i love slightly religious fashun blogs. Normally american

[ElizabethHoover]

cyndispivey.com/2015/04/15/28-days-of-spring-fashion-review/

blatant too runs away with red pen

They probably don't have whole lot of choice.

There are probably a handful of them who can 'evangelise' about clothes and style and godliness, e.g the pastor's wife, howeve I guess a sizeable number would be longing to blend in and wear a pair of jeans/trainers/smart top/have a crop hairstyle etc.

Lots of these religious groups don't allow women to wear trousers, have their hair cut, wear makeup etc and as I said I'm quite sure many of them don't exactly love the way they look.

i think its interesting what hard work it is to conceal. for eg, your bum at the gym or to make skinny jeans modest.

what a fun zapper. I stare at bums at spin 3-4 times a week and have never had an erotic thought about any of them

Do you think the modesty thing presumes permanent lustful thoughts as default?

You will notice often the entire focus is on women to dress modesty to the extreme. It limits their life choices and creates a sense of lack of ownership over their own bodies and sexuality. This is not the case for men.Sure, there are some tokenistic ideas bandied around about men dressing modestly too but never with the same emphasis.

What is really maddening is the way it is often turned around into ' self -empowerment'. If it was that empowering the men would be doing it in equal measure.

I have a problem with any religion which is blatantly sexist.

Fwiw I think a discussion about the restrictions religion can place on women and how it can limit their choices and create inequality is valid and important.

Poking fun at women because of how religion deems they must look is not.

Oh I disagree. I think we need to laugh at religion.why not? #jesuischarlie

I think for a lot of women who cover for religious reasons identity and being a part of something is as much a part of it as any modesty or oppression.

That being the case it is interesting that men don't seem to have the same impulse re identity and belonging.

A lot of the religious rules as to how women should dress are male constructs imposed upon them with a very specific agenda.

I am sure some do.

I am only referring to people I know Would never speak for a whole religion.

In my imaginary life I'm Sarah Newlin

Look at the hair. THE HAIR.

I want to live in Southern America and have big hair and wear pastel pant suits and fry chicken and shout "PRAISE JESUS" all the time

THE HAIR

her hair is magnificent

If you break it down the emphasis on modesty dressing is about male ownership and control of a woman's body/sexuality, not God/spirituality etc.

I think humour is an entirely reasonable response when it mocks outmoded and nonsensical ideas.

Agreed. That hair has a life force all of it's own!

Dita Von Teese used to swim at night. Maybe that was a modesty thing too?

Nah, it was to keep pale. That was when she lives with Marylin Manson. It is very odd that my brain has just remembered that factoid yet I need to write everything on my shopping list or I'll forget something as basic as bread.

Well she is noted for her modesty what with he nipple tassels 'n all.

I too have become a mine for useless information at the expense of remembering what he feck I did yesterday.

I disagree; mocking will achieve nothing productive.

The men who control what some of these woman wear are hardly likely to be influenced and may indeed feel that reproach for their women is a good thing.

Mocking may also potentially make the women involved feel even worse, isolated and unequal.

I guess blogging could be seen as spreading the word, just as door-knocking can? So Mormons, and other evangelists, could chit chat away happily about high hair and high necklines, and as long as they say Jesus a couple of times, they are going God's work?

Hmm,unfortunate cross post.
I really strongly believe that religion is not, should never be, some untouchable subject for humour or piss - taking.

Or it might wake these women up out of their bubble to realise that maybe the things they have just accepted as 'truth' might indeed require exploring rationally. The 'where does this actually come from and why have I accepted it unquestioning' line of thought.

To treat women otherwise is to demean them.

< refocuses on fluff>

It's not about wakening up and certainly not as simple as that.

In many of these religious groups, the extreme ones where woman are easily identified based on their appearance, religion and control are entrenched in every aspect of their life. It's not a case of a woman deciding not to conform and there are group hugs all around and everyone gets along.

Rebelling against the rules mean that a woman may be shunned by friends and family and would't be something to be done lightly, I would imagine.

The women I know definitely are not seeking to be 'woken up' and would be offended at the very idea!

I think we need to take this over to the feminism board.