Crossing boundaries:bras, lingerie and rape myths in postcolonial urban middle-class India

With the processes of modernization, urbanization and the entry of women in the formal labour market in Indian metropolitan spaces, this paper examines how the modern middle-class woman’s sartorial choices become enmeshed in popular rape myths (false beliefs) that serve to blame her for the wearing of western clothing. The paper articulates the ways in which middle-class women’s social realities are shaped by historical, colonial and nationalist ideologies of modernization, constructed and mediated through moral codes of dressing. By drawing upon original and contemporary empirical narratives from the urban spaces of Delhi and Mumbai, we emphasise how everyday sartorial choices, in relation to particularly the bra and lingerie, can reveal the nuanced ways in which Urban Indian Professional Women (UIPW) seek to understand, negotiate, and resist patriarchal power. Our findings shed light on conflicting and contradictory spatial experiences, where some women internalize and negotiate moral codes of dressing, out of fear, and others who transgress are subject to sanctions. Given the paucity of scholarly literature in this area, the paper makes an important theoretical and empirical contribution with its focus on postcoloniality and everyday discursive material spaces of gendered and sexualized dress practices. It argues for the consciousness raising of everyday urban geographies of dress that reveal complicated structures of power that are often deemed hidden

Acaciaside-B-enriched fraction of Acacia auriculiformis is a prospective spermicide with no mutagenic property

As a part of our continued venture to develop a safe and effective spermicide, we have identified a triterpene glycoside (Acaciaside-B (Ac-B))-enriched fraction (Ac-B-en) isolated from the seeds of Acacia auriculiformis and evaluated its spermicidal potential in vitro. Sperm motility was completely inhibited within 20 s at a minimum effective concentration (MEC) of 120 mg/ml. Tests for sperm viability by dual fluoroprobe staining showed the effect to be spermicidal with an EC50 of 35.20 mg/ml. A series of investigations including tests for hypo-osmotic swelling, membrane lipid peroxidation, and electron microscopy document that the spermicidal effect of the fraction involves loss of sperm plasma membrane integrity and dissolution of the acrosomal vesicle – the two most important structural components that play diverse roles in physiological functions of sperm including fertilization. The fraction at 10!MEC exerted no detrimental effects on in vitro growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is considered the major constituent of vaginal microflora that maintains vaginal health. Ames tests performed with different strains of Salmonella typhimurium including TA 97a, 98, 100, and 102, which detect mutagens causing bp substitution or frameshifting at G-C or A-T bp, demonstrate no mutagenic potential of the fraction. Significant spermicidal potential with no possible mutagenic effect and adverse impacts on lactobacilli growth attests to the credential of Ac-B-en as a prospective future spermicide for the development of a safe and effective vaginal contraceptive formulation