I wonder if women should wear button-up dress shirts, or t-shirts because both of those were worn by a man first.
I wonder if it is okay to wear clothing as long as it is bought from the women's department.
I was told by another woman that we should not wear anything that splits the legs, even under our skirts. She gave shorts as an example saying that God can see under our skirts and He doesn't like when we wear something pertaining to a man even under skirts. I started wondering then if tights/nylons would be included in that. Tights are something that I definately wear during the winter, otherwise I would freeze!! In the summer, I wear shorts under my skirts. But I do not have a problem with it because I'm not showing that to the world for all to see.
I think there is a balance there. I am not convinced that as women we should not wear shorts, leggings, tights, etc, when it is concealed by a skirt. I personally feel it is okay as long as that item is not visible to the world. But I am still unsure about the button-up shirts and t-shirts. Those are both things that I wear a decent number of, because they are easily made modest. But I wonder if God sees those as pertaining to a man... So far I don't have a conviction either way on that, but I do wonder...
Blessings in Christ,
Hi - I know it's odd that I'm commenting here, as a non-Christian, but in case it sheds any light, here is how we Orthodox Jews view some of the particulars of modesty for women based on the teachings of our Torah (your Old Testament) and Talmud (the wisdom of the Jewish sages).
ReplyDelete-No men's clothing or clothing that could be mistaken for men's clothing.
-No pants or shorts, only skirts and dresses
-Some communities allow leggings, others only allow stockings and tights. I do wear leggings under my skirts in winter. Legs must always be covered, so either an ankle-length skirt or a mid-calf length skirt with stockings (the stockings should not be flesh colored so no one will mistake it for your skin). Girls start wearing stockings at all times, rather than bare legs, when they are 3.
-Our collarbones and elbows must be covered at all times and in all positions. In my community/family we actually cover our entire forearms and they can only be pushed upwards when doing dishes or other work that requires (and then they must still not reveal the elbow).
-In all sitting and standing positions, knees should not be visible.
-Clothing is never form-fitting.
We do wear button-up shirts as long as they are clearly feminine. We do not wear t-shirts. I have chosen, with my husband's approval, to wear leggings because they are woman-specific clothing and they keep me warm in these frigid winters. There is a balance that must be struck with regards to health and wellbeing. I do not remove my haircovering or long sleeves just because it's hot because I wear clothing made from light fabrics in summer and need not violate my religion in order to be safe and cool, but when it's cold I certainly do need to wear more than just a long skirt if I'm going outside!
My husband and I grew up in a religious community (really a cult) where things were much more extreme. My mother actually covered her face similar to a muslim, with only the eyes showing, because my father commanded it of her. I was often made to wear the veil temporarily as a way to 'atone' for my 'sins'. Girls wore headcoverings from toddlerhood.
Now that we are free of that very subjugating, self-erasing existence, my husband and I are trying to figure out where we stand on some of these modesty issues. For instance, it is not normative in the Orthodox community for unmarried girls to cover their hair - But we feel strongly based on some texts in the Talmud and also the messages we have received directly from our prayers that girls should cover once they start menstruating. We have to decide what to do when our oldest daughter reaches this stage - require her to veil, or not.
I don't know if any of this helps but I thought you might want to know what's similar and different for us. We are definitely taught that "no pants" is related to not seeing the division between the legs, which reminds a man of what lies between the legs.