Does the Bible say that women shouldn't wear pants?

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Hermione

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Hello everyone,

A website I visited recently mentioned this passage:
A woman shall not wear a man’s apparel, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whoever does such things is abhorrent to the LORD your God. (Deutoronomy 22:5)
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It then argued that women should not wear pants, and those who do are disobeying God’s Will. Does the Church say anything about this?

They also referenced another Bible passage (forgot which 😦 ) and said that women serving in the armed forces are “abominations.” What does the Church say about women in the armed forces?

Thanks 🙂
 
Try reading Leviticus, it lists hundreds of abominations that we all do some of every day.

Pat
 
Herm,

to my knowledge the Church does not have any “official” teachings (i.e., any catechism paragraphs) about women wearing pants. and the Bible never specifies what womens and mens clothing is. some people take that verse to mean do not be a transvestite or get the gender roles confused. but i suppose that’s up for debate. anyway, here;s a website: catholicmodesty.com/ that provides various quotes from Popes and some documents on dress codes. i’m not sure how authoritative it is, but maybe it will give you some guidence. Peace and God bless!🙂
 
if the Bible doesn’t say it…it should. Dresses all the way baby!!!
 
it is okay for women to wear pants outside, but not for them to wear the pants in the family
 
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puzzleannie:
it is okay for women to wear pants outside, but not for them to wear the pants in the family
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:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:
 
I more take that verse to be talking about cross-dressing. I don’t know of a CCC reference to this topic.

Anyway, loose pants and a large top generate less staring at body parts than do dresses, making pants more desireable to some.
 
Thanks for responding everyone!

Some of the clothing I have was bought from the “men’s” section of the store. For examle I wear men’s sweatpants (women’s sweatpants have a giant flare on the bottom that touches the ground and collects dirt), I also have winter boots that are “men’s.” I’m not trying to look like a man or anything, but sometimes men’s clothing is more comfortable so I buy it.

Am I crossdressing if I wear men’s sweatpants and t-shirt?

Thanks!
 
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UKcatholicGuy:
Herm,

to my knowledge the Church does not have any “official” teachings (i.e., any catechism paragraphs) about women wearing pants. and the Bible never specifies what womens and mens clothing is. some people take that verse to mean do not be a transvestite or get the gender roles confused. but i suppose that’s up for debate. anyway, here;s a website: catholicmodesty.com/ that provides various quotes from Popes and some documents on dress codes. i’m not sure how authoritative it is, but maybe it will give you some guidence. Peace and God bless!🙂
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I think that this is a very good rendering of what the verse in Leviticus means. I agree that it could be a reference to transvestites, that is those who wanted to dress like women, or like men. I would think that we would understand it better as:

men are not to wear women’s underclothing, or earrings or dress up as nuns.

I am not sure how that could be phrased for women .

Again I think that we need to look at the historical era to understand the meaning of the passage. I do not think that it had anything to do with something that is designed to be worn by women, but everything to do with not dressing up as a cross gender person.

Maggie
 
since men’s and women’s clothing was very similar in the biblical era, the gender differences were in ways such as headcovering, hairdressing, beards, etc, and possible undergarments, about which the bible is silent. Also the Jewish men had prayer shawls and other prescribed acoutrements. The intent of the quoted passage seems to be that donning clothing of the opposite sex was the same as donning mannerisms, attitudes, gender roles in prayer and liturgy, or in the family. Also being condemned are elaborate hairdressing, body piercings, jewelry, clothing etc. that ape pagan ways.
 
Please. Even Opus Dei has finally figured out that pants, as women wear them today, are no longer “men’s” clothing. Come to think of it, pants weren’t generally worn on the street by European men until the 16th Century. Barbarian Anglo-Saxons wore them earlier.

(My grandmother, at the end of the 19th and in the early 20th Century, had riding habits with skirts and always rode sidesaddle. FWIW.)
 
All of this is in the Old Testament…what about St. Paul’s teachings about women not speaking in church, and covering their heads, etc…is this something that has been ‘loosed’ by the Church?
 
All of this is in the Old Testament…what about St. Paul’s teachings about women not speaking in church, and covering their heads, etc…is this something that has been ‘loosed’ by the Church?
 
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puzzleannie:
it is okay for women to wear pants outside, but not for them to wear the pants in the family
Click to expand...
😃 :clapping: :bowdown: :rotfl:

My first smile of the day - thanks!
 
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Hermione:
Hello everyone,

A website I visited recently mentioned this passage:

It then argued that women should not wear pants, and those who do are disobeying God’s Will. Does the Church say anything about this?

They also referenced another Bible passage (forgot which 😦 ) and said that women serving in the armed forces are “abominations.” What does the Church say about women in the armed forces?

Thanks 🙂
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Herm,

First, there’s ambiguity in what constitutes men’s and women’s clothing. I know this is probably from a fundamentalist (which I grew up as), but it is legalism, pure and simple. Ignore them. Don’t worry that God is going to zap you or women for wearing pants!

First, this was Mosaic law - which gentiles are not bound under. There are 613 commandments in Judaism and 7 Noahide laws for gentiles. Pants isn’t mentioned in the Noahide laws! So, you are fine.

Peace…
 
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ppcpilot:
All of this is in the Old Testament…what about St. Paul’s teachings about women not speaking in church, and covering their heads, etc…is this something that has been ‘loosed’ by the Church?
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Exactly. I take things like this as cultural expectations, not absolutes binding on Christians for all ages.

Peace…
 
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TPJCatholic:
mercygate,

What do have against Opus Dei?
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Didn’t mean to imply anything agains Opus Dei! (Funny how the vern mention of OD triggers a hot response.) But OD is a very conservative group and, until recently, women were not allowed to wear slacks. I simply used them as an example of an unquestionably orthodox recognition that pants today are not men’s clothing.
 
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TPJCatholic:
mercygate,

What do have against Opus Dei?
Click to expand...
Didn’t mean to imply anything against Opus Dei! (Funny how the very mention of OD triggers a hot response.) But OD is a very conservative group and, until recently, women members were not allowed to wear slacks. I simply used them as an example of an unquestionably orthodox group recognizing that pants today are not men’s clothing.
 
The passage has to do with cross dressing for the purpose of being a transvestite.

You’d be wrong to say that all the OT laws don’t apply to Catholics. The ceremonial laws were for the purposes of keeping Israel a seperate society. The consequences were either uncleanliness or no longer being one of God’s people. Then there are the moral laws which stand for everybody. The consequences of breaking these resulted in death.
 
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