Tolerance of Islam: A Study on Fashion among Modern and Professional Malay Women in Malaysia

Abstract

—Malay women in Malaysia had evolved from traditional to the modern lifestyle that witnessed changes in perception, action and artifacts for the past hundreds of years. Malay position in the society had changed from being a mere housewife to a career oriented women. Cultural changes had transformed Malay women's appearance especially on clothing. Facing a dilemma to look religious and professional at the same time is not an easy task. Modern women has to face the fact that they need to look fashionable but at the same time abiding Islamic regulation by not to display their beauty. This descriptive research is to look at how Malay women in Malaysia negotiate their style of clothing with urban culture and on top of that, following the guideline of clothing in Islam. Data derived were mainly from observation and interviews. Findings will be valuable for future research on designing dedicated to Muslim women across the globe.