 12) that she had been told that her bra was visible. 

According to Syarifah Amin, the co-founder of advocacy group Malaysian Youth Advocates for Gender Equality (MYAGE), a female security guard and a receptionist had stopped her at the library entrance that morning.

[embed]https://twitter.com/SyarifahAmin/status/1293387865263497216[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/SyarifahAmin/status/1293562611103969280[/embed]

The pair told her that her "bra lines" were visible and asked her to cover up as her attire was "eye-catching", she recounted.

But on her insistence, the staff eventually relented and allowed her to enter as they were afraid that she would "make a fuss".

"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."

Reflecting on the incident in an interview with World Of Buzz, Syarifah questioned: "Where is the line what [sic] they perceived as modesty in government-owned public places?"

People should be more mindful and stop enforcing their beliefs onto others, she said, adding that it's about time women stopped getting policed for everything.

According to the Kuala Lumpur Library's Facebook post today (Aug 14), its dress code is in place to "inculcate a civilised society based on politeness and decency".

Besides "eye-catching" and revealing clothing, skirts above knee length, clothes with offensive slogans, singlets, shorts, slippers, pyjamas, hats and tights are also prohibited.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/kualalumpurlibrary/photos/a.175174429309644/1625608314266241/?type=3&theater[/embed]

Visitors who do not adhere to the dress code will not be allowed to enter the library, it said.

AsiaOne has reached out to Kuala Lumpur Library for more information.

This isn't the first time that women have been subject to rigid dress codes in Malaysia.

Last September, one woman was refused entry into the Telok Intan Immigration Office as her capri pants were deemed "too short" by the security guards on duty.

In 2015, Hospital Sungai Buloh apologised after it refused entry to a woman in shorts and only allowed her to enter after she had covered her legs.

The hospital later clarified that while it does not enforce a dress code, it encourages the public to dress "decently" while visiting patients. 

kimberlylim@asiaone.com