Why Religious Modesty in Fashion is Changing

Fashion goes through cycles, and while religious modesty changes, we’re now seeing younger women choosing to be more modest than their mothers in many cases. It’s a change that’s occurring all over the world, with even very observant Muslims and Jews expressing their thoughts online.

Maybe it’s the vast array of literature and resources at a person’s fingertips that makes them want to be modest.

Muslim women, at least in the States, have been afraid of wearing the hijab because of hostility and stereotyping. Jewish women face less criticism in this respect, and there was even a group of ultra-Orthodox women that emulated the burka as a way of recapturing their religious modesty.

But religious modesty doesn’t mean a woman has to be covered from head to toe.

There’s a rise in modest fashion, and Israeli designers are leading the way. If you go back to February 2017, you’ll find the first ever modest fashion event taking place in Jerusalem. Israeli models took to the catwalk, and all of the clothes adhered to our religious rules.

Modesty was key on the catwalk, and Modest Fashion Day was a big hit.

The event inspired many designers from across the world, including John Bourgeois of Slimsation.com. John designs clothes in the States that focus on women, and a lot of his designs comply with religious modesty. He proves that modest fashion doesn’t need to be plain and boring.

Modest Fashion day started with 20 ultra-Orthodox designers, and the first big-scale event for Jewish religious women was deemed a major success. Designers are busy at work in Israel, with designers adjusting their fashion trends to meet modesty demands. This means adding long sleeves, covering the knees and elbows. The neck line is also very important.

Beautiful, flowing dresses are in, and this helps push religious modesty even further.

Women and younger girls, especially those that move to the States, have always been under pressure to find something fashionable that still meet the tenets of “tzniut.” High necklines, long skirts and long sleeves, even in the hot summer months, are a must-wear.

Teens were in a difficult spot, too. Fashion was too grown-up, so it was impossible for teens to feel like they fit in with their non-Jewish friends. Teens are allowed to fit in, but they must also live within their religious guidelines.

Dressing modestly started to change in 2015 as teens started to get creative. Vintage pieces were being repurposed, designers started to modify trends to meet religious modesty rules, and more women started to adhere to the guidelines of religious modesty.

It’s a trend that is good for women who want to take religious modesty seriously, and it has to do with the option to have hip clothing that meets the tenets of tzniut. Social media has helped the trend pick up further, with Facebook pages and social media accounts dedicated to the modesty trend.

Women are using the Internet as a mean of redefining what it really means to dress modestly. It’s easier to conform to modesty rules when the clothes are designed with the trend. Teens and young adults don’t need to dress like their mothers or grandmothers anymore. And this is a good thing.