Fashion as text: an analysis of Islamic fashion in Egypt

In feminist discussions there is perhaps a tendency to depict women as the passive bearers of ethnic, religious and national symbols. Muslim women in particular may be perceived as evidence of women’s subordinate role within ethnicity, religion and nationalism. However, my research in Egypt suggests a much more complex relationship between women, their clothes and their place in Islamic society. There is something very interesting happening in Egypt amongst young veiled women. A new fashion is developing which is being worn by both middle class and upper working class women. I will be looking at this fashion in this paper and I will refer to it as modern Islamic fashion.