When the Fashion Design Council of India was formed four years ago, it decided to commission a study on the sizes of Indian women. The members felt the western and Indian silhouettes were differently structured and Indian prêt could not follow western sizing. "The Indian torso is shorter than the western," says Raghavendra Rathore, one of the designers on board. "The waist is squeezed in and the hips are wider."

But look at the pop symbols of sexuality and femininity-the boyishly figured Amrita Arora and Kim on music channels, the washboard-chested Carol Gracias and the towering Fleur Xavier on the runway and Bollywood's Kareena Kapoor and Preity Zinta-and there is no evidence of this accepted and, till recently, celebrated difference between the Indian and the western form.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED: Young clubbers, VJ Ramona

The casualty of this decade is the curve. Likened in scriptures to the chariot-wheel of the gods, the hip curve is on its way from zone erogenous to zone extinct. The famous Indian full-bodiedness is in hibernation. In vogue is the androgynous, semi-starved look.

Or is it?

Rathore says it is denial. He has women coming in, accusing him of making clothes that make them look big on the hips and bust. He avoids telling them they are in denial of their genetic structure. "But the truth is, the Indian woman's body is a war zone, with the bust and the hips constantly rebelling against the rest of the body," Rathore sighs.

On the face of it, things have never looked so good. Indian models are blending in on foreign runways. Indian beauty is the princess of pageants. Newly anointed sex sirens like Bipasha Basu are on TV, talking about how they have a right to expose their bodies and that it is for those who maul them in nightclubs to grow up and accept the change. Even the socialite, the last word on hemline limits, is upfront. Only a decade ago the epitome of style was a woman like Shobhaa De who wore saris but made it to the Top 10 sexy lists for her hint of oomph. Todays divas of public appearance are the Ramona Garwares and Queenie Dhodys who think nothing of being photographed in minis that, if they were to ride up any further, would be an advertisement for bikini-line waxing. Understated chic is for grandma and for Maharani Gayatri Devi. The new 3 a.m. girl would rather bring out the thongs.

BARE WEAR: Students at Malhar, the popular annual college fest at St Xavier's, Mumbai

Whether it is the Roberto Cavalli-dominated celebrity wardrobes, or the wardrobes of college girls with imitation items from Janpath and Fashion Street, spaghetti straps and bumsters are as essential as denim jeans. And it's not restricted to western wear: Mandira Bedi may have inspired SMS jokes about the "twin cups" at the cricket World Cup when she teamed the traditional Ritu Kumar saris with "noodle straps", but she herself failed to understand the fuss. And understandably so: the truth is, even coy brides in head-covering zardozi are picking out halters and including slits in their designer trousseau.

Whether it is street fashion or the club, the action has shifted from the belly button to other parts of the female anatomy, including the butt-cleavage. The bra-top, now making an emergence, not only shows off a perfectly toned back, but also elevates the bony rib cage to acceptable eye-candy. In stores, the undergarments sections are reporting growing sales, with Shopper's Stop selling T-shirt bras for sheer blouses and local shops taking out feather and denim bras. The G-string, as seen on the Kaanta laga girl, is as much part of the national consciousness as Sachin Tendulkar's rasping drives.

The Indian woman could be a fashion victim, under pressure to fit into a standardised idea of perfection. Diet diva Shikha Sharma observes that Indian women want to banish their boobs and starve their hips. "We have women in perfectly good shape coming in, whom we turn away, who say they want to lose weight only around their hips or their bust area," says Sharma. Sexual confidence is linked to the level of comfort with body image. One doesn't need to read Freud to figure out that sexuality is about having a lifetime affair with one's own body. Yet, says Sharma, "Bulimia and anorexia are becoming common. Until she gives up the idea of becoming the perfect woman as prescribed by western standards, she can never be comfortable with herself."

Besides the change in role models, the other factor driving the trend is changing patterns of dailywear. "Unlike the sari, which was worn as daywear, the use of tailored garments such as western clothes or even salwar kameez, which are more comfortable in office, is on the rise," says fashion watcher Harmeet Bajaj. The sari made allowances for any shape or size, and self-esteem did not have to be defined by a market's concept of S, L or M.

On the one hand, she seems to be winning the battle against external perceptions of sexiness, challenging Sushma Swaraj's skewed notion of Indianness and the police's obnoxious perception that being well dressed is "asking for it". As Rathore says, "Over the years, it has become acceptable that 'good girls' can look sexy. Where only the 'bolder' ones flaunted their body earlier, now even the shyer ones are willing to experiment." On the other hand, she may be losing the battle with her self-esteem.