Candlelighters

a place for women who cherish the Torah

Wear it, declare it!

April 27, 2010 at 12:22 pm · Filed under Lifestyle/Halachah, Projects, Tuesday Night Study and tagged: ,

by torahgirl

Feelin’ Feminine challenges young women every month to spend a week embracing femininity and dressing in only skirts or dresses. I know a few of us already live this way, but for those who don’t, let’s give this a try! Here’s the outline:

The challenge is to wear only skirts/dresses for an entire week of seven days, and then post a photo of your outfits (head to toe) on your blog. If you don’t have exactly seven different skirts, that’s alright. Mix and match with different shirts. We can be not only feminine and modest, but frugal too!

While there are no outfit ‘requirements’, we do ask, for the sake of our mission, writers, and readers please make sure that your dresses and skirts are at least knee-length and that none of your shirts are sleeveless. Show us pictures of daily activities of you in your skirts.

If you want to “personalize” your outfit a bit more you can add a hat, a scarf, a headband, a matching purse  – whatever you like! You can also style your hair in different ways each day. Just remember to remember your goal is not to be fashionable or blend in with the world, but to be set apart in everything!

-Jocelyn Tzahala at Feelin’ Feminine

We’ve decided to have our own “Feminine Challenge” next week (Sunday May 2-Shabbat May 8 or Monday May 3-Sunday May 9, whichever works better for your schedule). To complete the challenge, take a picture each day and when the week is over either email them to me, send a link to your photobucket/flickr/picasa album, or bring them to Tuesday Night Torah study. I will look at the pictures to make sure you have one for each day – they will not be published on Candlelighters. If you want to post pictures daily on your own blog/twitter/facebook, that’s fine!

Feelin’ Feminine recommends evaluating yourself at the end of the week with the following questions:

How was the experience for you?

Any particular stories?

Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way you felt about yourself?

The way you acted?

The way you carried yourself?

Were you able to go about everyday activity as freely as pants?

How did people respond?

Were you more respected?

Did you feel more like a lady?

After the challenge do you desire to keep wearing skirts more regularly, or were you desperate to wear pants again?

I don’t wear skirts 100% of the time, and I’m excited about trying the challenge! Knowing that other girls are doing the same thing is a huge motivation.

=)

Note: personally, I think sleeveless tops are alright, but let’s remember to be very careful about modesty!

11 Comments»

  adriahbartos wrote @ April 27, 2010 at 12:35 pm

This is so exciting! Being able to show the world (or just our friends & family) that being feminine & wearing skirts or dresses can be a beautiful thing. We may even discreetly influence our friends to wear them more often as well. I can’t wait to get started in feeling more like a lady. 🙂

Let’s all make sure we keep a good attitude about this all week! It shouldn’t feel like an obligation but a true opportunity to show that modesty & a feminine touch can be a fun & beautiful thing. 🙂

  torahgirl wrote @ April 27, 2010 at 12:46 pm

good point, adriahbartos. =) I’m sure you will be a strong feminine influence on your friends. Plus you and I will have the chance to be around other feminine girls, and we will feel right at home!

=)

  talmeedahofyeshua wrote @ April 27, 2010 at 1:22 pm

This will be fun, and contrary to popular belief I don’t wear skirts all of the time, well ok 90% or more 🙂 But this is something that makes you think about embracing modesty instead of just “doing it”.
Thanks torahgirl 🙂

  Lynn wrote @ April 27, 2010 at 2:56 pm

As I was reading this, Morgan, I was thinking how proud your Grandmother would be of you. She would have been thrilled to meet Greg and would have loved him. I believe she would have been especially proud of who you have become today and your stands; like the way you help young women and act as a role model. Her many prayers on your behalf have been answered.

  Malia wrote @ April 27, 2010 at 5:36 pm

yes I can imagine doing that! I have done that for years until my highschool years!.. which I’m thinking about going back to doing that

  mashiki wrote @ April 28, 2010 at 11:45 am

I’m so excited about this challenge – knowing other girls are trying with me is a major boost! There’s safety in numbers, right?
I’ve noticed that sporting a skirt can make the people you come in contact with feel… special! Almost as if you put a little more time into your outfit just for them! I like that. =)

  eshetkayil wrote @ May 4, 2010 at 9:05 am

I think that a young girl wearing a skirt is particularly eye-catching. I mean, so often, all we see are girls sporting a lot of leg and very small shorts, right? I think a skirt adds maturity to a girl’s image and makes people go, “Wow.” I wear a lot of skirts, because I dress to teach; but I am very interested in seeing how things go later in the week, and if I really am able to do all my activities… 😉

Don’t forget to take pictures!

  torahgirl wrote @ May 10, 2010 at 8:57 am

torahgirl’s evaluation:
1. how was the experience? great! i love skirts & i’m fortunate to have a whole bunch of them! it takes a little more effort for me to put together an “outfit” with a skirt than with pants, but that kept the challenge interesting. =)

2. any particular stories? last sunday, i went to the quail hollow golf championship. it was 90 degrees out… & i wasn’t sure if i’d be cool and comfortable in a skirt, especially if we sat on the grass, but i was!

3. did skirts affect the way i feel about myself? in general skirts make me feel pretty! & modest. oh, and feminine. =)

4. the way i acted? mmm, i stood a little straighter, kept my knees together, was careful about sitting on the floor.

5. the way i carried myself? definitely was more conscious of looking & acting like a lady.

6. daily activities? yes, my daily activities were in no way hindered by wearing a skirt! i don’t have a lot of outside work, like gardening or farming, but i do like to take walks, and that was no problem. =)

7. how did people respond? mmm, appreciatively, i think. some women, especially ones in the business world, have accepted pants as their standard attire and can’t think “outside the box.” it’s refreshing to see a young lady in a skirt!

8. was i more respected? obviously, there is a big difference between a girl in american eagle jeans & one in a pretty sundress. a dress rightly deserves, and usually receives, a little more respect.

9. did i feel more like a lady? absolutely!!

10. keep wearing skirts, or desperate for pants? i am wearing pants today, in order to answer these questions objectively, but my goal is to wear skirts much more regularly. in fact, i’ll be putting one on this afternoon!

=)

  mashiki wrote @ May 10, 2010 at 9:27 am

How was the experience for you? Fabulous – it felt good to challenge myself like this.

Any particular stories? Let’s just say there was some surprisingly windy weather this week I wasn’t expecting… 😉

Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way you felt about yourself? I felt more girly and ready for spring and summer! There are so many cute skirt/dress options in warmer seasons. I love it!

The way you acted? Probably a bit more like a lady than usual.

The way you carried yourself? Well I TRIED for grace and charm but with that wind…

Were you able to go about everyday activity as freely as pants? Actually, no. I lead a somewhat active lifestyle (gardening, fitness, swimming, etc) and skirts were not always my favorite (or most modest) choice.

How did people respond? They loved! Who doesn’t like a gal in a skirt?

Were you more respected? Hmmm. Perhaps.

Did you feel more like a lady? ABSOLUTELY! I felt so pretty just running errands in a skirt! It made the mundane seem special.

I’m going to make an effort to wear my dresses and skirts when I’m going out or seeing people; parties, shopping, social gatherings, etc. But I think I’ll stick to my shorts for gardening. =]

  eshetkayil wrote @ May 10, 2010 at 11:09 am

How was my experience? You know, it really wasn’t bad at all. Wait – that didn’t sound right. I mean, it was absolutely fine. 🙂

Any particular stories? Hmmm…well…like mashiki said – it’s a little tough walking around on a windy day, if you’re wearing an around-knee-length skirt. :-O

Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way I felt about myself? Not really. Although, I’ve always thought I look better in a skirt, rather than shorts or pants. Bu that’s probably beside the point. -wink-

The way I acted? Oh, absolutely. I couldn’t sit down on concrete, because my skirt would pill. Definitely made a difference.

The way I carried myself? No, not really. I try to carry myself in a ladylike manner, whether I’m wearing a skirt or not (Squicciarini Etiquette Rule #16).

Able to do my everyday activities? Since I didn’t go cycling or ride horseback or climb mountains, yes! 😀

Responses? Not a one.

More respected? I noticed absolutely no difference in the way I was treated. But then, I very rarely notice things anyway. So maybe I was more respected. After all, that’s probably the reason I wear skirts/dresses to teach, right?

Feel more like a lady? Is it possible to NOT feel more like a lady when dressed like one?

After the challenge: I like my shorts for more rigorous activities, and to show the difference between a “teaching” day and a “non-teaching” day. I think skirts are a fantastic feminine statement to make, especially in public. Our whole walk emphasizes being different from the rest of the world; what better venue than clothes to express that?

  cndllighter wrote @ May 10, 2010 at 12:58 pm

How was the experience for you?
It was great!

Any particular stories?
Well not really, but I did take time out of the week to make a dress with my mom and sister, which I have to say was very appropriate considering that I wore it twice. 🙂

Did wearing skirts rather than pants affect the way you felt about yourself?
I suppose I felt more feminine in a way. I was always ready to go out, and I did take the opportunity to go to lunch at a slightly dressier restaurant one day, taking into account that I was already dressed for it. 😉

The way you acted?
Not really.

The way you carried yourself?
I was more aware of the way I sat, stood, did regular day activities, since it definitely takes a degree of skill to sit in a skirt for long periods of time.

Were you able to go about everyday activity as freely as pants?
I like to take a lot of walks, and honestly, walking in a dress or skirt (especially in the wind) is a little difficult. Sitting took a little time to get used to, but nothing too hard or out of the way.

How did people respond?
I got whistled at… 😉

Were you more respected?
Perhaps, although it was never brought to my direct attention.

Did you feel more like a lady?
I would say, yes. I felt a little older, and feminine to be sure.

After the challenge do you desire to keep wearing skirts more regularly, or were you desperate to wear pants again?
I would try, when going out and seeing people, to wear skirts/dresses and dress appropriately – but around the house and doing everyday work/activities, I’ll probably wear pants/shorts. I think a girl can still look like a lady and be feminine without wearing skirts all the time. It definitely adds to it, but it isn’t a requirement. Our attitudes and character are what make us feminine and lady-like. Knowing this, I’ll be more aware of my manners, the way I make decisions, the way I walk out normal everyday stuff, and I do think this “challenge” has made an impression on me.


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