Entertainment Desk:

Widespread backlash erupted across social media after Bangladesh Bank issued a directive imposing a dress code on its employees, particularly restricting female staff from wearing sleeveless tops, short-length dresses, and leggings at work. The directive, criticised for targeting women’s attire, was later withdrawn today following public outrage.

In response, National Film Award-winning actress Azmeri Haque Badhan took to Facebook to express her frustration over the imposition of dress codes and the persistent societal judgment women face regarding their clothing choices.

“I was once a brilliant, kind little girl who always dressed as expected; what my parents preferred, what the community deemed ‘decent’. I didn’t wear jeans as a teenager, because society believed only ‘bad girls’ did,” she wrote.

Recounting a turning point in her life, Badhan shared how her decision to leave an abusive marriage led her to participate in the “Lux Channel i Superstar” competition in 2006. “That experience helped me discover myself; not just as a woman, but as a human being.”

She further stated, “Even then, I tried to be the kind of woman society approves of. But this time, I wore jeans, I wore clothes that showed my skin, things ‘good girls’ supposedly don’t wear.”

Badhan also recalled an incident where she was asked to cover her shoulders during a television interview because she was wearing a sleeveless blouse. “They lectured me on morality. Over the years, I’ve been told how I should dress, as a mother, a ‘sensible woman’, or a daughter from a conservative family. But I don’t care anymore. I am free. No one has the right to tell me what to wear, say, think, or how to live. That is my decision alone.”

She concluded her post by criticising the societal obsession with controlling women. “This is the harsh reality we face daily. Society seems obsessed with ‘fixing’ women as if that’s the ultimate virtue. But let me say this: it is your own actions that determine your path, not your control over others, and certainly not over women.”