I was just joking of course, but nevertheless: it is true that I was "forced" to wear our traditional garments since I was a little child
Modesty is a Quranic requirement for both genders.
A poster said he found the view of a man wearing "western" and the woman wearing hijab incosistent. That is completely correct if that man's clothing comes down to "shorts" and "short sleeves" etc..
Strictly speaking (falling back on what seems to have been custom in the early days of Islam) a man is allowed to uncover his torso, but his legs must be covered until at least half his calfs. (The same type of traditions forbid men to wear for example silk and gold.)
In practice however it is recommended for both genders to observe outmost modesty in their appearances.
You can obtain that easy enough when wearing "Western" style clothing too, which is in my view recommendable when you are in a "Western" country. For the simple reason that if as a Muslim you don't adapt to the local dress code (within the rules of modesty) you create the opposite effect: you draw all attention to you instead of trying to modestly blending in.
Aside from problems where women and girls are indeed "pushed", I observed that the last years many, mostly young girls and younger women, wear hijab in the West as a "statement". I don't agree with such a mindset.
Of course there are also among that group who simply do it because of their honest conviction that wearing hijab is a fundamental religious requirement.
The problem with the whole "hijab" question is that it was and is indeed used all over the world as a form of control (in various gradations) even when the women themselves do not "feel" it that way and even go out on the street to demonstrate against any possible reform.
If you want to read about the position of women in Islamic nations - especially the "Arab" ones - and from a sociological point of view, I can very much recommend the work of Fatima Mernissi. (a very well known Moroccan sociologue). I suppose her books also exist in English translations. She is a bit sharp too my taste now and then, especially when talking about Islam (of course because tackling the sociological impact of traditions who became part of Islam) but in my view she explains very well her well founded reasons for that too.
One can hardly defend a thesis that women were never abused or restricted by Islamic men abusing the religion and its traditions to serve their ambitions in patriarchal societies.
salaam.
