To dress or not to dress?

On Monday, I was changing Elora and getting her dressed for the day, and I asked Joseph to bring me some clothes for her. I was thinking of a onesie or sunsuit or something like that, but he and James returned shortly with their arms full of all her most fancy, frilly dresses! After much coaxing by the boys, I finally agreed she could wear one of the dresses, even though we weren't going anywhere at all that day. I usually dress everybody in their "scrubby" play clothes - i.e. the t-shirts that the stains won't come out of - on days when we don't see anybody, but I figured Elora was outgrowing her clothes so fast she might as well wear her dress. I put it on her and James exclaimed "oh look! A princess!"

Cute as it was, this got me thinking, and I realized that any time I ask one of the boys to bring me clothes for Elora or Gabriella, they bring me a dress. And the more I thought about, the more I realized that boys treat girls differently when they dress like....well, girls. There is something inherently feminine about dresses and skirts that I think men (at least, most men) prefer to pants. Our society has gotten so far away from girls wearing skirts on a daily basis, and the distinction between masculine and feminine has become more and more blurry. The other day we were at the park, and there were two teenagers there, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out whether one of them was a boy or a girl. (I'm still not completely sure...I'm leaning toward boy with longish hair though...) The clothes and haircut were so ambiguous, it was hard to tell. And I think its sad that feminism, which women have claimed is their path to freedom, has done everything it can to strip us of our femininity.

I am not trying to make an argument that "the skirt makes the woman" to paraphrase an old Latin saying. A woman can wear a dress and still be opposed to all that is truly feminine, while another woman can be a true lady while wearing jeans. Heart attitude is the most important thing. I understand Paul's point about our beauty not being wrapped up in what we wear, but in a "gentle and quiet spirit." However, I do think we should view our femininity as a good thing, something that makes us different from but not weaker or less than men. Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created mankind in His own image; in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them." We are both created in the image of God, and our femininity is one aspect of God's character that He gave only to women.

I'm not trying to say women should never wear pants, either. I realize that there are many circumstances where wearing a skirt is not a good idea. Like while playing soccer. Or riding a bicycle. Or when its -20 outside. But I do think we as women could make more of an effort to bring back lovely and feminine clothing styles. And yes, I have realized (from experience) that the long flowing sleeves of Renaissance dresses are not conducive to doing dishes, and the Victorian blouse with a hundred tiny buttons down the back is no good to nurse in. I usually don't vacuum the house wearing high heels and pearls either. (In fact, wearing heels while carrying babies is generally not a good idea...especially when you're clumsy like me!) But I do think there is a way to incorporate more skirts, dresses, and femininity into my attire, even if it means changing 10 minutes before my husband gets home! Which is what I did today....

(yeah right, you know I didn't look like this...)

P.S. Here's an idea for getting started if you don't have a lot of skirts/dresses in your wardrobe: go to the thrift store! Skirts can be had very cheaply, and if you buy either a solid basic color like black, white, or brown, it goes with any color top. Or if you buy a skirt with lots of bright colors/pattern, you can pair it with a solid t shirt in any of the colors in that skirt. Skirts are the easier thing in the world to alter, too - if it's too small in the waist, chop off the top (assuming its long enough), turn the fabric down, and stitch all around the top, making a thin hollow band. Make sure you leave a small gap in the band so you can thread the drawstring through.  Hook a safety pin onto one end of a ribbon or cord, then feed it all the way through the band, pull ends to tighten/loosen, and your skirt will always fit!