[Atlas Sneezed]

I think the key is that the bullet flattens and loses energy before it enters, instead of fragmenting inside you.

[chaosagent]

Flattens against what?

The fabric is not rigid. It's soft and flexible.

The bullet has to hit something rigid to flatten.

Kevlar vests are mult-layered to provide the stiffness, but then they're not soft and flexible anymore.

I've seen pictures of a policeman's shoulder where he took a shot to a kevlar vest. His entire upper left torso was one big bruise and he had about a 3/4" depression in his skin where the bullet struck.

I still think a "soft and flexible" piece of bulletproof cloth is going to let the bullet penetrate the skin, dragging the cloth with it.