On Carina Tops

A colleague at work the other day described our culture as a 'Carina Culture'. That expression keeps ringing in my ear.
Carina is a company here that makes synthetic and cotton tops that you wear underneath your clothes. They hold all your wobbly bits in place, and keeps your look Egypt appropriate.
Say you buy a nice top from Mango or H&M. The moment you drop your purse and bend to get it someone will see a little bit more than the acceptable level of decoltage (put 2-3 fingers starting at ur collar bone, there's the acceptable level). Or you lift your arm up in class, your top will rise up showing your back. This is not Egypt appropriate! So we wear Carina tops underneath, however hot it is, to 'protect' ourselves. And god forbid the carina top rolls up, someone will surely pull it down for you on your behalf. Us women have to 'protect'  one another.
Say you're also running to catch a bus or making a quick beeline to the nearest bathroom - us women have small bladders - you wouldn't want to shake what mother earth gave you.  That is not -  say it with me this time - Egypt appropriate. Your trusted carina top will hold you tight.
Now that's not to say that carina tops stop you from getting harrassed in the streets. Those type of pigs won't stop at anything.
It's mainly targeting to 'protect' you from the men you work with or study with. They are not the harrass you in the streets type low lives, they are the judge you based on what you wear type of not quite as low lives.

The Carina culture is that of suppression and shame. Supress your femininity, and accomodate to those of lesser self respect and intellect. And of course be ashamed of your god given assets.

Now that i am in a size that western culture deem normal, my latest travels were quite an experience! (Egyptian culture still deems that size as barely tolerable)
It took me a few days to get rid of the carinas but once i did, i felt confident and liberated. I had nothing to be ashamed of. My body, my size, my femininity were all ok.
Now i am not one to advocate that female empowerment comes from a woman's wardrobe, far from that. But that feeling of shame and needing to be discreet and blend in the background without attracting attention wouldn't that eventually affect how you behave? Doesn't it affect how we behave?