A Modest protest at new M&S range
MARKS & Spencer faces a backlash from customers after introducing a ‘Modest’ section on its website featuring fashions with long hemlines and sleeves.
The selection includes trousers, leggings, skirts, dresses and tops that can be paired to cover the body from the neck to the ankles.
The items will appeal to women who adopt conservative clothing as part of their faith, such as Muslims, orthodox Jews and devout Christians.
Others have criticised the move, however, with some women asking whether it demeans those who choose not to cover up.
On Mumsnet, the web forum for parents, one mother wrote: ‘I wish they wouldn’t call it Modest. It implies women not swathed from head to toe are immodest.’
Another said: ‘They should call it Covered or something, not Modest. Modest implies horrible things about women who don’t dress that way.’
A third mother wrote: ‘Am I immodest if I show my neck/wrists/ankles? No, I am dressing in a manner that is perfectly modest and acceptable in our society.’
M&S – which two years ago introduced a burkini swimsuit for Muslim customers – says the new fashion suggestions are not targeted at any religious group but reflect a wider and growing demand for modest designs from women of all backgrounds.
The Modest selection of fashions, taken from M&S ranges such as Per Una, Autograph and M&S Collection, went on the website in October and has proved popular.