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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be surprised that M&S has a section on their website for Modest Clothing?

934 replies

Scabbersley · 29/11/2017 09:07

here

What's that all about then? Why does it warrant its own category?

OP posts:
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9
Trailedanderror · 29/11/2017 20:25

There's another thread running about expectations and standards of girls clothing. I posted to tumbleweed the following:

Hard hat on here, but I think we might be on the wrong side of history re women's and girls' clothing in the late c20- today. I winced when I saw an advert for girls skorts showing a primary school aged child doing a cartwheel, but on reflection if the victim blaming element of 'modest' and 'appropriate' clothing can be reframed, it could be a good thing.

I really do think that we'll be shocked at current standards if dress.

Fekko · 29/11/2017 20:26

It implies what you ought to wear. When you see the crap some women have to live (no I'm not saying here in the uk) with in the name of modesty (and have no choice) it jars somewhat.

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 20:27

IT’S THE TERM MODEST! Of course women can choose to wear what they want , thank goodness, in this century. They can source dresses with leggings anywhere! What’s immodest about tights under a dress? Or a buttoned up blouse? Basically it’s M&S bodged way of trying to cash in on Muslim pound without labelling it so! I have no problem with it being labelled honestly without slurring other women.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 29/11/2017 20:28

Can't they call it 'religious wear'

Mayim bialik sliced bits off all her babies

YoloSwaggins · 29/11/2017 20:29

offensive to women to call it modest.

I'm a woman, I'm not offended in the slightest.

Battleax · 29/11/2017 20:30

Can't they call it 'religious wear'

That makes it sound like a priests' outfitters, TBF.

Mayim bialik sliced bits off all her babies

Jeepers. Inflammatory much? Shock

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 20:31

Tonight I am wearing modest clothing. Tomorrow I might wear an above the knee skirt. I don’t feel comfortable being labelled immodest for that.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 29/11/2017 20:31

Re MB it's factual

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/11/2017 20:32

Why is immodest offensive?

Do you not own a dictionary?

immodest - Google Search
www.google.co.uk/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-samsung&source=android-browser&q=immodest&gfe_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=FhkfWsC0I6bP8AfY4qbICQ#dobs=improper&gfe_rd=cr

What marketing word would be better for modest clothing?

Clothes? Why does it need a separate marketing term?

Fekko · 29/11/2017 20:33

I wear more modest clothing than my religious SIL. It's just nonsense really.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/11/2017 20:34

Why are you judging the person s character from what they are wearing?
It's just a fashion term, 'modest clothing'

The judgement is implicit in the word "modest". It is not just a fashion term.

fuzzywuzzy · 29/11/2017 20:39

Isn’t all women’s clothing but marketed like that tho?

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 20:42

Like what?

YoloSwaggins · 29/11/2017 20:42

Hang on, so people are offended that the opposite of modest is immodest, and they don't want to be labelled immodest?

Why do you care about being labelled the opposite of a word you don't even like?

In religious terms, an above-knee skirt is immodest. So what? Why do you care? In religious terms I'm also a "sinner" and "unpure" but who gives a shit?

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/11/2017 20:47

I can safely say in all the years I have been buying my own clothes I have never bought anything marketed as "modest" and I never will. I buy clothes.

At the moment I'm wearing a just below knee length, dark navy, flared dress from Cos and a cashmere jacket from Brora. Should either of these companies be misguided enough to create a range they call "modest" they will lose me as a customer.

stealthemoon · 29/11/2017 20:54

Modest is used in fashion to give a certain sense of style, it doesn't imply what actually 'modest' means.
Just like vintage style or chic style.

Is it that hard to understand

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 20:56

Dressing modestly to most non Muslim women means not wearing a low cut top or very short skirt. This M&S range is completely covered e.g a polo neck under a dress worn over leggings. I see many young Muslim women dressed in a similar way. So come on M&S just call it Muslim or covered up wear and stop insulting women!

YoloSwaggins · 29/11/2017 20:59

stop insulting women!

Stop making sweeping statements, I'm a woman and not in the least bit insulted.

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 20:59

I am. I have 2 DDs, I am insulted.

Queenofthedrivensnow · 29/11/2017 21:04

Agree with ms harry

Eltonjohnssyrup · 29/11/2017 21:05

Why do you care about being labelled the opposite of a word you don't even like?

In religious terms, an above-knee skirt is immodest. So what? Why do you care? In religious terms I'm also a "sinner" and "unpure" but who gives a shit?
Have you not noticed how popular culture affects society? Particularly advertising? These days it's incredibly popular to show blended families, families of colour, not heterosexual couples and parents, mixed race families and trans people. This type of thing shapes how we view our society and the place of people within it. We see these things and people accept diversity in society. And yes this sort of thing always starts off with a few trailblazers. So it's M&S today, in a few years all the shops will have a 'modest' section with the other section implied to be for tarts. And that will be the message going out to society: if a woman isn't 'modestly' dressed and covered head to toe, she is a tart advertising that she wants sex and inviting male attention.

Religion doesn't sit in neat little boxes in Mosques or Churches or Synagogues does it? Whether we like it or not, it's principles still underpin our system of ethics and values in the West. It shapes people's attitudes and how they treat others, particularly women.

Someone may choose to believe that women are only being 'modest' when you can only see their face. I can't change that, people are entitled to think and dress as they wish. But I don't want a mainstream company like M&S buying into the idea of 'modest' and 'immodest' clothing and thus promoting an idea about women's dress which is pretty unpleasant.

They could call it 'observant' clothing or 'covered' but not modest.

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 21:09

Absolutely Elton!

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 29/11/2017 21:10

Modest is used in fashion to give a certain sense of style, it doesn't imply what actually 'modest' means.
Just like vintage style or chic style

Is it that hard to understand

Modest is not a fashion term. It is not comparable with "vintage" . Is that so hard to understand? It clearly is.

Sprogletsmuvva · 29/11/2017 21:13

There’s an activist group in France that has documented the policing of young women’s dress by men (and women) by certain ‘communities ‘ in parts o Paris. This policing is done very much as ‘modest’ [our decent women] vs ‘immodest ‘ [indigene non-believers routinely described as sluts]. If you happen not to be a member of one of these ‘communities ‘ but still happen to live there, you will still be pressured. Because your ‘deservingness’ of harassment by these guardians of morals will be partly about how you dress.

No-one’s trying to stop how people think about others ‘ dress , and we’re unlikely to stop how people refer to others in a language the others don’t understand. But M&S certainly shouldn’t be manifesting it.

MsHarry · 29/11/2017 21:19

I can’t believe that in 2017/2018 a woman’s body is still so shocking. Why are we encouraging sexism dressed up as religion?

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