Tzniut Meme

(photo: tznius.com)

Raggedy Mom tagged me with this meme started by Mother in Israel. It certainly has some thought provoking questions.

1. For married women, do you dress by the same standards as you did when you got married?
I’m not married (but will be soon!) but I don’t believe that my standards will change.

2. Also for married women, do you and your husband conflict about this issue?
As I said in #1, I am not married (yet! LOL) but we have discussed this and we feel that it is up to me as to at what level I feel comfortable. For example, we discussed the headcovering issue and he said he would support me if I decided to cover my hair and that he would also support me if I did not want to cover my hair (shul and other necessary places excluded of course!)

3. Have your standards changed from when you were growing up, and why?
My standards have changed from when I was growing up because I grew up in a more “Reform” type home. When I started working on my conversion and as my observance level became higher, the tzniut issue became more important to me. And now if you looked into my closet, I think I could be a spokesperson for this place.

4. Do you often feel uncomfortable when you are in the company of a group keeping higher or lower standards than you?
Not really. Although in South Florida there are often times when lower standards means women wearing next to nothing…and yes that does make me feel uncomfortable.

5. If you have ever suddenly changed your standard of dress, did people treat you differently or make approving/disapproving remarks?
As mentioned in #3, it was pretty obvious when my dress changed. I work in a building with approx. 2,500 people and I am the only observant Jewish woman here, so I stand out for my dress and my race. Being in South Florida, I hear “Geez, aren’t you hot?” or “I can’t believe you are wearing stockings in this weather” quite often.

6. How accepting is your community of women who "deviate" from the generally accepted mode of dress?
The community is very mixed and therefore pretty tolerant of the various modes of dress.

7. If you have a daughter, has tzniut become an issue yet?
It’s not an issue and I don’t think it will be because she has always been a skirt/dress wearer from before she could even talk. She feels more comfortable this way and she has always been aware of her clothing because as she likes to say, “No one should be seeing MY business.”