Of Pens and Paper: Why I Dress Like A Woman

I think we are facing a huge war which is aimed at females and everything they represent and embody. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think it is exactly what Satan wants because women are the core of emotion, sensitivity, and compassion. Perhaps you are familiar with the old saying, “Behind every great man is a woman”? God even decided that a woman was needed to complete His perfect Creation.

For years, women were mistreated. They were viewed as mere slaves and unintelligent lower life. God did not agree with that, because He views man and woman as equal in His sight. However, He assigned different traits and responsibilities to man and woman, not because He liked one more than the other, but because He knew how they would best complement each other and the world. Man is supposed to be the leader- strong, courageous, and able to make decisions; woman is supposed to be the nurturer- loving, caring, and feminine.

But we, women, overreacted to the bad way we had been treated by men. We decided that we wanted to be men. We decided we wanted freedom to break the bounds of gender. And with that freedom, we left our children and husbands and joined professions that men had only held. We traded skirts for jeans and heels for boots.

And as we enjoyed a new way of life, the man took the place of the woman. Divorce numbers soared, abortion rates climbed, and homosexuality advanced. Children were lost, man had become woman, and woman had become man. This was not God’s original plan, and woman was not truly happy- whether she would admit it or not. Whenever one steps out of God’s design, he or she will not have that inner peace, satisfaction, and joy that comes from following God’s will.

Today, woman no longer represents that trust which children understood, that tenderness that the world had seen, and that beauty which husbands knew. Oh yes, the modern version of woman which has emerged is beautiful. When females stepped forward for freedom they also unknowingly created a spin-off version of woman which was to satisfy man’s desires while they went for their freedom. They created a woman who would be the toy for the slobs that man had become through all of this unnatural change. One can see that this created woman is beautiful; she has to be so that she can catch men’s eyes. But she is not beauty. Beautiful is an adjective, but Beauty is a noun- which is what a true woman should be. Beauty is deeper than the hair style, the layer of makeup, the hour-glass figure, or the facial features…beauty is what the woman’s heart, soul, and mind was meant to be.

I’m sure you know what I am talking about, you have seen it happen yourself. But what we, as Christians, don’t realize is that the exact same pattern is starting within our own churches. Start watching young ladies’ hobbies and interests. Check out the clothing they are wearing. I know I’m going to have a lot of disagreement on this, but please hear me out. Girls nowadays don’t know how to cook a meal, but they do know how to spike a volleyball. They don’t know how to clean a house, but they do know how to drag race. Girls used to heal, bandage, and nurture a wounded animal and leave the killing to the men, but now they are avid hunters who don’t blink twice at ending an animal’s life. Once again- please hear me out! I know sports, hunting, etc.. are a great way for dads and daughters to connect, and I also know that many girls thoroughly enjoy less feminine activities. I enjoy a game of soccer, the sound of a diesel truck, snowmobiling, and wearing cowboy boots; but
I’m trying not to let the tomboyish things of life completely eliminate the feminine side of life. I still enjoy tea parties, wearing ruffles, playing sonatas, and caring for a sick puppy. I’m afraid that young ladies almost despise things that are associated with being girly because they want to be tough, brave, and able to compete with the males (or else gain their attention). They have banned “domestic” things as old-fashioned and feminine character traits as wimpy. And yes, there are some things that will and should change over time; but perhaps we should be careful in choosing what to get rid of or accept.

The clothing has also been evolving over the past few years. My mom had kept quite a few of my brother’s and my baby clothes. I always enjoyed looking at mine because it was ruffly, lacy, and had lots of bows and ribbons. How boring to have opened the baby chest of my clothing and see apparel that looked like my brother’s. Very seldom do you see little girls dressed like little girls anymore though, and I think that is quite sad. Oh yes, my parents had their hands full as I was growing up. I thought dresses were the most revolting things. They were always in one’s way, and up until about six years of age I still struggled with keeping my dress in it’s proper place when I plopped down on a chair to proudly survey my grass-stained knees, rolled through the leaves with the dogs, or attempted to climb a tree. But I’m glad my parents were willing to teach me the importance of acting like a lady. The easy thing would have been to dress me in pants, but then I would have never adjusted to handling my body as a woman of beauty should. Once I reached the grown-up age where I could choose my own wardrobe, I decided to keep dressing as a woman. Yes, I know that one of the reasons Anabaptist women wear skirts or dresses is because of modesty. And for the most part- that is true. However, I have seen trousers and culottes that are much more modest than some of the dresses our Christian women wear; but that doesn’t do away from the fact that dresses/skirts made or bought properly are usually much more modest than pants.

But, the main reason I choose to dress like a woman is exactly because of that- I want to be a woman. God specifically talks about woman not wearing men’s apparel and men not wearing women’s. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.”- Deut. 22:5

Some people refer to this as applying to cross-dressing, meaning that a man wears articles of clothing specifically designed for a woman, and vice versa. I have heard arguments that state it wouldn’t apply to women’s pants because they were styled for a woman’s body and are sold for the female gender. Perhaps, but still, what has been the clothing associated with men for hundreds of years? What about the old saying, “Who wears the pants in the family” (referring to the leader of the home- which should be the male)? How does one tell the difference between men’s and women’s restroom signs? One might also say that it does not apply to our time since it was written in the Old Testament, but an abomination to God means that it is something He hates. The character of God did not change between the Old and New Testament.

I am not ashamed of being a woman; so I will portray my femininity in the way I dress. But it doesn’t stop with the way I dress, it also applies to my complete attitude, reputation, and outlook. I want God to create in me the woman that He intended. That doesn’t mean that I can’t get my hands dirty or I have to swoon if I ever fall in love, but it does mean that I can be content with the gender I am and embrace that through the way I live, dress, and act.