A large piece of cloth worn around the shoulders or head to keep warm or for decoration. Shawls can be made from wool, silk, cotton, or other fabrics.
From Persian 'shal', passed into English through Hindi and other Indian languages during British colonial times. It originally referred to fine woolen garments from Kashmir.
The European fashion for shawls was sparked by luxurious Kashmiri textiles, turning a regional garment into a global style. The word carries a quiet history of trade routes, empire, and changing ideas of modesty and elegance.
Shawls have been culturally coded as feminine garments in many societies, associated with modesty, age, or traditional roles. This coding has sometimes been used to stereotype older women or women from certain cultures as conservative or backward.
Use 'shawl' descriptively without attaching value judgments about age, modernity, or gender; acknowledge that people of any gender may wear shawls.
["wrap","covering","shoulder wrap"]
In cultural histories, note how women artisans and workers have designed, woven, and traded shawls, contributing significantly to local economies and textile arts.
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