By K.O. Jackson The Journal Gazette Posted on Thu, Aug. 17, 2006 http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/15294526.htm When heat waves hit, some people don’t dress down to stay cool. Their clothes stay on: Modesty is the best – and only – policy, they say. Keeping their clothes on – even when heat and humidity rise – is a religious lifestyle. “There’s nothing wrong with fashionable dress, but our whole thing is to stay modest,” says Lynn Vann, presiding overseer of the 130-member Fort Wayne East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses. “Our dress, regardless of the weather, is based on the 1 Timothy Scripture. Our dress should not detract from who we represent, and that is God. “There are some women out there who dress scandalously. But you won’t find us wearing short shorts with our butts hanging out, or guys wearing pants hanging down low, or women revealing breasts. Our young people want to be fashionable, but we are modest. We stay away from fads and extremes in dressing, but we are known for dressing well.” Staying cool during the summer doesn’t mean wearing less; it can be as simple as wearing the correct clothing. “Our women wear natural fibers, and that keeps us cool,” says Sister X of the Nation of Islam during a phone call to the national headquarters in Chicago. “Our head scarves aren’t as heavy in the summer as the ones we wear in winter. We want to be comfortable and dress moderate.” Regardless of the weather, Orthodox Jewish tradition requires men to wear long-sleeved shirts and women to wear ankle-length skirts. Although Jeff Gubitz, executive director of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation, says there are few Orthodox Jewish families in the area, that doesn’t mean other Jewish families don’t adhere to the dressing tradition. “Our dress is traditional and conservative. I don’t think that’s any different than Christian fundamentalists, Amish or Muslims,” he says. “Men keep their arms covered, and women keep their bodies covered. “When it is hot, you wear more cotton that helps to stay cool in hot weather. I was in Toronto on a very hot day, and some Jewish men had their hair cut short. But they still had their ear locks. We are modest. But some of the dressing you see isn’t so much a question of modesty but a question of taste.” kjackson@jg.net |