Gozde Kansu, a Turkish TV presenter in the middle of a controversy, sits next to a sign that reads, “My body, My décolleté, My performance.” Oct. 10, 2013. (photo by Facebook/GozdeKANSU)

Celik argues that he played no role in that decision. Armagan Caglayan, a well-known TV producer, however, said it all in his tweet after the news broke that Kansu lost her job: “Now after Gozde Kansu lost that job, do you really believe that presenters will be able to dress according to their free will on TV screens?”

Kansu certainly did not break any law by dressing in a evening gown. Plus, fashion is a very subjective thing — what works for one, does not please another. There are many in the Twittersphere who thought that Kansu looked nothing but beautiful. In fact, she also told Hurriyet’s Ayse Arman today, Oct. 10, that the production company was fully aware of her dress choice. “I showed them the dresses. I asked for approval. [They said] it’s proper. It’s not possible for me to decide on my own on such details in such a big project,” she said. “This is pure and simple intervention to [our] lifestyles,” she said.

Unfortunately, people in Turkey — on social media and elsewhere — now feverishly discuss whether Kansu, a talented stage actress, was right to choose that dress. Only time will show whether this incident will have a chilling role on TV screens. But as Bagci has reminded us, politicians have a different kind of a responsibility when they speak, and mostly they do so to advance their policies and interests. This coincides with this week’s lifting of the ban on head scarves for female workers in state buldings.

Source: Tulin Daloglu is a columnist for Al-Monitor‘s