By Azra Clark

Have you ever wondered why you wear clothes?

Is it because of laws or societal expectations? Do you cover your skin because you fear the repercussions of showing it? Or is it a ritual, something not considered an option but an absent-minded habit? Maybe you clothe yourself with the shades you wish to expel, finding contentment and peace in mixing colours and styles – a construction of identity. Or, maybe you throw on the first possible option and hope it’s been washed recently. Is it choice of routine, modesty or fear?

Modesty, like humility is the opposite of arrogance. It is a word that has been twisted and warped and reshaped by a myriad of powerful men and societal leaders. Clothes are an outward display of the internal being; the state of the heart displayed in cloth. Modesty has evolved to be associated to clothes in modern day society, especially the clothing choices of women. Some claim that it can be measurable, a quantity of skin that must be hidden in order to control male desire. Alternatively, Aristotle claimed that modesty is not a virtue but a fear of disrepute. Fear: aroused by impending danger, evil or pain.

What if modesty were not a choice but a government mandated law? Any skin shown a punishable offense. You are limited to your eyes, barely seen through a layer of mesh-like fabric. You are covered head to toe, layers and layers, bound in fabric to your place in society. Covered. “Safe” from the irrepressible cravings of man.

Yesterday you had a choice.

Today, you are a pawn in someone else’s game. Today, the Taliban has taken power in Afghanistan. Today, your basic rights are decided by the men who openly scorn your skin and suffocate your mind. This is the today of women in Afghanistan. This is the today that we, Australia, turn our backs on. Conflict is not black and white. War is never clean, but Australia was a part of this conflict and now we walk away. We shield our eyes from the results of our choices.

Do we accept more asylum seekers, fleeing that which we had a part in creating? No.

Instead, we spin political niceties that prioritise Afghans at the expense of those fleeing other countries. Australia does not increase our aid to adapt to a changing social climate, but continues business as normal. We could open our doors to those we have dragged down but instead leave only a small crack in the wall.

I cannot pretend to truly understand what it is to be a woman in Afghanistan in this moment. I can only begin to imagine, and still I barely comprehend the interwoven threads of perspectives that are affected. But I can look closer to home. I can take this moment not to point the finger from a high horse of idealised western society but instead question our own ways. I can consider why I feel the need to hide my own skin. I can question the root of this fear and I can dream of a future… A future, if modesty were a truly choice, and not an expectation or law dictated by society. If we were to remove all societal connotation of skin, could modesty be like an intricate form of kindness? Would modesty be the choice to encourage others to find wonderment and adoration in the complex simplicity of their world? To be modest could be to inspire a healthy community of sharing love and respect, as opposed to making choices which magnify personal greatness.

Are we destined only for fear, or could modesty become a rich tapestry of us all?