Modesty Defined

One aspect of Islam that is often talked about is the veil that women wear. The rest of a woman’s dress code is often ignored. Not only do they cover their head, but their skirts go to the ground, and their arms and neck must be covered. A very conservative woman will cover her ankles with stockings/socks, her hands with gloves, and perhaps even her face. Part of the dress code is to stop men from looking at women in a dishonorable way.

This afternoon on the Metro, a young woman sat down next to me. I was in the woman’s car (the first two cars of the train are reserved for women only). She was completely covered except for her face. Since it is in the mid-90’s with humidity of about 80 percent, I couldn’t blame her when she took off her gloves and proceeded to make a phone call.

What I found amusing is that her outfit covered her, but was far from what I would consider modest. Her dress had a white background with orange stripes (or something – I didn’t pay that close attention). It had spaghetti straps, and underneath was an orange shirt. I’ve noticed a lot of women wearing these shirts under regular fashions. They are skin tight and cover from the neck to the wrists (like a mock turtle-neck; no scoops or Vs!). It looked like she had orange skin. Her headscarf was a bright orange, and she had a tassel-like decoration hanging from the pin that secured it. Her dress was very form-fitting.

A lot of young women wear similarly flamboyant clothing. And it is all tight. With big necklaces. There is something strange to me about fulfilling the letter of the law but not the spirit.