Published: May 3, 2008 8:09 a.m.
Polygamist fashion purposely lacking flair
By Hillary Rhodes
Associated Press
Associated Press
Women on polygamist compounds wear pastel colors as a sign of femininity, though the dresses are designed to cover every inch of skin possible.
For a society accustomed to the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, the images of the women from the polygamist compound in Texas are almost shocking in their understatement: Ankle-length dresses, makeup-less faces, hauntingly uniform hair.
And while no one would accuse the women of making a fashion statement, the pioneer-style outfits are a rare example of how in an age of overexposure, modesty, too, can give pause.
The puff-sleeved, pastel dresses worn by the women in the sect are a combination of original 19th-century wear and 1950s clothing that was adopted when the church took a conservative turn, according to Janet Bennion, an anthropologist who studies polygamist women.
The dresses are meant to show modesty and conformity: They go down to the ankles and wrists, and are often worn over garments or pants, making sure every possibly provocative inch of skin is covered.
John Llewellyn, a polygamy expert and retired Salt Lake County sheriff’s lieutenant, says the women cover themselves “so that they’re unattractive to the outside world or other men.”
The appearance of unity through uniform dress, however, can belie the jealousy that often arises when the women – who might all look alike to an outsider – find themselves in competition with one another over the affections of the same man, Llewellyn says.
Excerpt. Read the rest at source: The Journal/Gazette.
