Comments on: Modesty and Adornment: Spring Fashion Issues

By: rowish

rowish — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:39:28 +0000

I resent that men and boys don’t get the same lectures about modesty. (Compare this to the Young Women’s conference, where girls were frequently praised for their clothing choices)

No, we got it in the 1980s, where Young Men and scout leaders picked over our wardrobe all the time.

Wanna know why the Scouting program has a UNIFORM? To try to get the Young Men to put on half-way respectable clothes on Wednesday nights…

By: rowish

rowish — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:37:06 +0000

For the wives of General Authorities, I’m told these rules are very explicitly spelled out–denim skirts are ok for casual private gatherings, but no pants ever. We have cast ourselves as guardians of “traditional” gender roles, but we don’t want to be reminded of the ravages such roles can inflict on women’s bodies and psyches.

This statement is used to support part of your original thesis, but haven’t substantiated it. We’re all probably going to go off of “I heard this” unless someone can provide a Wikileaks version of the actual instruction … but the statement above just doesn’t square with any of *my* experience.

I have seen plenty of GAs in casual clothing. I have seen their wives out and about in casual clothing (both when in Utah and when not in Utah) when not performing in an “official” capacity. When we had a 70 briefly living in my ward, his wife dressed no differently than anyone else when in public.

My brother, employed in Bountiful, tells a delightful story about one of the twelve coming into his place of business multiple times in one week, dressed differently each time (business casual, suited, wearing a tracksuit).

Maybe there are some GA wives who have felt pressure from other GA wives. Maybe there are GA wives who would be so inclined to dress in the described manner, just because that’s who they are. But I just don’t believe that there’s an actual policy. I’ve seen enough who don’t fit that.

So, I call “Mormon Urban Legend” on the GA-wives-as-fashion-examples gambit without substantiation.

By: blt

blt — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:01:53 +0000

Here’s the link: http://www.cwtv.com/cw-video/aliens-in-america/full/?play=449-2252
PS: I don’t know how this show was approved by the CW staff. Satan and the alcoholic monkey who run that network must have been out that day.

By: blt

blt — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:58:53 +0000

Kristine,
I really like this post, but I don’t have much to offer as I don’t have children. However, I saw this great episode of Aliens in America, in which a Pakistani foreign exchange student gives a “plastic” a good talking to about her dress and behavior. This show airs on the CW of all places, and I only considered watching the show after I heard about it on Fresh Air . . . Okay fine. I was looking for the Tyra Banks show and this was on.
Anyway, it’s programming like this that make me have hope that I could send my future daughter to high school without dressing her in a birka.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 17:54:46 +0000

Jami! E-mail me, please–I’m always on the lookout for Mormon Waldorf mamas. Until recently, I thought the only two in the hemisphere were BCC bloggers named Kristine :)
kristine-dot-haglund, gmail. Thanks!

By: Jami

Jami — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:56:03 +0000

MikeinWeHo–In about ten years I’ll get back to you on your Easy-Bake oven theory. It’s not an uncommon one. My sister and her gay best friend have suggested both of my boys are gay. They loved dress up. The younger one still does. They like to cook. Does it make any difference that the oven my nine year old is begging for is the Queasy-Bake oven? Um…and the oldest knits really well. But that’s a Waldorf thing. From our Waldorf phase.

Ah well, what is, is.

By: Eric Russell

Eric Russell — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:25:18 +0000

Don’t worry, jane! I resent that women and girls don’t get the same lectures about porn. You see, the church is all about maximizing opportunities for resentment for everyone.

By: jane

jane — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:38:43 +0000

Thank you so much for this post!

I feel so bombarded by church leaders to look a certain way, and it does make me overly self-conscious about my appearance.

I resent that men and boys don’t get the same lectures about modesty. (Compare this to the Young Women’s conference, where girls were frequently praised for their clothing choices)

While I value modesty, sometimes I think this emphasis on appearance encourages girls to think of themselves as ornaments to look at, and their bodies, as sexual objects that must be hidden from male eyes.

By: jupiterschild

jupiterschild — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:01:53 +0000

Kristine, why can’t you buy your daughters boy clothes? In other words, if what you’re looking for is the unmarked, unadorned fashion that characterizes male clothing, why not purchase that? Does your own analysis of male vs. female clothing replicate the disjunction you’re trying to overcome?

This is really a devil’s advocate question. I happen to agree with you on the formal differences, but I’m not sure about how to interpret them (that is, do puckered sleeves on female clothing really mean women or their bodies are perceived as ornamental?) There is clearly a difference in some aspects, manifest most clearly in baby clothing. My sister bought two identical outfits, one for my daughter and the other for my nephew, born a week apart. The boy’s was obviously blue and the girl’s was pink, of course. The cut, material, and workmanship were identical. The message emblazoned across the boy’s: “Play”. And across the girl’s: “Dream”.

By: m&m

m&m — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:33:08 +0000

To those who want t-shirts for a reasonable price…just got my Children’s Place ad — 3 for $15! :) (Even normal price is only $6.50, so they are never super expensive.) I’ve been very happy with their clothes, and it seems that they have more plainish clothes than many places. And, BTW, their end-of-season sales are amazing. FWIW. Check out childrensplace dot com to see the fun colors of tees.

And I have a 15% off coupon I’ll mail to anyone who wants it. :) First come, first served.