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Re-reading some old comments I was reminded of how what is regarded as male or female garb depends on time and place.
In many countries men walk around in what really is the same thing as dresses. In Suva I saw a bunch of teenage schoolboys in their school uniform skirts. And what about the cute little skirts Greek guard soldiers wear?
If I remember correctly Romans despised Britons as barbarians for wearing bifurcated garments on their lower body.
Later in history men like Louis XIV and George Washingon proudly paraded their silk stockings. Louis was not sparing in his use of cosmetics and perfume either.
And so on and on ...
So if people object to how you are dressed remember that you just might be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Otherwise it would perfectly ordinary and unremarkable.
Comments
Deut. 22:5
I had been told that the scripture was prohibition against wearing garments of the other sex. I was told by a Jewish Scholar that it is prohibition against going in each others tents.
I'd heard
It was a prohibition to prevent soldiers dressing as women to avoid battle
The version I heard
was that neighbouring peoples used cross-dresing in their religious cermonies. That also applied to clothing of mixed fibers.
Word study
In looking at the wording in the original Hebrew, the word translated, " woman's garment," refers to a specific garment worn by women when they got to the temple.
What's more when you look at explanations by prominent theologians no two of them can agreed on just what it is all about, not even Jewish theologians.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
An interesting clothing and gender article I saw today
Two High School Teens Wore The Same Outfits To Prove Dress Codes Are Sexist, And It Worked.
Parsing Religion
I can (didn't say may) cut any religious text into pieces and use it to infer my own ideology. The same way Constantine did after ordering all religious texts to be confiscated or burned. I love when someone quotes Deuteronomy 22:5 to me even if they don't know the scripture and are only repeating what they heard. Does everyone know the KJV was a piecemeal translation of the Tanakh? Not even a good translation but a hodgepodge and a very poor attempt. Then to top it all off they added their own ideology and the peasants could only get to Heaven by accepting Catholicism which was in Latin. One could buy their way into Heaven by laying enough coin into the Priest's palm.
Are you still with me? There were priests and others who were translating the Latin into common language which pissed off the Pope something fierce and lead to the burning of all who translated the scripture. Well everyone they could get their paws on that is. It was only after the translations met the Gutenberg Press in Germany where the Catholic reach wasn't that good did the Catholic Latin Bible get translated into English and other languages. The Roman Catholic Bible consists of 73 books in the old testaments whereas the Protestant Bible contains only 66 books.
Opps, something was left out. While you digest that remember the religious texts have been translated a dozen or more times by now. Let's go back to my favorite Deuteronomy 22:5 and all those who are an abomination for putting on women's attire if they have the Big M marked on their birth certificate. Without going into all the other sins listed such as eating pork or not wearing sack cloth, or anointing one's self with ashes, etc. etc. what was the purpose of Deuteronomy 22:5?
Well, it was to save lives and the original text was, and this is a literal translation, the weak and women shall not be made to wear armor or carry arms. Makes sense doesn't it? Don't send in the weak and your women as fodder in a battle where they are outclassed. In God's eyes you are sentencing them to instant death. They aren't the abomination but those who force them to fight are.
I do love theology. If one wishes to lose their life in researching the mess religion evolved into, add the Gnostic Scripture, Nag Hamid Library, Lost Scrolls, Sumerian history and dozens of other data to your research. If you're happy with someone elses interpretations of religion, Stay away from looking up anything that might upset you. If you're curious, my birth certificate has the Big M and I wear dresses, jewelry, lipstick, perfume, nylons, heels, etc. God loves me. If He didn't I wouldn't be here. In all truth!
Hugs People, live your life but do it safely.
always
Barb
Life is a gift meant to be lived, not worn until it's worn out.
PS:
Hugs Bru, may I borrow the sparkly blue dress you wore to the Tennis Tournament?
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Every Freaking Word
You nailed it!
The one thing every religion seems to agree on is the Golden Rule.
If we could just concentrate on loving each other imagine how much of the other nonsense would simply disappear.
I'm not saying it's easy. Barbie and I agree on 99 percent of everything but have come to dislike each other in this binary world.
We have to reject the Tucker Carlsons and Rachel Maddows who tell us that things are absolute when everything has shades of grey. We have to understand the Google algorithms that constantly reinforce our bias.
Most of all we have to all chip in and buy Barbie her own blue dress. Good golly Miss Molly.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Hugs Jill
Love, I know there is no way on this little green earth you have forgot what kind of dress our Miss Show and Don't Tell wears. Her almost there dresses are not for the shy girls. I admire what she can get away with and there is no way in you know where, I would wear one out in public.
But a girl can dream.
Down at OKC a month back and a young, cute, well endowed, young thing said, "I love your dress."
I automatically responded, "I love your yellow dress." Short skirt, jumper style low cut top. I couldn't wear her dress if someone paid me a thousand dollars. It takes a "young thing" to bring off the look.
Hugs Jill
Barb
Life is meant to be lived, not worn until it's worn out.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Secular History
Reading; I think pants came round in the sixth century BC, for riding horses. I did not see any reference to gender there. Early Arab tribes sent women into battle ahead of the men because it was considered forbidden to fight them. Look at Mongolian Sheep Herders in YouTube and you might see male sheep herders wearing a cloth wrapped around their lower bodies. It is very convenient for pissing and defecating.
I was just reading an article from CBC where school boys were wearing skirts to support the girls and protest the sexism of school management. They were making a big deal of boys braiding their hair. To me, it looked as if they were Indigenous. In old times, long hair was common, perhaps because they had no scissors. Getting your hair cut with something dull is painful.
Think we have it tough now?
Joan of Arc 6 January c. 1412 – 30 May 1431, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" was only nineteen when she was burned at the stake. Her crime, wearing pants.
https://www.mentalfloss.com
It's really interesting to read all the things they wanted to try her for but finally settled on her wearing armor into battle.Heresy for a woman to wear men's clothing. If one understands nothing else about religion understand this. Religion has resulted in more wars, more death, more misery than any other concept. It's a righteous tool, absolving anyone of any wrong doing as long as it's done because of one's religious belief.
I love religion, I love discussing all religions, I love going to different churches to hear their belief. I wish...,
Hugs Gwen, it's millions of years one must research to find a hint of the truth.
Barb
Life is a gift, treasure it.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl