Fashion

Before we came to India we did as much reading as we could about what clothing items we needed to bring to be comfortable in this climate and to be culturally sensitive to Indian customs.  We were told modesty is the name of the game...always think: modest, modest, modest.  No low-cut or v-neck tops, no midriff-baring (HUGE disappointment for me!), no shorts period or skirts above the knee, no tight pants or shirts....
Andy was all set.  His work and casual clothes are just right, he just couldn't wear shorts.  Me on the other hand, I needed to go shopping.  I wore mostly tank tops and shorts in the summer so I needed to purchase t shirts (loose ones! crew necks!) and light-weight pants.  I also lived in my skinny jeans, so I needed to buy some looser styles, would boot-cut be loose enough???  I was so concerned.  I had heard that western women could be harassed if not dressed "appropriately" and men could pinch bottoms or come on too strongly.  I wanted nothing to do with this so I loaded my suitcase with figure-hiding outfits and only brought one pair of skinny jeans, shorts and a tank top (for winter travel to a warmer climate without modest customs, I figured).

After one month here I was feeling gloomy, unlike myself. I would look in the mirror after putting on a t shirt and my trouser-style linen pants and feel dowdy, baggy, frumpy.  I felt like what I was one of those mothers that Oprah would make over after they had children, "lost themselves", and committed faithfully to their sweats everyday.  I wasn't feeling good about myself.  My clothes do not define me, but they do express how I like to present myself. Baggy shirts and pants are not how I choose to present myself, whether it is culturally appropriate or not.  So I dug out my skinny jeans and tried them on and saw my legs for the first time in a month.  I put on one of my favorite shirts, not baggy, not plain but also not immodest and Oliver and I walked to school for lunch.  I felt like myself again.  My friend complimented my outfit and I explained how I needed to dress for *me* that day and she explained she was feeling lost in her clothes as well.  It is so interesting how women have to be so "lost" in fabric here, unable to show any curve or stretch of skin.  Men are free to wear what they choose, but women are draped in endless yards of embroidery and look like clouds of fabric as they move.

So my skinny jeans are now on frequent rotation.  I am not making any extreme statement here, lots of my western friends have dug theirs out as well.  I am not the only one wearing them in the bazaar either, as many young Indian women are now wearing more western styles and shaking off traditional garb.  And I dare any man to pinch my butt; what a wrath of shame and disapproval he will endure!