Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: fasano@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Cathy Fasano) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: QUESTION FASHION Message-ID: Date: 12 Jun 91 02:39:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Pittsburgh Lines: 53 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article jhpb@garage.att.com (Joseph H Buehler) writes: >Deuteronomy 22:5: > > A woman shall not be clothed with man's apparel, neither shall a man > use women's apparel: for he that doeth these things is abominable > before God. > >There are a fair number of Catholics attached to the traditions of the >Church who are dead set against women wearing pants. (I am one of >them!) Hmmmm... I presume such Catholics are aware that when it came to following the customs of his predecessors, our current pope drew the line at wearing only cassock and skivvies (he wears pants underneath the cassock.) So, what the heck -- if Pope Paul can wear a dress, I figure I can wear pants. (A cassock is not a dress, you say? Well, women's pants are not men's clothing either. You see, women are shaped differently than men (different hormones, you know), and most men would be mighty uncomfortable in clothing which is designed for people who have hips larger than their waists.) Likewise, I think you'd have to stretch pretty far to say that an 8-1/2 month pregnant woman in maternity clothes is "clothed with man's apparel," especially with all that spandex to provide support for her lower back and belly. (Although last weekend at the Point I did see some guys with hairy beer bellies hanging out from under too small t-shirts who looked like they could use the extra support of maternity clothes!) >Fashions and modesty are to some extent things that change from age to >age. But I think we've gone too far in our society. The bikini and cut- >off shorts have to go, in particular. I must say I agree -- but that just might have a teensy little bit to do with being 40lbs overweight 8-). In fact, in the "Cathy's 1991 Calendar of Women's Fantasies" (the comic-strip Cathy, not me -- although sometimes it's hard to tell the difference :-) the June Fantasy is: "Tomorrow's swimwear will feature billowy tops and baggy boxers for women, while men will be wearing the new spandex micro-mini suits." But seriously, we should keep in mind that when Jesus talked about "lusting after a woman" he called this a sin of the luster and not the lustee. Quite frankly, I lack both the time and the imagination to worry about *everything* which *might* turn on some pervert that I *might* meet, so I have simply adopted the working hypothesis that all men are potential rapists, and this is completely independent of what I do, say or wear. -- Cathy Fasano fasano@unix.cis.pitt.edu cathy@gargoyle.uchicago.edu "The Church and the World are jammed to the rafters these days with people willing to get involved, get their hands dirty, take risks, make sacrifices, hurl themselves at spears, lead the advance, inspire, illuminate, encourage, organize and manage great affairs. I find most such folks insufferable, even if they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Where are the people willing to sit on the sidelines and find fault?" -- Michael O. Garvey