File Photo: IC

A "suggested dress code" from a university in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has upset students and Chinese netizens for advising female students "not to wear low-cut dresses or expose their midriff and backs" in order to "avoid temptation," presumably from men at the school. 

The dress code was published on Yuwusheng, the official forum of Guangxi University, on August 1. The "Safety Guide for Female Students," suggests women on the campus not wear revealing clothes, especially low-cut attire, or clothing that exposed their midriff or back to avoid drawing temptation. It also suggests women not wear high-heels and wear collars and scarves to cover their jewelry when walking alone. 

The controversial dress code went viral with over 6,000 comments and 113,000 likes. The topic sparked heated discussions over its sexist implications, drawing concerns about gender inequality issues in China. 

"Undoubtedly people are free to choose what they want to wear. No one should blame a person for dressing inappropriately so long as she/he does not affect others, especially in universities where openness and freedom should be advocated," one comment read. 

Many netizens slammed the university saying it reflects typical victim blaming. 

"It is not a 'suggested dress code' for female students, but a restriction list," Feng Yuan, a women rights advocate and co-founder of Equality, a non-governmental organization that focuses on gender issues, told the Global Times, pointing out that such a dress code is totally absurd. "It is limiting their freedom to dress," Feng stressed.

She slammed the school of treating female students as "mindless" and "having no common senses."  

"The intention is good. But the school should teach female students more practical tactics to  avoid being sexually harassed or attacked," Feng said, noting that the dress code should not only apply to women at the school. 

An official at Guangxi University told Chinese news platform thepaper.com that the dress code is in line with the university's student code. "We made this announcement to remind some female students to abide by the rules, since Guangxi is so hot and some wear revealing clothes."

One furious netizen pointed out the apparent hypocrisy of the dress code targeting female students. "Women wearing sundresses are regarded as slutty, while male students wandering around campus wearing only shorts isn't a problem?" 

"There should be less regulation of female dress, and greater focus on teaching men to respect the other gender and behave properly," read the most liked comment. "Chinese women would like to end 'victim culpability,'" the post said. 

Some netizens supported Guangxi University for reminding women of potential dangers. "News reports about female college students going missing alerted society with blood-tainted facts about the importance of guidance for females to stay safe." 

The traditional attitude toward gender differentiation has repeatedly sparked controversy in recent years, with the rising awareness of feminism in China. In late August, a mathematics reference book for junior high students spurred heated debate after different versions were published for male and female students, indicating that male students generally perform better with more flexible and complex matters, and implying that female students are better at simpler quizzes.