Dear Seventh-day Adventist Christian: Please read the following article from The Daily Free Press, written from an increasingly popular viewpoint that stresses the need for “gender equality” including in the clothes we wear:
Clothing isn’t gender specificWritten by Mariel Cariker• April 17, 2015 12:45 am
http://dailyfreepress.com/2015/04/17/cariker-clothing-isnt-gender-specific/This weekend, Jaden Smith was spotted by paparazzi wearing a dress in public. The pictures circulated the Internet, and people exploded. . . .
Smith posted the picture on Instagram with the caption “Went To TopShop To Buy Some Girl Clothes, I Mean ‘Clothes.'” This was a really powerful statement to his 1.8 million followers, even if he didn’t realize he was making it. Societal gender labels on clothing are harshly enforced for basically no other reason than to keep things the way they’ve always been. What’s so bad about a guy in a dress?
Girls can and have been wearing pants with no objections for decades now. The last few years of award shows and red carpets have brought in a new and sweeping trend of women in suits, which people have praised. This trend has spread to “normal” society outside of Hollywood as well. I’ve seen multiple girls wear suits to their high school proms. Meanwhile, if a boy wears a skirt or a dress, it’s seen as out of the ordinary and strange. If a boy wore a dress to prom, it would be a huge deal. Why the double standard? Why can girls wear typically masculine clothes and receive compliments while boys get ridiculed if they wear stereotypically feminine clothes?
This stems from the idea that men are looked down upon for doing anything that would portray them as feminine. By wearing a dress, they’re “destroying” their masculinity. I don’t think, though, that clothing and masculinity necessarily have to match up or have to be mutually exclusive. Someone can still wear a dress and be masculine, and when it comes down to it, a “loss” of masculinity isn’t the worst thing in the world. We are throwing ourselves into these restrictive gender categories for virtually no reason with gender specific colors, clothes and ideas. Gender fluidity exists, but many people like to pretend it doesn’t and silence those who try to express it.
Boys can’t wear makeup because it’s seen as unnatural. Meanwhile, it’s seen as odd if girls don’t wear makeup. Baby boys are surrounded with blue clothing, while girls are wrapped in pink. Young boys who like pink, or more “feminine” colors or clothes, tend to be bullied. There have been stories on the news about boys being kicked out of class for wearing makeup, skirts or high heels. We have these pre-set gender expectations for boys and girls as they grow that society enforces without really stopping to think about why.
This weekend I was hanging out with some friends and for whatever reason some people decided to switch outfits, regardless of their genders and what the items of clothing were. The boys were in spaghetti-strap tank tops and girls were in baggy jeans and sweaters, with no criticism whatsoever. Everything kept going on normally, just with everyone in gender-swapped clothes. My friend Conner ended up in my floor-length floral dress and honestly, he rocked it. He got so many compliments and he looked better in it than I did. I don’t think this attitude should exist just at college parties. Men and women should be able to wear whatever clothing they want, no matter what color or pattern it is. People get so angry about it, but if it’s not negatively affecting them, why should they care?
I’m completely on board with this new wave of fashion. Although it is a small step, I think it’s an important motion in the move for gender equality. Just a few decades ago, women couldn’t wear pants without being looked down upon, and I think the new movement of men wearing “female” clothing without facing harsh criticism is up next. There’s no need to conform to these gender limitations, and using clothing to push gender boundaries shouldn’t be frowned upon. I see this as progress, and the people pushing for it shouldn’t have their voices stifled. End of article.
Dear Seventh-day Adventist member, do you agree with her viewpoint? Is this the kind of progress we can support? If not, why not? What is your viewpoint, and what do you base it on? Can you back it up with scripture? Please reflect on what is being said in this article and ponder these questions:
The author claims that clothing is not gender specific, or at least it should not be gender specific. Do you agree with this statement?
_____YES _____NO
The author states: “Societal gender labels on clothing are harshly enforced for basically no other reason than to keep things the way they’ve always been.” Do you agree that there is no valid reason to separate clothing in gender categories?
_____YES _____NO
The author asks, “What’s so bad about a guy in a dress?” and then notes: “Girls can and have been wearing pants with no objections for decades now.” The author admits that “Just a few decades ago, women couldn’t wear pants without being looked down upon.” But, over the course of time, it has become accepted by society. Do you believe that, if enough guys wore dresses for a while, so it was accepted by society, that it would then make it O.K. for guys to wear dresses or pants, while women also wore dresses or pants?
_____YES _____NO
Do you agree that it is hypocritical for society to allow girls to wear typically masculine clothes, while men are ridiculed for wearing typically feminine clothes—as stated by the author: “Why the double standard? Why can girls wear typically masculine clothes and receive compliments while boys get ridiculed if they wear stereotypically feminine clothes?”
_____YES _____NO
Do you agree that “gender fluidity exists” and that “restrictive gender categories” exist for “no reason”?
_____YES _____NO
Do you agree that we should not oppose those who want to express it? In other words, should we approve of gender fluidity by approving of people who want to cross gender boundaries in their appearance?
_____YES _____NO
Do you believe that the reason society has upheld “preset gender expectations” throughout history has any moral implications, specifically related to Deuteronomy 22:5?
_____YES _____NO
Do you realize that now for the first time in modern history, there is a strong effort to remove all gender boundaries, distinctions, or markers in fashion, roles and relationships?
_____YES _____NO
The author believes: “Men and women should be able to wear whatever clothing they want, no matter what color or pattern it is.” Her article portrays the position that no fashions should be designated as women’s clothing or men’s clothing. Do you agree with this concept?
_____YES _____NO
Are you on board with this “new wave of fashions” and agree that “There’s no need to conform to these gender limitations, and using clothing to push gender boundaries shouldn’t be frowned upon.”
_____YES _____NO
The author wonders why some people have such a strong reaction toward switching clothes around. “People get so angry about it, but if it’s not negatively affecting them, why should they care?” While it is true that we should not “get angry” in an ungodly manner, should God’s people be concerned if all of society, including members of the church, interchange clothing so that there is no distinction between what men and women wear?
_____YES _____NO
If we should be concerned, what is our reason, and how strongly should we be concerned?
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