I was talking with my neighbor (who homeschools and is super cool) about "those homeschoolers". you know the ones... anyway I started thinking about women who only wear skirts & dresses. I used to be one of them. I fully believed the only way to dress completely modestly & femininely was to wear skirts and dresses (like- we went to Rome and I didn't put a pair of pants on the entire trip - in DECEMBER). Let me just tell you how big of a head I got about it. I would look at all the other women at the store, or wherever, and think how I was the only one wearing a skirt and how I was such a God-honoring example of womanhood and everyone else was misled or feminists. I don't think this is how all the "dress-only" women are, but I can definitely see how it can happen with the mindset. *don't worry some of you that I know now... my judgmental dress-only philosophy didn't last that long* lol
And, who decided that pants were immodest, feminist attire? I mean, sure they weren't marketed with the homemaker as the original target audience and men wore them first. But, so what?
Anyone heard of the "Feelin' Feminine Challenge"? Its a blog challenge to only wear skirts for 1 week and to blog about how you feel and are treated whilst participating. I've considered doing it. Maybe I still will... I like wearing skirts sometimes (I have a whole closet full). I do feel prettier and more feminine when I do. BUT I feel like I can't do anything while I'm wearing a skirt... and I have to get up and down off the floor a lot and stepping all over a skirt while trying to stand up and hold a baby is not fun, feminine, graceful, or safe. And going up and down the stairs while carrying something? not so much. I guess it would depend on skirt length. Hmmm... the more I think about it the more I think pants are the homemaker's best friend! So free-ing. I guess I'm just one of those people who doesn't like to have to think about my clothes after I put them on in the morning. And maybe I have weird sensory issues, but I hate HATE getting into/out of the car in a skirt... its just feels... icky? And, I think Mike likes me better when I remind him of the girl he met at wal-mart in jeans (more on that later) than a bent-out-of-shape prairie girl who wears skirts all the time.
If you are a skirt/dress only woman... I think you are super cute and i secretly probably envy you
I was on the receiving end of this judgment recently- except much more blatantly than I ever was about skirts. It was about homebirth/hospital birth. the superiority tone and condescension was astounding. I even apologized to my sister after that (who was not involved in the discussion at all) because she is always telling me how judgmental I am. It really turned me off to all things homebirth for a while. And I was actually glad I had a hospital birth after that so I could keep a sliver of humility (even though I would love a homebirth more than anything, I don't think its in the cards for us).
5 comments:
The Bible says that it is an abomination for a woman to wear that whch pertains to a man. Deuteronomy 22:5... Thats why I don't wear pants. And if you decided that you want to do the will of God it becomes easier to go up stairs carrying something, get up and down off the floor with a baby, cut grass, rake leaves, scrub toilets, and anything else a homemaker would find herself doing. God blesses those who want to do His will! :)
I just found your blog the other day and I enjoy reading after other hoemmakers, since I am one myself! :)
Welcome! So, do you keep all the other commandments of the Torah? Which is cool, just that I have never known someone who is torah observant and dress-only.
And, I'm not wearing MENS clothing. I'm wearing women's pants, you can still tell that I'm female. And I believe that verse is talking about true cross-dressing. I'm not attempting to dress manly or hide my femininity. The verse doesn't say that women must wear skirts. Yes, prior to the 1930s (40s?) pants were men's garments. But once upon a time, so were dresses and skirts (and in some cultures still are).
It didn't become easier for me when I was "following the will of God".
I love my pants. :-) I always figured it was up to my husband to lead in that direction. Very thankful he doesn't think that wearing skirts is mandatory! As for the verse in Deuteronomy? Well, hmmm, there are so many things you could wear that "pertain to a man" - boots? Shirts? They wear those too! Underwear? And, yes, I wear pants designed for a woman. I actually feel more feminine in a nice pair of blue jeans than I do in a skirt. I just feel self-conscious and uncomfortable in a skirt. OH and I flashed people the first time I went to Hope - how do you sit at the tables in a skirt? Definitely NOT modest! :-)
I think skirts are more freeing, airy, and light. With skirts I don't have that horrible belly hang over the tight waist or the really tight restrictive thighs that jeans have. I always hated jeans even when I wore them all the time. I was so self conscious in them too. With skirts I feel like I am in pajamas all day :) I think there can be modest pants that are not tight. I don't care to look for them cause they are few and far between for my shape. Give me a ankle length skirt with an elastic waist and I am good.
I agree with what you say about skirts & dresses not being the only way to dress feminine. I do like wearing skirts & dresses. But, I also love the ease of wearing blue jeans on most days. Most days I don't put much effort into my clothing or looks in general. Ha!
We spent a lot of my teenage years in ATI (Gothard homeschool program) My parents didn't believe in the skirts only thing. But, you know, Peer pressure.... I was soon "convicted" that it was only feminine & modest to wear skirts. My dad asked me if wouldn't it be more appropriate to wear pants for certain occasions (like climbing trees or riding horses or ...) I declared that it wasn't proper female activity, if you couldn't do & modestly wear a skirt. Oh man! The legalism. What a little pharisee I was. Ha!
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