On the Dignifying Saree

When you arrive in India you can't help but notice the women wearing colorful sarees. Rich, poor, in cars, rickshaws, beggars, street sweepers, with jewellry, without; everybody wears it. Cotton, silk, muselin, embroidered, stamped, with brocade, light, heavy... the possibilities are infinite.

The saree (or sari) is a strip of unstitched fabric, from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. The most common style is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with one end then draped over the shoulder. The sari is usually worn over a petticoat with a cropped blouse known as a choli forming the upper garment. Women can start wearing half sarees (less meters of fabric) when they reach puberty and then when they reach 20 or 22 years or get married, they start using the full saree.

It has been in use since the Indus Valley Civilization (2800-1800 BC) and is thought to have evolved from the dhoti (the oldest Indian draped garment, today only worn by men). There is some discussion on how the petticoat and choli came to be. Many believe they were introduced by the British; since before them women wore the saree with nothing underneath, somewhat exposing their breasts, which would be completely against Victorian morality. But others say they were introduced earlier by Christian missionaries (morality again)... Who knows, what is true is that today almost everybody wears a petticoat and a choli, except in some very rural areas. After independence, the saree became a national symbol, since it was seen as something that could be worn by all women regardless of religion: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or Parsi.

What comes to my mind each time I see a woman in a saree is how dignified she looks. No matter what her body type, the saree is very flattering and makes most women look elegant, regardless of their socioeconomic condition or activity. I find it a stark contrast to western clothing, where lycra or other such body-hugging fabrics can have undesirable revelatory effects (the so called "efecto guerrerense*"). And they are extremely comfortable! (once it's in place, putting it on is very complicated).

Lately the saree has been losing ground to the salwar kameez (pant and long shirt combo) and western colthing. But I think it will be around for a long time still. I really like the fact that it has been around for so long and that women still use it, not as a relic from the past, but as a living part of their lives. On the downside, it is true that trying to do housework in a sari must be no easy task, and the fact that it has remained, even though it seriously limits women's range of movements (no running, or taking large steps, you have to ride sideways on a motorcycle, it doesn't have pockets), may well be due to the fact that women's lifestyles have not changed that much either...

Tradeoffs, tradeoffs: Must women empowerment and liberation come at the cost of efecto guerrerense?


*When a woman wears a tight t-shirt that unintendedly creeps up and shows her belly or lonjas.