Eccentric Dress

[Saint_Gemma]

Is it okay to dress in an eccentric manner? For example, is it sinful to wear a sari or shalwar kameez outside of the places where it is usual to wear it, or to wear Victorian style clothing? What about dressing up like St. Gemma Galgani on a daily basis?

 

[TC2]

When I see folks dressed ‘differently’ I just smile (or roll my eyes) and go on my way. Sometimes I’ll even admire their creativity, and maybe envy? their courage to explore their personality, and express it so publicly.

The sin is not in the clothing, but how it’s worn. Tight? Low cut?
Seductive? Maybe not so good. But sometimes I think that no matter how modestly we dress (male or female), some folks won’t be happy till we’re all wearing burkas, or at the very least, look like little clones of each other.

I myself like the long, crinkly gypsy skirts, the brighter the pattern the better! Funky shoes/jewelry/nailcolor. Right now, my finger and toenails are a lovely mint green. For Christmas, I’ll do one hunter green, the next red, ect… Or maybe all green with little red dots (holly, don’tcha know?). It’s just something fun and weird that I enjoy.

I passed out of that ‘gotta look just like everyone else or else I’m a pariah’ stage when I left high school. So long as it’s modest, I don’t see the issue with it.

Salwar Kameez look soooo comfy, I say wear them, and anything else fun, funky (and modest) with joy!

 

[Sr_Sally]

It is certainly not sinful to wear clothing that is different from those around you. Just be careful that you are modest, you aren’t spending an inordinate amount of time or money on your clothing choices, and you aren’t doing out of a desire to be noticed, commented on, etc. (prideful).

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

I wouldnt classify a sari or shalwar kameez as eccentric. But then I live near NYC and not much is eccentric there

I got married in a sari and I wear shalwar kameez just about everyday in the summer or warmer months.

 

[baltobetsy]

I wouldn’t say that it is sinful at all, but perhaps not wise to do on a consistent basis. We Catholics are ambassadors for Christ. It is our job to bring others to Him and to His Church. If we dress in an eccentric manner, we may diminish our effectiveness in this task because people may not take us seriously or even think we are weird. It didn’t hurt John the Baptist, but that was a whole other time and place.

Betsy

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

Is it okay to dress in an eccentric manner? For example, is it sinful to wear a sari or shalwar kameez outside of the places where it is usual to wear it, or to wear Victorian style clothing? What about dressing up like St. Gemma Galgani on a daily basis?

Not always. Sometimes the consequences can be serious, including inviting physical attack.
It is wrong to expose yourself to hostility for no good reason. If you want to make some kind of witness for St Gemma then that is very noble, but only if you accept the cost.

 

[Hlafdige]

A part of modesty is not drawing unnecessary attention to your physical person – I think that would include your clothes. Nowadays there is a lot of room for personal style expression while remaining within the boundaries of „normal“ street clothes that don‘t scream „look at me“. The statutes of Confraternity of Penitents, following St. Francis‘ secular rule of 1221, have a good feel for this.

penitents.org/statutesref.html

 

[TC2]

I think we have to be very careful about the whole ‘not drawing attention to ourselves’ thing.
Sometimes, in an attempt to ‘blend in’ we actually drive people away. Not to offend anyone, but I am thinking of the jumper and jean skirt wearing crowd.
Yes, you can tell right off that they are pretty likely Christian, but due to their dress, you also know that they are one of ‘those’ Christians. Ultra conservative, rule for everything, nothing outside the box people. I am not attracted to that lifestyle or the church that encourages such. So if I had questions about the faith, I would probably not go to one of these folks.
Dressing differently, while still living the faith, shows that it is possible to be Christian, and still be fun, individual, and expressive. Too many people view Christianity as dull, boxed in, and a bunch of 'thou shalt not’s. Let’s work on changing that, hmmm?

 

[deb1]

I think we have to be very careful about the whole ‘not drawing attention to ourselves’ thing.
Sometimes, in an attempt to ‘blend in’ we actually drive people away. Not to offend anyone, but I am thinking of the jumper and jean skirt wearing crowd.
Yes, you can tell right off that they are pretty likely Christian, but due to their dress, you also know that they are one of ‘those’ Christians. Ultra conservative, rule for everything, nothing outside the box people. I am not attracted to that lifestyle or the church that encourages such. So if I had questions about the faith, I would probably not go to one of these folks.
Dressing differently, while still living the faith, shows that it is possible to be Christian, and still be fun, individual, and expressive. Too many people view Christianity as dull, boxed in, and a bunch of 'thou shalt not’s. Let’s work on changing that, hmmm?

I occasionally wear a jean jumper because I love this comfortable outfit, not because I am trying to force everyone to follow a set of ultra conservative rules.

We have to be very careful not to stereotype people based only on what they wear. Just like I shouldn’t judge the young lady with the nose ring based only on her piercing, the woman in the jumper shouldn’t be judged only for her clothing either.

Personally, I would like to wear all 1940’s clothing but I would look odd and stand out to much.

 

[TC2]

I understand what you’re saying Deb. And you are correct. This is a problem I work on daily. But, for me, I am much more likely to strike up a conversation with someone a little offbeat, different, funky, it just appeals to me more.
I’m not saying, or didn’t mean to imply, or didn’t word it correctly, that there is anything wrong with wearing jumpers, or denim.
Just that dressing ‘oddly’ is not necessarily a bad thing, but can quite often be a draw for people, to show them a different face of Christianity.
Example: I’m wearing a wildly patterned skirt, funky earrings, and beaded slides. Lady comes up and aks a/b the skirt. I tell her how me and a couple other women in my SS class got together to go shopping and picked them out at such and such store.
Maybe this leads to further inquiry about my church, maybe not.
At any rate, she sees that Christianity is not all cookie cutter, and that there is room for individuality.
Again, no offense meant by the previous statement, just using it to show the other side.