On the same day when Tamil Nadu assembly debated over the dress of Tamil actresses, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, daughter of Tamil Nadu CM M. Karunanidhi, spoke on the same issue in a public gathering.

Large sections of the media continue to reinforce traditional perceptions of women instead of seeking to empower them, Kanimozhi said, while addressing journalists, students and women’s rights activists at a seminar on women empowerment and the media on Monday (Feb 28).

According to a report carried by a leading English newspaper on Tuesday, Kanimozhi took the media to task for focusing more on what a celebrity wore, or didn’t wear, instead of focusing on social problems. The sensitive poet said that, “The media made a big controversy about the length of Shreya’s skirt... It is her personal issue. The hypocrisy here is why didn’t they raise the question when this happens in a film? In a film, the less she wears, the happier they are.”

Kanimozhi’s speech has come as a reply to the concerns expressed by some of the MLAs, a section of media, and some political outfits.