Fashion statements
I have not read my colleague Rebecca Walsh's column about dress styles of the FLDS, but I have received some email about it. I can imagine what it says.
A lot of people like to pick on the clothing of the FLDS as backward. I guess you could say the same about the Mennonites, Amish, Quakers or Catholics -- the priests, any way.
Clothing is a statement among fundamentalist religious groups, as much as it is among the pop culture secularists. But that is what freedom is about, right? The freedom to choose how to dress, worship, live, love and work. I drive to work each morning (when I am not in Texas, anyway) and pass by Temple Square and the LDS Church Office Building. I see women dressed every day who could pass unnoticed in Hildale, Utah, or Colorado City, Ariz.
I am a Catholic, so I have grown up knowing there are certain clothes for certain occassions, certain colors for certain seasons and holy days, certain women who don a habit (the black or blue cloak-style dresses that nuns wear) to make a statement. I wore uniforms to school until 7th grade.
To each his or her own.
I can not understand why some people are willing to regard the Amish are quaint and the FLDS peculiar because of their clothing.
So, out of the mail bag, I offer you this from an FLDS woman:
I thought I would send you some ramblings about our fashions. Since much of what is out there is incorrect. And Rebecca Walsh wrote a column about FLDS fashion that presents some misperseptions.
First, the idea that underwear makes you hot. It does not. Your body adjusts to the temeperature changes better with a covering of underwear and clothing. Clothing protects the skin from the heat of the sun. You are actually cooler being covered than being naked when it comes to sunshine. And cold? That extra layer is marvelous in winter. Wearing long underwear is in preperation for our temple ordinances. And we see it as a priviledge.
Clothing is a way of control? Apparently Carolyn (Jessop) thinks so. I am free to dress as I like. I think dresses are romantic. They bring out the femine side in me. Our bodies are sacred. And they are not to display before the world. That is the reason we cover them. Not because we want to be compelled to stick together. What a foolish idea.
Our hair: Women need long hair. Our mothers in Heaven have long hair. This was revealed by the Prophets. It is our desire to be like these mothers that makes us not want to cut our hair. Hair left hanging is hot on the neck. It keeps the heat against the skin as much as a layer of insulation would. That is why most women braid their hair or put it up in a bun or twist. The wave? ''...the higher the wave, the more righteous the woman...''?! What a silly notion that a high wave makes a good woman. The wave hairs are seperated out and a little backcombing creates bulk so the hair will stay in the wave shape. Then the hairs on the front of the seperation are combed over toward the back of the head. And the wave is formed. Just clip and braid and you are in style. A higher wave just means a little more backcombing.
Makeup: Women should have a natural beauty. Not the blended look of five layers of make up used to create a ''natural look.'' And beauty should come from within, not the outward painting of a pretense of beauty. Virtue and sweetness are more prized than beauty. Is not a holy woman beautiful? This is what we believe.
''Ugly orthopedic shoes''?! It is true that some women wear ''orthopedic shoes'' because they need the comfort on their feet. Especially the elderly women need those type of shoes. But, most of our women wear nice, attractive shoes. Sketchers and Nikes are popular. As are some other popular brands. Some women prefer sandals or pumps, depending on the occasion. All are chosen for comfort as well as style. I can't say the same for the spike heels most women in the world wear.
Colors: "Color choices are limited to pastels (the spirit of God cannot reside in anything colorful).''?! We choose pastels because they are peaceful colors. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Peace. And we desire to be a peaceful, calm people. However, the Lord has made all of the colors of the rainbow, and His Spirit is upon all of his creations. Even the brightest, red poppy.
Our motive is not isolation but simplicity. And that is beautiful to me.
A lot of people like to pick on the clothing of the FLDS as backward. I guess you could say the same about the Mennonites, Amish, Quakers or Catholics -- the priests, any way.
Clothing is a statement among fundamentalist religious groups, as much as it is among the pop culture secularists. But that is what freedom is about, right? The freedom to choose how to dress, worship, live, love and work. I drive to work each morning (when I am not in Texas, anyway) and pass by Temple Square and the LDS Church Office Building. I see women dressed every day who could pass unnoticed in Hildale, Utah, or Colorado City, Ariz.
I am a Catholic, so I have grown up knowing there are certain clothes for certain occassions, certain colors for certain seasons and holy days, certain women who don a habit (the black or blue cloak-style dresses that nuns wear) to make a statement. I wore uniforms to school until 7th grade.
To each his or her own.
I can not understand why some people are willing to regard the Amish are quaint and the FLDS peculiar because of their clothing.
So, out of the mail bag, I offer you this from an FLDS woman:
I thought I would send you some ramblings about our fashions. Since much of what is out there is incorrect. And Rebecca Walsh wrote a column about FLDS fashion that presents some misperseptions.
First, the idea that underwear makes you hot. It does not. Your body adjusts to the temeperature changes better with a covering of underwear and clothing. Clothing protects the skin from the heat of the sun. You are actually cooler being covered than being naked when it comes to sunshine. And cold? That extra layer is marvelous in winter. Wearing long underwear is in preperation for our temple ordinances. And we see it as a priviledge.
Clothing is a way of control? Apparently Carolyn (Jessop) thinks so. I am free to dress as I like. I think dresses are romantic. They bring out the femine side in me. Our bodies are sacred. And they are not to display before the world. That is the reason we cover them. Not because we want to be compelled to stick together. What a foolish idea.
Our hair: Women need long hair. Our mothers in Heaven have long hair. This was revealed by the Prophets. It is our desire to be like these mothers that makes us not want to cut our hair. Hair left hanging is hot on the neck. It keeps the heat against the skin as much as a layer of insulation would. That is why most women braid their hair or put it up in a bun or twist. The wave? ''...the higher the wave, the more righteous the woman...''?! What a silly notion that a high wave makes a good woman. The wave hairs are seperated out and a little backcombing creates bulk so the hair will stay in the wave shape. Then the hairs on the front of the seperation are combed over toward the back of the head. And the wave is formed. Just clip and braid and you are in style. A higher wave just means a little more backcombing.
Makeup: Women should have a natural beauty. Not the blended look of five layers of make up used to create a ''natural look.'' And beauty should come from within, not the outward painting of a pretense of beauty. Virtue and sweetness are more prized than beauty. Is not a holy woman beautiful? This is what we believe.
''Ugly orthopedic shoes''?! It is true that some women wear ''orthopedic shoes'' because they need the comfort on their feet. Especially the elderly women need those type of shoes. But, most of our women wear nice, attractive shoes. Sketchers and Nikes are popular. As are some other popular brands. Some women prefer sandals or pumps, depending on the occasion. All are chosen for comfort as well as style. I can't say the same for the spike heels most women in the world wear.
Colors: "Color choices are limited to pastels (the spirit of God cannot reside in anything colorful).''?! We choose pastels because they are peaceful colors. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Peace. And we desire to be a peaceful, calm people. However, the Lord has made all of the colors of the rainbow, and His Spirit is upon all of his creations. Even the brightest, red poppy.
Our motive is not isolation but simplicity. And that is beautiful to me.
20 Comments:
Thanks Brooke
I sensed that article was directed more at a national audience than any local.
Good of your to share input to help balance it some.
Kent
I <3 Brooke Adams! Your posts are all so real, so true, and cut through the nonsense we see every where else.
Thank you, Brooke, for your wonderful posts, as always. And thanks to Trent for his great photos, too.
Brooke, I believe you are doing a good work and using your position of influence for a greater good, and as a journalist myself for many years, it seems that was always the initial goal us journalism types had when we started: to use our influence for the greater good.
My perception is that Amish are considered quaint and FLDS peculiar in their dress more as a reflection of their attitude toward the outside world and their image in the outside world than an opinion of the dress itself.
I grew up on the edge of Amish country, there were no giant temples, no malls, no caravans, cell phones or any other modern convenience - things that many of us have seen and/or heard about with the FLDS. If you're a modern person living near Amish, you're friendly with your Amish neighbors - they will come to the rescue during an emergency, will help raise a barn and will bring food when there's a new baby, whereas the FLDS is well known for keeping to themselves.
Just my opinion
Historic Moment,
Do you suppose that if mainstream society had not forced the FLDS "underground" and into secrecy that maybe they would not be like that?
They got along with all their neighbors just fine before the 1953 raid, you know. They even dressed just like the rest of America before then.
Even today, many non-FLDS Mormon Fundamentalists are the nicest neighbors to have, and will do all the things you said. But the FLDS have been so marginalized that their survival instincts have kicked in as a people and they feel they must fend off the outside world in a quest to survive.
Ben,
That's why I said that it's my perception. My experience is with Amish not with FLDS... I've done a lot of reading on FLDS in the last year, but reading a book doesn't mean that you're reading the truth.
But the other side of that is, what I'm reading is what others are reading also (and I've read everything I've been able to get my hands on, it's become an obsession of mine), so whether the books offer truthful information or not, it's the only information on FLDS families available to those outside of the areas that they reside (I'm currently in FL, grew up in PA and MD).
Excellent article, but a question:
Why not read the article before commenting?
Well understood.
After all why is it that we have to be IN FASHION to be popular? Just like in schools,if you don't fit in with the crowd ,and dress cool you are unpopular and teased. These people can dress any way they choose THIS IS AMERICA ,not Iraq.
BROOKE,
It might be of interest to you to know that in the 1800s there was a Catholic gentleman who set up a polygamous colony in South America dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Needless to say it was rather heretical at least in the marriage department.
Walsh's point has been missed entirely. Clothing and fashion are supposed to be about freedom, but she is pointing out that in some Fundamental LDS sects, fashion and clothing have become more of a punishment.
I'm frankly surprised that you commented so publicly without reading the column.
As for the email you quote from, I am glad the writer has freedom to dress in a fashion she is comfortable with, whether that fashion is what we regard as mainstream or not. I believe the point Walsh was trying to make is that everyone should have that right, to dress as they choose.
I read Walsh's column and I thought she was talking down the styles of the FLDS and making it appear as a means of control. I completely agree with Brooke's implication. She must know Walsh very well.
Thanks for sharing this e-mail from a FLDS woman. As a memeber of the UPC, we also dress modestly, do not wear make-up, and do not cut our hair (as do most fundamentalist religions). All religions used to practice this before the 1920s.
I don't think many people care what the FLDS or anyone else wears, how their hair is combed or the color of their clothing. My concern is what I read about young girls 14 to 16 married and having children with no "CHOICE" in who thier spouse is. Let's look at the real problems not the fluff. Children are the issue here along with abuse of woman and children. If the young lady is 18 and willing to be married to an older person most of us don't care either. The bottom line is the abuse, forced marriages and the lost boys. If the FLDS were more open most of this would not of happened.
Historic,
Fortunately I am not just another outsider reading the paper. I know these people, not just the FLDS, but other polygamist groups. I have first hand experience with them and knowledge of them. They are just people like you and me, with the same hopes, dreams, fears, like, dislikes, and desire to live their lives in peace.
I am a devout conservative Christian home schooler & have raised my children as such. We believe in dressing modestly. My 15 yr. old son after seeing the FLDS women in the news, commented they appear to be so modest, yet they hand over their 13-16 yr.old daughters to men 4 times their age to be raped. He can't wrap his mind around such contradictions. They cover their bodies as a sign of holiness & allow the raping of their children. Go figure
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Regarding the supposed developmental stages of the brain, particularly with teens:
According to Dr. Robert Epstein the research we've been reading about could best be described as fraud. What shortcomings western teen brains show in the areas of reasoning and risk assessment and maturity are very likely the product of our culture- that culture the Amish and the FLDS shun . Epstein says, " Anthropologists have identified more than 100 contemporary societies in which teenage turmoil is completely absent; most of these societies don’t even have terms for adolescence. Even more compelling, long-term anthropological studies initiated at Harvard in the 1980s show that teenage turmoil begins to appear in societies within a few years after those societies adopt Western schooling practices and are exposed to Western media."
What the state of Texas is doing to those children right now is more coercive as anything I've seen proven against their parents.
How many of those 60 fathers are guilty of raping under-aged girls? 1? 3? 6? 8? It's certainly not all of them, yet all of them have lost their children. What of the married 17 year old boy unable to speak to his wife who is the same age? He's probably among the teens already removed, legally, from their parents and placed in state custody at a ranch 400 miles away.
You don't fight abuse with abuse.
wendi--
FYI:
the 17 year old is not married. The FLDS woman who told Brooke about her brother misunderstood his comments in the whispered phone call he made from the Fort. The woman had not seen her brother for a long time and assumed he was speaking about a wife when he referred to a "young lady we love." please see the comment on the People are Singing blog entry.
Brooke stated in her article today that the Judge was asked if there were any men under 18 who had fathered children. The answer: not that we know of.
FLDS men can marry women their own age. Otherwise, who would be the first wife?
The FLDS do not condone abuse and women (and men)are free to reject appointed marriages. Husbands are encouraged to be loving and kind to their families. And women can request a release from abusive relationships.
And the young girls who are stating that they are teenagers and not married are not being believed by the authorities. These girls are not married. Not every FLDS female marries at 16.
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The Amish also allow their teenagers a period of time to be in the outside world to make up their mind.
These children have no real choice at all...it's stay or burn in hell is drummed into them from birth.
Quote from the blog- At Fort Concho, a 17 year-old young man is married to a woman his own age. They have one child and she is due to give birth in August. In a brief phone call made to his family in the past few days, the young man began to cry. He said he had seen his wife across the grassy field at the compound but hadn't been able to speak with her...
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