Got You Covered: Stories of Modern Modesty

06. A Fashion Paradox with Hafsa Lodi

Episode Summary

On a warm California evening at a church social, a young Muslim Hafsa Lodi’s best friend, a Mormon, ran up to her and handed her a t-shirt. She unfurled it and in big, bold letters, it read: “Modest is Hottest”. Beaming, Hafsa proudly donned the t-shirt for many of her preteen years. It was not only a treasured token of girlhood friendship, but in her own words, a powerful symbol of interfaith support. Nearly 20 years later, Hafsa is the esteemed author of Modesty: A Fashion Paradox, a short but densely packed book that expertly explores the history and culture of the modest fashion industry and its major players, as well as the political and religious dimensions of this controversial corner of contemporary fashion. It was a dream of mine to speak with Hafsa when I first read her book only a couple months after I got the idea for this podcast, and I was so honored when she accepted my invitation to share her personal experiences with modesty beyond what she's written about publicly. I hope that her perspectives inspire you to reflect on your own relationship to your body and this funny thing called modesty.

Episode Notes

On a warm California evening at a church social, a young Muslim Hafsa Lodi’s best friend, a Mormon, ran up to her and handed her a t-shirt. She unfurled it and in big, bold letters, it read: “Modest is Hottest”. Beaming, Hafsa proudly donned the t-shirt for many of her preteen years. It was not only a treasured token of girlhood friendship but in her own words, a powerful symbol of interfaith support. 

Nearly 20 years later, Hafsa is the esteemed author of Modesty: A Fashion Paradox, a short but densely packed book that expertly explores the history and culture of the modest fashion industry and its major players, as well as the political and religious dimensions of this controversial corner of contemporary fashion. 

It was a dream of mine to speak with Hafsa when I first read her book only a couple of months after I got the idea for this podcast, and I was so honored when she accepted my invitation to share her personal experiences with modesty beyond what she's written about publicly. I hope that her perspectives inspire you to reflect on your own relationship with your body and this funny thing called modesty. 

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REFERENCES:

Hafsa’s Socials:

Instagram

Twitter

Recent work

Purchase Modesty: A Fashion Paradox through your local bookseller:

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781911107262

The Reflective Modest Marketplace:

https://www.the-reflective.com/

https://www.instagram.com/the_reflective_

Marwa Atik (Vela Scarves):
https://www.instagram.com/marwaatik/

Halima Aden:

https://www.instagram.com/halima/

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Closing music is “Little Tongues Chattering” by Ryan Webber, available on Onomatopoeia via the Katuktu Collective.