The word modesty finds its Latin roots from the word ‘modestus’ which means keeping within measure. Even these three words can be explained in innumerable ways, just like bringing in and describing the concept of modesty embedded within fashion. The boundaries of modesty, as well as its nature and dimensions have constantly evolved. Drawing a definitive picture would be tough, but here’s an attempt.
If I were to describe modesty in fashion taking into account the Indian cultural context, it would be something like,
Instead of saying, “What is that preposterous outfit you are wearing, it is highlighting your cleavage”, one would say, “There are going to be a lot of people, I suggest you dress modestly”.
So yes, in very basic terms the idea of modesty had a lot to do with how much skin a particular attire covers or reveals. At the same time, I deeply emphasise on the aspect that it can be entirely culturally specific, or the kind of environment one is brought up in. Modesty has not only taken its role when it came to conservatism, but has also been used a political/social tool. There have been several instances of so, but the one which appealed to me the most was the story behind turtlenecks.
It has been observed that turtleneck for women received the limelight with an anti-uniform statement delivered by Yves Saint Laurent which was inspired by the youth intellectual movements from back then, when he paired a leather jacket with a turtleneck for his last collection for Dior in the 1960s. This was taken forward by the second wave feminists who attached meaning to their turtlenecks, as a way of asking the society to look at their confidence and intellect instead of their skin. Now it would be safe to say that attaching modesty with conformity or weakness may put the consumers under false pretences.
As important as it was to bring it out to you how powerful modesty as a concept was back then, it is also essential to look into where it stands now. With globalisation and various attempts at cultural assimilation, the dimensions of modesty can be assumed to have been shifted. For example, Saree was something which was closely associated with the idea of modesty in the cultures of Indian subcontinent. But it has immensely evolved in terms of the draping patterns, the material used, the way it is accessorised or items it is paired with. The presentation of saree as a sensual and romantic image requires for the revelation of skin, which would have been earlier regarded as immodest.
Modesty has always remained a battle, and presently it has moved beyond skin, to other things such as gender fluidity, theme dressing (workwear, partywear, sportswear, etc), the sustainability and several other issues we are dealing as consumers of fashion. But most importantly, modesty is a choice, which should ideally be devoid of any labels, and should purely be adopted based on the factors of comfort and well-being.
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