The Changing Perceptions on Fashion in Kerala
A prominent memory of growing up in Kerala is the sense of being followed by sharp, peering eyes on the street as you unwittingly go about. This is perhaps a collective memory to a lot of women. Often I suspected that my clothes had something to do with it. Other times, I was told so. As I compare and contrast the living experiences of other places to Kerala, the freedom to dress as I please began to factor in somewhere on the top of that list. The changing fashion landscape of Kerala in the past years has caught my eye and raised numerous questions in my mind.
Historically, Kerala’s unique geographic ecosystem has allowed it to maintain simple clothing; traditionally this pertains to mundum neriyathum, saree, salwar and shawl sets, and skirts. Over time, these garments transitioned into casual, western wear such as jeans, short skirts, trousers, and t-shirts. The last decade witnessed an accelerated transition into more chic styles of dressing; this was evident in a number of places;
Numerous Kerala-based designer brands began operating in the state. Names ranging from Sreejith Jeevan, Shalini James, Jebin Johny, and Alexander Aleekal, to celebrity labels like that of Poornima Indrajith, Kavya Madhavan, and homegrown labels like Saritha Jayasurya, Hari Anand, and Label M. Clearly this is a profitable commerce with an evident rise in female entrepreneurs. Kochi, dubbed the ‘fashion hub’ of Kerala, has hosted high-profile fashion shows as well as fashion week events in the past few years. At the very least, there appears to be a growing consciousness regarding what is fashionable and not.
Fashionable elements trickle down from these high-fashion agents into new age malls, fashion stores, and boutiques, as also the advent of fashion schools, and curated fashion retail spaces. Brides have cut down on kilos of gold weighing them down. Accessories are more minimalist like chokers, mismatched earrings, layered and short neck pieces, thin bracelets, chunky chain links, logo, and transparent jewelry. And these are to name a few.
There is a culture of the young and the old alike, informing themselves of the latest trends. My grandmother often reports to me what she sees young girls wear, and suggests that I follow the same. This brings me to a certain view that German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel shared. He believed that fashion is a tendency to imitate and socially equalize. At the same time, he recognized that fashion is ever-changing and hence, is capable of demarcating a period of time, and differentiating a certain social stratum from another. According to this view, fashion is capable of both uniting you into a social class and segregating you from it.
Every person exhibits their own self-assured manner of expression that best represents their personhood. Even the most thoughtless and simple decisions you make regarding your appearance abide by this rule. So, even the subjectivity of your style is within the realm of what is acceptable. Therefore, fashion choices and trends are a mirror held up to society. When such a mirror is held up to the Kerala society and one is forced to evaluate the past decade and its changing perceptions on fashion, what does it reveal?
The previously mentioned traditional Kerala wear is now entirely limited to special outings and ritualistic spaces that specifically call for conventionality. Everywhere we look, Malayalees have been assuming a more liberalized manner of attire. There is a change in the times; an echo of what is considered popular and validating in the global market can be seen among the Malayalee youth.
A few questions are pertinent here; If changing fashion represents a larger change, where does this come from? What do these changes indicate? How can we view fashion?
The Paradox in Fashion Perceptions
A research survey of 80 college-going students in Kochi shared that they adopt fashion for three different purposes: as an individual process, for the fear of looking rustic, and to look different and stand out. The idea of dressing yourself is steeped in confusion; do you do it for yourself, or do you do it for others?
The young Malayalees affirmed that media personalities and celebrity culture are the primary guidance for changing fashion sense. On social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, they are met with a flux of fashion statements, constantly updating itself. Duplicating the fashion they see around them is how they seem to find their place in peer groups and everywhere they go. Along with Simmel’s social equalization, one also inflates their perception of themselves. By imitating the people you think are attractive, you appear attractive to yourself.
At the same time, they assert that fashion is a medium of self-expression. It’s a yearning for beauty and fantasy. Just like the color palette in movies tells you what to feel about each scene, every item of clothing is a medium to speak to those around you. To appear more melancholy, I’ve often stuck to black and dark shades of clothes. Without saying a word I was able to convey something very deliberate about myself to people that simply glanced at me once. Clearly, fashion is a mode of communication and everybody subscribes to it. The way you dress conveys something about your personality to everybody around you. Suddenly your central beliefs, attitudes, and values can all be evaluated on the basis of this externality.
Society is constantly assessing a person based on the way they carry themselves. It might be intriguing to find where these judgments come from. Have they changed along with changing fashion perceptions or have they remained as is?
Femininity and Being Fashionable
Before I decided on a field of study, it was often implied to me that I must pursue fashion because of the effort I put into dressing myself. For the fear of being compartmentalized, I’ve since chosen to underdress myself. Generally, anything explicitly fashionable or trendy is cloaked in accusations of being immodest, or immoral. At the same time, femininity was deeply tied to dressing up and appearing ‘fashionable’ as well. The values associated with fashion and femininity appear to be confused and inhibited.
The female population are shifting their perceptions regarding these concepts. They do not seem to believe fashion is self-exhibition, nor do they associate it with modesty or morality. Certain criticisms that relate fashion to modernity and therefore, to an erosion of culture and tradition are dismissed. The younger cohort seem to find no correlation between the two. To them, fashion has more to do with the Self than the Other. It helps cultivate a self-perception you can enjoy and take part in, but has little to do with society and its values.
Personally, I can only agree with this to an extent because the Self and the Other (or society) are two sides of the same coin. The changing outlook on fashion has a lot to do with the way women and society interact with each other. Concepts such as South Indian modesty and reservedness have different meanings to women today; it represents a sense of restraint and moral control that they refuse to accept.
While fashion trends come and go and continue to change, society is still evolving its values. Unlike in the past when being fashionable had to do with heavy-embroidered, opulent garments, the fashion these days stick to more muted, subtle aesthetics that are bolder. Then and now, women have been alternating between overdressing and underdressing to fit the bill of what qualities as proper femininity.
A woman’s sense of style can either sexualize or de-sexualize them; there is no in-between. The various interpretations of the traditional Saree attire are a good example. Previously Malayalees wore the saree only one way. Now there are pre-draped sarees, short sarees, dhoti-style sarees, bikini sarees, sarees with crop tops, cocktail sarees, saree gowns, and whatnot. Each comes with its own preconceived notions. One item of clothing transforms you into a woman of sexual desire or a woman of timidity.
In these discussions, certain contradictory notions about female interests become clear as day. Dressing up and looking “fashionable” are considered a trivial, female preoccupation; a compensation or marginal activity for those without power or anything else to focus on. At the same time, these are attractive traits that represent timeless principles like self-awareness and self-confidence. One cannot look shabby nor can they look too made up. Women in Kerala constantly toe a moderate line.
Pseudo-Westernization?
So much is changing in the fashion scene in Kerala but to what do we attribute these changes? For the longest time, I was convinced that overexposure to the internet and easy access to vogue content has pushed the limits of what the ordinary person considers “attractive”. Previously, a handful of ready-made stores with limited collections, and the pattern book at the tailors would conclude our options. But today, the range with which we can decide has greatly expanded.
Indian sociologist M.N Srinivas has argued that Westernization infiltrates into different levels such as institutions, technology, ideology, and value. In the light of all that is previously discussed, we can trace the changes in fashion styles and expressions to a change in these spheres of life as well.
In a contrast to religious fundamentalism, a strong sense of liberalism has firmly held its place in India and now in Kerala as well. It is perhaps this wave that allows fashion to take bolder and more interesting, but largely Western manifestations among Malayalees.
Many see this to be a cultural conflict, a clash of two types of value systems. Regardless of what value systems you stand by, it is obvious that the average fashion icons of today’s youth are exported from the West. There is definitely friction between the ideologies of sexuality, morality, and culture that they bring to Kerala and what were already the established notions here.
To many, this forceful westernization presents no problems. In fact, it is an opportunity to unleash their liberation. To others, there are political connotations to such infiltration. As society itself grapples with these conflicts, so does the world of fashion and everybody that takes part in it.
Conclusion
Fashion and society are not separate from one another. In fact, fashion trends are created through ethnographic studies. The latest trends in style are a response to fundamental social pressures of the time. The way Malayalees have imbibed fashion into their mode of operation can be construed in various ways; as a form of self-expression, a sense of belonging, a rebellion, or simply as a way to express freedom of choice and movement. Regardless of what stream of thought you subscribe to, it is still encouraging to see the populace of Kerala come into their own and step out with fashionable vigor.
