Denied entry to a library for visible ‘bra lines’ – Malaysian student’s Twitter rant highlights issues with a societal obsession

After a library receptionist and a guard in Malaysia told law student Syarifah Amin that she was in breach of its dress code, she took to Twitter to complain

The bra arguably stirs more controversy than any other piece of clothing, and has been the focus of various campaigns to desexualise the female body

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The bra – an abbreviation of the French word brassiere – arguably stirs more controversy than any other piece of clothing. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 7:15am, 12 Oct 2020Updated: 6:36pm, 13 Oct 2020

Malaysian student Syarifah Amin was carrying law books weighing almost 4kg when she arrived bright and early at the Kuala Lumpur Library on August 12. She was eager to start studying – but hit an obstacle before she could get started.

Amin was refused entry to the state-run public facility because her bra lines were visible through her long-sleeved white blouse, a breach of the library’s dress code. Cover them with a jumper, the library’s female receptionist and a female security guard told her. Angry and frustrated, she took to Twitter.

“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,” tweeted Amin, the co-founder of advocacy group Malaysian Youth Advocates for Gender Equality, that same morning.

“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.”

Fila Magnus, the Malaysian member of the Commonwealth Youth Gender Equality Network (CYGEN), a youth-led network promoting gender equality, says the incident was disheartening. “As the world learns to live with a new normal, it’s disheartening how Malaysia continues to find itself stuck with a ‘norm’ it refuses to move on from,” says Magnus.