Week 3: Prompt 2: I Gotta Wear Dresses, All the Time?

Prompt: Read "The Wife-Beater"

Answer the question… Do members of your religious or ethnic group wear an item of clothing that is not well known to others? Define the article of clothing, and explain its significance and its history in terms that outsiders can understand.

“The Wife-Beater” is an exceptionally well-written essay by Gayle Rosenwald Smith about A-Shirts, also known as Wife-Beaters.  She breaks down the definition of the article of clothing in terms that everyone will understand and react to.  This essay sparks thoughts on articles of clothing that can be misunderstood.

Growing up, I was a member of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a Pentecostal organization that, at the time, placed strict regulations on what the women of the religion could not wear.  One such item was pants.  This directive resulted in the interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5 (ERV) which states, “A woman must not wear men’s clothes, and a man must not wear women’s clothes. That is disgusting to the Lord your God.”  This rule caused me complications as girl who was a total and complete tomboy.

I had to wear dresses no matter what I was doing.  I wore them 24-7, even in gym class at school, which was bothersome at times.  There was one time when we were learning about gymnastics.  We had to flip, tumble, jump, and the like to receive a grade.  I could not even wear shorts under my skirts, against the rule.

In one class, we were on the parallel bar, doing exercises, and it was my turn.  I got up on the bar, and did the required exercise.  I could not refuse to do it, I would have received a failing grade, and in my family, failing grades are not a good thing.  Thankfully, the young lady who was spotting me, thought to hold my skirt in a way that my undergarments could not be seen by everyone in class.

You would think the coach would have let me get an excused “absence” for this lesson because my mother wrote him a note explaining my religious beliefs, but he did not.  I had to participate.  I tried to talk to him, but he said that my excuse note was not sufficient to get me excused from the assignment.  So, there I was trying to flip on a parallel bar without showing all my glory.  I got a “C” on the assignment because I could not fully do the exercise without showing my glory, so I did a modified version.

As a child, I did not understand the rule, but as an adult, I realized why the church had this rule.  They wanted the saints to look a certain way, in order to portray what holiness looked like.  I have often heard people say that the forefathers of the church were ignorant, but I do not feel that way.  I think they were simply trying to help the congregants live a holy lifestyle.

The rules on dress has modify some, which is good, but I would not change my experience for anything.  It made me who I am.

Works Cited

Smith, Gayle Rosenwald. “The Wife-Beater.” Patterns for College Writing, edited by Laurie G. Kirsznek & Stephen R. Mandell, 9th edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004, 521-524, e-file.