S B Madhavi, Chennai’s first woman dafadar, has been transferred to the Manali zone following a controversy involving her choice to wear bright lipstick while accompanying Chennai Mayor R Priya Madhavi, who holds the ceremonial sceptre and clears the way for the Mayor in crowded areas of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), claims her transfer stems from violating an informal directive from her superiors regarding her appearance.
Expressing outrage, Madhavi views the transfer as an infringement on her personal rights. She stated that her decision to wear lipstick, deemed too bright in comparison to the Mayor’s, became the root cause of her reassignment. The incident has sparked discussions around gender rights and workplace regulations under the Dravidian model social justice government.
#JUSTIN || "மேயர் பிரியாவிற்கு இணையாக லிப்ஸ்டிக் போட்டதால் பணியிட மாற்றம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளேன்"
"இது ஒரு பெண்ணுக்கு இழைக்கப்பட்ட அநீதி, மனித உரிமை மீறல்"
"15 ஆண்டுகளாக மாநகராட்சியில் பணிபுரியும் நிலையில், எனது வேலையில் எந்தவிதமான தொய்வும் இருந்ததில்லை"
"எனக்கு லிப்ஸ்டிக் அணிவது… pic.twitter.com/XqZPAdfw2a
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) September 25, 2024
Madhavi, 50, Chennai’s first woman dafadar, has contested her recent transfer to the Manali zone following a memo she received on August 6, 2024, accusing her of “dereliction of duty, not coming to work during working hours, and disobeying orders from her superiors.” Madhavi has strongly denied the accusations, particularly disputing claims of tardiness and insubordination.
She clarified that she was only 30 minutes late on the specified day due to a leg injury and maintained that she had followed all orders, except the informal directive concerning her decision to wear lipstick, which she believes sparked the transfer.
#JUSTIN
லிப்ஸ்டிக் விவகாரம்பணியிடமாற்றம் செய்யப்பட்ட தபேதார் மாதவி
நியூஸ் 18க்கு விளக்கம் #Lipstick #madhavi #News18Tamilnadu | https://t.co/7dpn9FCtgj pic.twitter.com/a2sYy3nKl2— News18 Tamil Nadu (@News18TamilNadu) September 25, 2024
Madhavi, came under scrutiny after defying an instruction from Mayor Priya’s assistant, Siva Sankar, who told her not to wear lipstick due to the high-profile visitors frequenting the Mayor’s office, including ministers and embassy officials. Madhavi challenged the directive, stating, “If this is a crime, show me the government order (GO) which prohibits me from wearing lipstick.” Following her refusal, Madhavi was transferred to the Manali zone, leaving her previous post in the Mayor’s office vacant.
The issue escalated further when Madhavi participated in a fashion show during Women’s Day celebrations at the Ripon Buildings, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) headquarters. Mayor Priya admitted that Madhavi’s performance and choice to wear matte lipstick in the show drew criticism. While her office conveyed this feedback to Madhavi, the Mayor denied that the transfer was related to the lipstick incident.
She accused the Mayor’s office of imposing unreasonable restrictions on her appearance, claiming that Mayor Priya’s assistants regularly instructed her to “tone down” her lipstick and avoid wearing bright saris. Madhavi also alleged that she was prohibited from speaking with officials from other departments at the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) headquarters, calling these directives a violation of her human rights.
In response to the August 6 memo accusing her of dereliction of duty, Madhavi questioned the lack of any formal government order (GO) prohibiting her from wearing lipstick or interacting with other departments. “Is there any order specifying not to wear lipstick? I’m not the only one; many female employees in the Mayor’s office wear lipstick,” Madhavi told the media. She added, “I look out of place because I’m a little pale. Will they transfer me to Manali for this?”
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) clarified on September 25 that S.B. Madhavi, the first woman dafadar, was transferred to the Manali zone purely for administrative reasons, not due to personal matters. In an official statement, the GCC stated that Madhavi’s transfer was unrelated to her personal choices, such as wearing lipstick, and was instead linked to her alleged violation of office rules, including arriving late to work and not fulfilling her duties.
“The memo only addressed her breach of the Mayor’s office protocols, including tardiness and neglect of responsibilities. It contained no references to her personal choices, nor were those choices investigated by officials,” the statement read.
Flag bearers of women empowerment @KanimozhiDMK ! https://t.co/CIDjPo8tEt
— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) September 25, 2024
Mayor R. Priya denied that S.B. Madhavi’s transfer to the Manali zone was related to her choice of lipstick, stating instead that feedback on her performance during a Women’s Day fashion show had been shared with her.
In a show of support, the lone BJP councillor, Uma Ananthan, defended Madhavi, asserting that “using lipstick is a woman’s right.” Ananthan further remarked, “She can choose any color, bright or subtle, and it doesn’t violate her rights. The party that campaigned with ‘My Plate, My Right’ during the beef ban should now say ‘My Lips, My Right.’” She criticized the ruling party’s double standards, adding, “CM Stalin, two years older than me, calls me ‘Patty’ (grandma), but many in his party over 50 still present themselves as youthful with makeup. Perhaps their issue is that Madhavi, at 50, wears lipstick.” Ananthan concluded by vowing to wear bright lipstick to the next corporation meeting in solidarity with Madhavi, stating, “It may not suit my age, but I’ll do it to support her.”
#MINITALKS || லிப்ஸ்டிக் போடக்கூடாது என அரசாணை உள்ளதா?#minitalks | #chennai | #Kamalalayam | #dmk | #mayor | #priya | #lipstick | #issue | #woman | #UmaAnandan | #tamiljanam pic.twitter.com/osNcfQOoeI
— Tamil Janam (@TamilJanamNews) September 25, 2024
Though S.B. Madhavi was transferred in August, the issue has gained attention after the memo issued to her was circulated recently. Critics have accused the Dravidian model social justice government of hypocrisy in dealing with personal rights and choices.
Critics argue, “This is the dual standard of the government. Tomorrow, they may claim the Mayor is too young (which is true) and insist that everyone should be over fifty or sixty, forbidding makeup and enforcing plain attire to avoid public attention. Even Minister Duraimurugan, in his 80s, uses lipstick, draws on a moustache with kajal, and dyes his hair black. CM Stalin, too, wears a wig to look young.”
