The seaming soft- porn business in India

Why is that that a large percentage of tailors in India are men? It's something I can't get my head around, especially in a land that is so conservative in so many ways. And yet not as conservative as we may think.

The tailoring industry is one that never ceases to amaze me. It's a culture in itself, with a unique worldview. Most obviously, one that's ruled by men. It seems innocent enough- we women go to these men who then take the material and create something lovely with which to drape ourselves. So why do I call it soft porn? First I have to clarify that I'm no expert in 'porn'- either soft, hard, or any other kind! I simply use the word loosely to describe what lies beneath a commonplace task of going to a tailor and getting a dress made.

As soon as a woman walks into a tailoring shop, she is without a doubt assessed from head to foot. Of course if she's attractive, the assessment prolongs a little longer. For a new customer there is the crucial step of taking measurements; which gets the tailor up close and personal with his female customer. And it can be quite personal sometimes- since some of the measurements include taking what is fondly referred to as a woman's 'vital statistics'- or the bust-waist-hip ratio. We could also call it legalized groping, or brief bursts of pleasure, depending on whose eyes we look through.

Then besides the physical involvement, there is also the power of imagination. I as a woman have only a brief idea of what may cross a man's mind when he looks at a woman. Certain men in India sometimes seem to be from another planet; they act as if they've never seen a woman before. Others of course know what women are, yet they have no idea of how to act around women. The educated may also fall into this category. But the tailors are a breed unto themselves, they are not just acquainted with scores of women- they are actually given permission to touch, that too by the woman herself! No need for charm, or quick wit, or the support of alcohol; they can just dive right in and call it their job. It beats any guy trying to approach a woman at a bar!

I can't speak for other countries, not having been to as many. At least not yet. India however is truly a land of paradoxes. It's the land of arranged marriages and the land of the Kamasutra. Amazing.