SAR[I] : Performing Femininity Through the Material Embodiment of a South Asian Garment Among Indian Women, Trans Women and Men

Garments mediate between the self and the world. They speak to both the self-perceptions of the person wearing the garment, and the wider social norms that the wearer adheres to. A sari is a piece of clothing that is predominantly worn in India and in the neighbouring South Asian diaspora. It is a living garment that not only transforms the self-perceptions of the wearer but also ties together the lives, memories and experiences of the person wearing it. This essay explores how a sari forms the medium to perform femininity through the material embodiment of the garment which in turn is subjectively rendered meaningful by its wearers. It is based on interviews, fieldwork and literature studies. The conceptual frameworks used to explore the materiality of a sari and how it speaks to the wider notions of femininity, are embodiment, performativity and subjectivity. The body through this constellation of theories has emerged as the central entity of meaning-making. The sari bridges the self with the world by acquiring an ‘in-between’ position that neither completely belongs to the self nor to the outer world. Just like people, a sari is also situated in time and space. Together with ornaments it makes people to the person they are and the person they are expected to be – a tension that can never truly be resolved. Nevertheless, a sari becomes a canvas where culture is created.