Wrapped in Meaning : Modest Fashion as Feminist Strategy

• Using the “firsts” and the work of the Swedish designers Iman Aldebe and Faduma Aden as examples, this essay argues that in adopting modest fashionas feminist strategy of conspicuous visibility and a means of pushing back against sexism and racism in the West, they have made a major contribution to create space for Muslim women and started conversations relevant to Muslim women’s lives. The concept of modest fashion embraces many different styles, and as its name suggests, it refers to clothing that conceals rather than delineates the contours of the human body (Lewis, 2013, 2015; Moors & Tarlo, 2013; Suterwalla, 2016). This essay also argues that it is through representation that societal subjects are created and they do not exist without visibility. As Stuart Hall (1997) has pointed out, representation is the production of meaning through language referring to either the real world of objects, people or events, or to imaginary worlds offictional objects, people, and events. Nevertheless, representation and performance are not synonymous. Representation needs to be performed, i.e. embodied, in order to make sense.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Konst -- Teatervetenskap (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Arts -- Performing Art Studies (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

modest fashion

faith

feminism

democracy

Theatre Studies

teatervetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)