Reuters Posted online: Saturday, June 05, 2004 at 1831 hours IST
Moscow, June 5: A Russian regional government has told its women employees to stop wearing short skirts and tone down their make-up because they were arousing their male colleagues' "animal instincts".
The ruling by Oleg Shlyk, deputy governor of Kaliningrad on Russia's Baltic coast, has stirred indignation among many in the enclave -- including its menfolk.
"Of course, a woman must attract a man's attention, but not so much as to overstep norms and arouse not business-like but only animal instincts," Shlyk told the NTV television network.
An NTV commentator said Shlyk's ruling meant that women in Kaliningrad administration headquarters would have to forsake short skirts in favour of business-suits, shun outlandish jewellery and wear only modest make-up.
Yuri Matochkin, a deputy in the regional Parliament, indignantly said the ruling brought shame on Shlyk himself.
"If this distracts him, then he has chosen the wrong job and if he cannot control himself to direct his energy correctly he ought to change his job," Matochkin said.
Vladimir Nikitin, a senior parliament official, agreed.
"Deputies of our Duma (Parliament) and members of staff have not given any reason to doubt their high moral level and reliability, as far as their dress code goes at least," Nikitin said.
