From banning the burqa to burning their bras, women’s clothing has aroused much controversy throughout the ages. Girls’ Freshers’ week outfits lead to demoralizing attention; and only two months ago, France scored a victory for patronizing women by passing it’s much hyped burqa ban. So why is the subject of how women "should" dress a continuing debate? Surely with all the progress of feminism, women should have the freedom to dress in accordance with their beliefs.

Belgium was the first to recently revolutionize the Western ideal of freedom to dress, by changing the law to prohibit women’s right to wear the burqa or niqab. Belgium outlawed the burqa on the reasoning that it impeded the necessary interaction for learning and working. This discourse seems to be traveling throughout Europe. Days after the ban in France, a woman was fined in Italy for wearing her niqab en route to the mosque. Australia is also making moves to introduce the legislation.

The burqa is obviously a strong reminder of the fissures between the West and Islam; and it is understandably alienating, with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair both agreeing it is a "mark of separation." However, surely we should be able to differentiate between what we deplore and what we criminalise.

In a statement from Edinburgh University’s Islamic Society, Khadija Basit says that "banning it is, in my view, wrong. The Burqa by no means implies oppression or backwardness or extremism. For a Muslim woman the burqa is a symbol of modesty and it is fulfilling one of the many commandments of Allah." This view is supported by Aisha, a female student who wears the veil. "Whereas others may see it as restrictive and outdated, it makes me feel safe. Europe’s recent restrictions only show an undercurrent zenophobia."

Ironically, another motive behind the burqa ban was that is was argued as a classic tool of gender oppression. Despite cases of forced use of the burqa, however, Abigael Candelas de la Ossa from the Edinburgh University FemSoc disagrees that a ban would be beneficial: "For those women whose choices are not free, being told what to wear, or not to wear, by the state does not make you anymore free." Shabana Basheer, a Muslim feminist student at Edinburgh University, argues that "it’s counter-productive, it forces women out of the public sphere instead of involving them in society."

Freedom of expression was made a universal right by UN Human Rights Article 19, passed in 1948. If it is oppressive that Islamic dress codes dictate that women be covered up, logically the same should apply to the West deeming women who wear the burqa as too covered. Even if the burqa is misogynistic, taking away a woman’s right to dress removes her ability to make her own choices and fundamentally this is a violation of her human rights. Banning women from wearing the veil in public is just as subjugating as making them cover up.

If there are laws forcing women to stop covering up too much, surely the next step are laws restricting women from not covering up enough. In Freshers’ week, the pressure on girls to wear more licentious outfits is promoted everywhere, with sexy schoolgirl nights and club leaflets handed out showing half-naked girls. One third year Edinburgh male student admitted: "What girls wear out is a code, whether they’re up for it or they’re not. If she’s wearing a short skirt or her boobs are hanging out, she wants it." So apparently women have to decide whether they want get with someone and signal it via how much cleavage they’re showing.

The unspoken topic of street harassment is yet another byproduct of women and their clothing. While men may momentarily think wolf whistles, sexist comments and leering is a compliment, when said third year was asked how he’d react if a male stranger acted this way towards his mother/sister/girlfriend, he was rightly angered. If women are to be viewed as equals, then this blatant objectification of females must stop.

There is also a plethora of media attention surrounding ‘promiscuous’ female clothing. A fifth of interviewees who took part in research for Rape Crisis Scotland believed that "women contribute to rape if they wear revealing clothing." The University of Leicester found that "the skimpier [women] dress, the less likely a man is to take no for an answer." No woman deserves to be raped, and every woman who is assualted is entitled to justice, yet this evidence suggests the blame is being at least partially placed on the woman and her outfit. The findings reported above have induced Scotland to launch a "Not Ever" campaign in 2010 - the title referring to when a victim is to blame for rape.

Yet it’s not just men who have something to say about what a woman can and can’t wear - girls are also judging their own sex. Fautmeh Audati, speaker for the French rally and defending her right to wear the hijab, was quoted as viewing the West in a state of "undress" and the way of life as "robbing a woman of her dignity, honour and respect". A London poll called "Wake Up to Rape" found that 27 per cent of women believed a victim should accept some responsibility when dressed provocatively.

These ludicrous accusations from other women are not uncommon - how often do you hear a girl critiquing another girl’s outfit? Yet men can walk down the street with their belly hanging over their trousers, or walk into a club topless, and not be condemned at all. Surely if women want to be able to dress how they like, they also have to stop undermining each other.

Immigration minister, Damian Green, deftly dismissed the Burqa ban as "rather un-British"; so at least for now the niqab is safe. Yet this issue illustrates that Feminism in the West is still an integral protest. If men are not being told what to wear, then women shouldn’t be either. And when that day comes, I’ll burn my bra.