From a review of a boutique in Syracuse, New York:
"Best Head Games", in SyracuseNewTimes.com
"For decades hats went alongside white gloves as a required part of a lady’s ensemble. The social set would not dare venture out wearing the most important item to complete an outfit and it was not too long ago that Catholic churches would not allow a woman to enter without some head covering. All this has gone by the boards today, although there is a tiny trickle of interest in reviving head-gear chic. One demographic that has never wavered from wearing a hat when going to a social or church function is the African-American community. It is a special pleasure to see the ladies dressed up in their best bib and tucker, topping everything off with a sassy chapeau. And not just any hat, mind you, but one that makes a definite statement. "
Sunday best: Priscilla Evans, proprietor of Hats by Priscilla, sells finery for the church-lady set in the heart of Eastwood. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO
4 comments:
When I read some Muslim blog and post like this I see that is very thin line between sign of modesty and submission and fashion statement... even I like to see different style of covering and prefer one way more than another, I think we shouldn't be focused to much on style 'cause we can easily cross the line... what do you think?
I met an elderly woman at church this Sunday who had commented on my headcovering and she told me, "Years ago we all used to wear hats. What happened to the hats?" Good question!
I found this online:
"Isn't it ironic?
...how headcoverings seem so odd, yet half a century ago, women didn't go anywhere without a hat."
And you're right, Natasa, there seems to be a very fine line for some between fashion and modesty and feminine submission. I believe that is why this tends to be a bigger issue than it appears on the surface. We have to wade through the perceptions of others, as well as those things we've been raised thinking, and find what is true. I also think that is why this becomes a "cultural" issue; when a cultural fashion is to "let your hair hang down", and it is no longer considered immodest, then is it no longer an appropriate symbol of femininity in the Plan of God? Somehow, it comes down to me, of living in the world, and not being of the world. If we can wrap our minds around that, then maybe we can affect the heart and mind of our fashion conscious culture with our modest and humble behaviour.
I'm still developing my full understanding on all these things, and hope to write it out in a better understood way sometime. Thank you all for commenting!
Would you count hats as a suitable head covering for prayer in church? When I was a very little girl, women always wore hats to church and older ladies persisted in doing it even after younger women stopped.
I bought several hats a year ago, thinking that it would be a way to cover my head. I was told, however, that the I Cor. 11 term for covering implies a veiling that covers the entire back of the head and all of the hair, not just the parts of a head that a hat does.
The custom of ladies wearing hats in church must have originated with the Biblical commands in mind, as it was proper for women to wear hats indoors but never for men to do so.
What do you think?
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