Page 308 - Communication Theory and Research

McQuail(EJC)-3281-21.qxd 8/16/2005 12:02 PM Page 293

Fashion for Veiling in Contemporary Turkey 293

FIGURE 21.3

nightwear. Business suits include jackets and trousers; the models wearing these
clothes are photographed in offices. Smart dresses have an orientalistic connota-
tion; they create an ‘imaginary’ oriental setting. While these clothes conceal a
woman’s body, they also expose it by using oriental elements; thus the reading of
female sexuality is mediated (see Figure 21.3). Contrary to the business clothes
photographed in modern public spaces, orientalistic clothes are placed in exotic
settings. Finally, in some catalogues, clothes have names such as Selen Abiye,
Ubeyda Afkan, Kudret Abiye Takim, which are specifically women’s names that
generally carry a religious connotation (see Figure 21.4). Naming one of the items
of clothes Fazilet Pardesü is a pun on the name of a pro-Islamic party, Fazilet
Partisi (Virtue Party), which was represented in the National Assembly. 8