MODESTY
Why have our standards changed?
Those of us who didn't grow up
in Chassidic families
remember that our orthodox
mothers & grandmothers
didn’t wear sheitels or tichels
that covered every strand of their hair.
You have pictures of them
from the 1920's until the 1980's
with sleeves to the elbow or above
and dresses & blouses below the collarbone.
They certainly wore all the colors 'of the rainbow'
& when they did have a black skirt or dress it was not down to their ankles
So what happened?
Why have modesty standards changed?
♦♦♦♦♦
USED TO BE
Many Rabbi’s wives & orthodox women in the Ashkenaz community
didn’t cover their hair with a tichel or a sheitel
Orthodox women dressed like the rest of society
Only Chassidic women took upon themselves to wear the long sleeves, tights, etc.
- Women weren’t a big % of the workplace
- They dressed modestly unless they were Hollywood Stars & even they didn’t dress like the majority of the population dresses today
- Morality, honesty, courtesy & respect were a part of a lady’s upbringing no matter where she lived in the world
- Movies & TV could show a woman & man sitting on a bed but their feet had to be on the floor
- Writers wrote books & scripts for movies or tv shows without four letter words or nudity &
graphic views of intimate subjects - There were no offensive billboards
- Radio stations also didn’t allow 4 letter words or inappropriate topics
- Divorces were few & most happened in Hollywood
- You didn’t hear or read about business scandals or cheating spouses
- Teen age pregnancies were a rarity & those involved were embarrassed
♦♦♦♦♦
NOW
- More woman work today than stay home
- TV & movies have no compunction about telling lurid stories & showing graphic sex scenes
& utilizing foul languge - Women wear scanty & outrageous clothing in all venues including shopping malls,
classrooms, parks, museums, amusement parks, the bus or train you take to work, walking
down the street, college campuses & schools - The radio stations, newspapers & magazines are full of the details of lurid scandals involving politicians, athletes & business men & women
- Cell phones & the internet have produced a myriad of inappropriate behaviors including
nudity, pornography & bullying that not only ruin reputations but they open new possibilities
to perverts
♦♦♦♦♦
FINDING OURSELVES IN THIS WORLD
OF BLATANT IMMORALITY & CHEATING
To protect their families & the future of orthodoxy
the orthodox community has changed its rules of modesty
♦♦♦♦♦
COVERING THE HAIR
All ultra orthodox families have their
married & divorced women cover their hair with either a tichel, fall or sheitel (wig)
Modern Orthodox women are not all on the ‘same page’
on how this mitzvah is observed
- Some wear a tichel, fall or sheitel all the time
- Others cover their hair with a tichel during the week & wear a fall or sheitel when they go
to the synagogue - Some cover their hair with a tichel during the week & wear a hat to the synagogue
- Some were a cap
- Others don’t cover their hair during the week & wear a hat to the synagogue
♦♦♦♦♦
CLOTHES FOR THE ULTRA ORTHODOX
- Dresses & skirts below the knee
- Black is the color of choice with white, tan or other muted colors worn as needed
- Sleeves are to the wrist no matter how hot the weather
- Dresses & tops must reach the collar bone
♦♦♦♦♦
CLOTHES AT ORTHODOX SCHOOLS
All ultra orthodox yeshivas require uniforms
for girls in grades Kindergarten – 12th grade that include
- Sleeves to the wrists
- Collars that reach the collar bone
- Skirts that hit minimally just below the knee
- Tights or knee socks
- The high schools expect their students to dress in a similar mode outside of school including when they participate in outdoor sports
The modern orthodox day schools don’t subscribe to all of the above
but they are also trying to redo their dress code because
- Styles have become a distraction especially in co-ed schools
- In an all girl’s school fashion competition has gotten out of hand
- So many have turned to uniforms but they don’t require specific leg wear
♦♦♦♦♦
All the mitzvos introduced by the orthodox Rabbis
were in order to demonstrate our love for G-d
They chose to go beyond what he commanded us
knowing that these practices would please him
♦♦♦♦♦
Copyright © 2012 - 2017 KosherWoman.com
All rights reserved
