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and it becomes impossible for them to extricate themselves. The self and the trade
become one; identity and abuse become a single seamless experience. The braided
hair of the wearer weaves into the fabric’s backbone. The relationship of the body to
the trade is one of cohesion and restriction.
This garment does not use buttons but instead employs industrial eyelets. These are
the same eyelets that are used in tarpaulins to wrap objects. They are employed in the
design to signify the way women are used in the trade as commercial commodities.
The eyelets are not delicate. They serve to protect the object from the ‘wear and tear’
of constant use. Black straps are laced through the eyelets. They are made from the
same fabric as the dress and tie the body into the garment. The body is so tightly
laced that the wearer cannot walk (escape). 33
The garment is also designed to expose. The modesty that indicates feminine virtue
and status in Indian society is stripped away so a wide neckline (barely covering the
bust), a visible stomach, buttocks and hips present the wearer to the world as an
object to be used for sex.
33 The same lacing that ties the anklets together, ties the wearer’s hair and neck into a seamless
entrapment.
31 31