What is appropriate clothing to wear at Mass if you're a female?

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ChunkMonk said:
Would you wear jeans to a funeral?
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No, but I would also have a right to take off work…

For many years in order to not starve not working was not an option.

…that said, if I had to walk a mile in 3 feet of snow (granted the “sidewalks” were mostly clear) as I once did to go to Daily Mass I may just wear jeans after all…or carry a backpack and change in the bathroom and be late for the service.
 
I have.
It was the most appropriate thing to wear to this particular funeral. The deceased was a biker, who had “dress jeans”. Everyone in the packed church wore jeans and leather jackets. Even his mother wore his leather. It was not inappropriate at all.
 
Okay, but if a person cannot wear other clothing due to work or other circumstances that would be a little different than choosing to wear jeans when one has another option.
 
Thats not what you asked.

You asked “would you wear jeans to a funeral”

My answer–in the right conditions, yes I would. I gave example to those.
 
But that just proves there are appropriate and inappropriate things to wear. For instance, it isn’t appropriate to wear a three piece suit to a pool party. Likewise it isn’t appropriate to wear a swimsuit to Mass. If you wore jeans to honor the dead at his funeral what should we wear to honor God? Anything we want doesn’t seem like a good answer to that question.
 
Dress or skirt, below the knee; no tight clothes, no jeans/pants.
 
exnihilo said:
But that just proves there are appropriate and inappropriate things to wear. For instance, it isn’t appropriate to wear a three piece suit to a pool party. Likewise it isn’t appropriate to wear a swimsuit to Mass. If you wore jeans to honor the dead at his funeral what should we wear to honor God? Anything we want doesn’t seem like a good answer to that question.
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I think a better answer would be “anything that fits with what’s available to you, what’s modest for where you are, what’s acceptable in your community, and what you personally think is honoring God.” Obviously there’s a priority order there - you should always be modest, for where you are, even if some people are not. If you can’t afford nice clothes or don’t have a chance to put the on, then go in what you have. Other than that, go in clothing that lets you honor God and doesn’t distract you, and isn’t noticeably out of place for the service you’re attending.
 
I don’t think so. Anything modest. No cleavage or cracks showing, no bare midriff or visible navel, no butt crease hanging out. A skirt should be longer than her finger tips standing. These are high school clothing rules I listed above
 
That’s good you see the bigger picture and remain on the casual side. Don’t wear anything too short or too tight or too revealing. Certain body types and body parts can easily be distracting. Dress cleanly if you can.
 
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I have been to funerals where the deceased was buried in jeans and people wore what they felt like wearing or what they had/ could afford.

I have also had friends who worked in the fashion industry selling high-end jeans for about 400 dollars a pair that were considered fashion wear.
 
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Nope, when it is my weekend to work, I am rushing from the hospital to make it to church in time. There is only one mass in the area that is late enough that I can make it there after working 7am to 7:30pm.

I’ll be there in my scrubs, pants and all.
 
Besides anything else, it is cold in my old church, and I only have one pair of thick tights. Trousers are just warmer, and I don’t look out of place in them at all.
 
I’ll not join the debate on what is “appropriate” or not. For Sunday Mass I always wear a dress or skirt (nothing short as I’m too old for that). I don’t wear dresses and skirts because I feel it is the only appropriate attire for women, I do it because I was raised to wear a dress or skirt to church. I grew up in a mainline conservative Protestant church where women did not wear pants to church. Of course that was a few decades ago.

For daily Mass I wear whatever it is I’m wearing to work that day. I work in a professional environment (our parish office) so for me what is good for work is good for Mass.

I have no issue with what others wear to Mass.

In Rome, at the major Basilicas one must have shoulders and knees covered. If you try to enter in a tank top and short shorts they will give you a paper cover up.
 
The OP may be coming from a Protestant Church where one always where their “Sunday’s Best”. It is a hard transition for some. To come in to a Parish and see everyone wearing everyday clothes instead of your “Sunday Best”. I personally have always disliked the “Sunday Best” mentality. When I was poor and a Protestant, just walking thru the parking lot to get to the church was a daunting experience. You feel awkward, ashamed, embarrassed, etc… Forget about showing up for Easter Sunday.

Now on the other hand, If you are serving as a Lector or EHMC, then you betterd arn well wear you “Sunday Best”… Blue Jeans and/or Cleavage and/or short skirts and/or painted on pants is no place for the “Sanctuary” .

I once called an EMHC for wearing too tight clothing, The Priest asked me why I did that? I responded “Because You Did Not”…“I don’t care how much money her husband tithes”…“Our Sanctuary and Tabernacle and the Real Presence deserve better”… Fr. got the point…
 
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JoshuaIsLord said:
The OP may be coming from a Protestant Church where one always where their “Sunday’s Best”. It is a hard transition for some. To come in to a Parish and see everyone wearing everyday clothes instead of your “Sunday Best”. I personally have always disliked the “Sunday Best” mentality. When I was poor and a Protestant, just walking thru the parking lot to get to the church was a daunting experience. You feel awkward, ashamed, embarrassed, etc… Forget about showing up for Easter Sunday.
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Why do you think Sunday best is only a Protestant concept? I don’t know the history, but I have no reason to believe only Protestants thought this. I know Catholics at one time wore suits to church. This may have been for no other reason that’s that’s is just what men wore. But I doubt they picked out their worst suit for Mass.
 
Why do you think Sunday best is only a Protestant concept?
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Currently in the Here and Now, it is a Protestant Concept way more than it is a Catholic Concept.
I don’t know the history, but I have no reason to believe only Protestants thought this.
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Currently in the Here and Now, this is a Predominately Protestant Mentality. I have a brother that is Pentecostal Pastor, I attend his church once in a blue moon to evaluate.
I know Catholics at one time wore suits to church. This may have been for no other reason that’s that’s is just what men wore.
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And they still do, more at one church, less at another church. But is trending toward the less.
But I doubt they picked out their worst suit for Mass.
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Where did I Imply that?
 
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I think this tradition has largely fallen to the ‘traditionalists’ - also the region of the country you live in plays a huge role. The South or Midwest are going to be very different from the West Coast or Northeast. In liberal parts of the country, modern RCCs are on the extreme side of casual by anyone’s standards. That is all I’ve known at Mass. I do still think of that as the ‘norm.’ But I have come to see that this can have a trickle down effect on the seriousness of your worship. Modernists don’t like to hear that. Just my opinion. A lot of people are not going to like hearing that they should dress up more - many with very good arguments, work, limited income, travel. And, again, I think this is all ‘recommendation’ not rule. Dressing up for me (modestly is a better word) increases my focus on what I am doing there. I participate more meaningfully in the WHOLE Church - through time. We fit Church into our life as convenient today - on more levels than what we wear. It’s part of a larger mentality.
 
Adding again to the discussion, I’d say (as I said above) to dress modestly and try to dress nicely. Obviously, as some noted, it’s not possible to dress nicely in some circumstances if it comes down to missing church or not missing church - I think Jesus would understand then that it is more important to go dressing less than nice than to not go at all. But I think he would also appreciate if one were to dress nicely to see Him. No makeup is necessary. I’d say it’s even better not to wear any as sometimes looking in the mirror for a long while can be a sign of vanity. I know this because I myself used to be a makeup addict and would spend hours in front of the mirror.

It is true that some people show up to mass in t-shirts and jeans. I think this is a rather new sort of thing and I used to do the same thing before I knew better. Now when I get up before going to church in the morning, I think to myself, “You’re going to see Jesus! Dress like it!” 🙂
 
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