The Sartorial Wife: Dress To Unveil Or Not

Quick & Easy Illustrations by Mai Manaloto Taynton
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How should a woman look after she gets hitched? A sensitive discourse on an old-age institution, marriage. A discourse on marriage entails discussion about sex, politics, compromise, communication and most importantly fashion. Fashion can be the tool you need to keep the spark in your marriage ablaze. As I mentioned in my previous blog, a reason why fashion’s essential is because it has the capacity to render clothing as a potent symbol for perpetual identity transformation. The constant change in design aesthetics such as the colors, silhouettes and ornamentations build curiosity further fueling our curious nature through the simple process of concealment. In a marriage sense couples can use clothing as a way to keep each other interested and desirable. Everyone from celebrities to an old aunt would admit that marriage is hard. No matter how good a relationship is, a happy and successful marriage requires daily effort. Every couple has their way of manifesting their effort into a relationship. Mine for example, effort is as simple as grooming ourselves and working out regularly. Knowing that he respects my proclivity with aesthetic by maintaining his good look and figure shows me that he cares about me and himself. I do enjoy dressing nice to give my husband more reasons to tell me how good I look. On a less superficial note, what’s important is that we both enjoy doing the work in the relationship.

A good husband never tells his wife what to wear and does not impose his possession of her, instead he sees her as a person he shares the highs and lows with. Someone who completes him and guides him when he is lost. A good husband sees her as his best friend and does not act like a third parent. He might get jealous when his wife wears revealing clothes only because he fears that other men might desire her lustfully the way he does. Due to this he may suggest a more modest way of dressing but he should never be oppressive and make his wife wear something she isn’t comfortable with. No matter what a wife wears, a good husband will respect her sartorial taste. There is no right or wrong way of dressing in a western perspective where fashion is solely based on freedom of expression. This is not the case for all since several countries are still conservative such as the Middle East where there is a proper way of dressing which is modest and covered-up. In a conservative nation, the acceptable manner of dress stems from their culture, adherence to the rules and acceptance from their family and community. Wives are not allowed to dress provocatively in public to save her from giving the wrong impression. But once she is within the vicinity of their home, she is free to wear revealing ensembles as much as she pleases.

As a wife, never underestimate the power of lingerie as it is an integral part of any happy relationship. There is no shame in wanting to look enticing for your man especially since lingerie is made to be shared between a man and wife. Lingerie should not only be exclusively worn for special occasion but rather part of your daily attire so that you feel sexy and beautiful all the time. It’s a good idea to go lingerie shopping with your man and let him decide what he wants on you. To some feminist this may seem old-fashion and an anti-feminist act, but if you are confident enough with your relationship it will not even be about feminism. It is simply an act of passionate fun with your husband and caring about what he likes and letting him take control but not in a crude savage way of yesteryears. As a wife you should dress well in whatever way you feel comfortable with but of course there are limits to how far it is appropriate, at the same time those limits are subjective. It is important to look put together for yourself most importantly. As crude as this may sound, men do view women as their greatest accomplishment and there really isn’t anything wrong if men think like that as long as they treat their lady as precious as they would do a trophy.