Religious Trendy Dressing

It always crosses my mind whenever I see a man with a short distash, why is that? I am told that this means they are more religious.

How does wearing a piece of clothing that is shorter than everyone make you more religious? I mean in the US we have some religious women who do not wear pants or cut their hair, so I guess that is possible - I don't get that either, and how it makes you more religious, but to each his own.

The modern Gulf Arab men are incredibly polished in their distash - crisply pressed, never dirty or showing age. It looks pretty sharp - and not always in white either, which I don't know anything about what is required to wear a tope or navy colored distash. Although I have read it is considered festive and often done during Ramadan. The younger guys have made it even more Western and wear baseball caps with it. I think its coolest when they tie their head scarfs in a non-traditional way. Its kind of funky, but that's just me.

So at a dinner or party a few weeks ago this subject came up. And not all non-Gulf Arabs themselves were sure what it meant. While their cultures are very different, being a little geographically closer I thought I might get an answer. Someone told me they think they wear a shorter distash to signify that they do not care about modern materialism. Have a shorter robe means that they are above material things signifying their religiousness.

Hmmm...doesn't this kind of contradict that by making a "fashion" statement in itself?