I wear pants to church. I haven't
always. As a fairly typical female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, I found the idea of wearing pants a bit inappropriate. I
thought I was supposed to wear a dress or skirt to church. The turning point
for me was when I realized that I could follow the standards in For the Strength of Youth in
pants.
Under "Sabbath Day Observance," it says, "Your...dress on the Sabbath should show
respect for the Lord and His holy day." For years, I understood
this to mean that I ought to wear a dress all day, not just to church.
I tend to avoid wearing dresses. I
think the last time I wore a dress for something other than a church-related
reason was when I was a bridesmaid in 2007. In spite of that, I would dutifully
wear a dress to church each week. I would often change into pants after church,
but that line in For the Strength of
Youth haunted me, and I would feel a bit guilty for it.
Then I had an epiphany. As I was
changing from my dress into pants after church one Sunday, I realized that I
could change into slacks (as opposed to my normal jeans or yoga pants) and
still show respect for the Lord's holy day that way. And there it was: I can be
dressed up in pants.
I don't often have occasion outside
of church to dress up, but when I do, I wear pants. Dates with my husband top
the list of reasons for me to dress up, and when I really want to look good for
him, I curl my hair and maybe put on a little makeup. And then I wear pants.
When I was job hunting, I wore pants to interviews. When I interned on Madison
Avenue in Manhattan, I wore pants. And if I were to meet the queen of England
or receive the Nobel Prize, I think I'd wear pants. Unless there were a dress
code that required me to wear a dress, I just don't see many situations where
I'd choose to wear a dress. (Formal dances and my wedding are the exceptions
that come to mind, but, in those cases, the dresses were more about feeling like a
princess than showing respect.) (And I did wear jeans to the open house celebrating my wedding at my parents' house, and I only changed into a dress from the slacks I'd been wearing for the open house in my husband's home state at my father-in-law's request.)
As it
turns out, there isn't a dress code that requires me to wear a dress to church.
In the Ensign in July 1971--more than 40 years ago--there was a
statement on women’s and girls’ dress issued by the First Presidency and the
Council of the Twelve that said, “The Church has not attempted to indicate just how
long women’s or girls’ dresses should be nor whether they should wear pant
suits or other types of clothing. We have always counseled our members to be
modest in their dress, maintaining … standards … [that] would not be embarrassing
to themselves and to their relatives, friends, and associates. We have advised
our people that when going to the temple they should not wear slacks or
mini-skirts, nor otherwise dress immodestly. We have not, however, felt it wise
or necessary to give instructions on this subject relative to attendance at our
church meetings, although we do feel that on such occasions they should have in
mind that they are in the house of the Lord and should conduct themselves
accordingly.”
(I only
recently came across this quote, and I have to admit to some chagrin. I have
worn pants to the temple, but since reading this quote, I have always worn dresses.)
And so culture, it seems, is the reason women wear dresses to church.
I don't
consider myself a feminist, and I certainly don't want to be ordained to the
Priesthood. My reasons for wearing pants to church are different than those of
the group who organized Wear Pants to Church Day. I appreciate that women have started saying
prayers at General Conference. I'm thrilled that women are able to serve as
full time missionaries at 19. I think it would be great if there were parity
between the boys/young men’s and girls/young women’s budgets and activities and
camps. (Seriously, I love the idea of a high adventure for girls.) But even
without considering any of these things, I have always felt loved and valued as
a daughter of God, and, honestly, before other women started these
conversations, I never even thought of these issues.
But I
appreciate the conversations they have started, and I'd like to chime in. Wearing
a pair of dress pants to church is just as respectful as wearing a dress. In
fact, I think a nice pair of slacks is more
appropriate than some casual dresses or skirts that many women don’t even think
twice about wearing to church. And wearing pants to church doesn’t have to mean
a woman is making some sort of radical statement; it can simply mean that she
chooses to wear pants. And that’s okay.
Whether
we choose to wear a dress or pants, we should always keep in mind what Jeffrey
R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, so eloquently said: "We used to speak of 'best dress' or 'Sunday
dress,' and maybe we should do so again. In any case, from ancient times to
modern we have always been invited to present our best selves inside and out
when entering the house of the Lord—and a dedicated LDS chapel is a 'house of
the Lord.' Our clothing or footwear need never be expensive, indeed should not
be expensive, but neither should it appear that we are on our way to the beach.
When we come to worship the God and Father of us all and to partake of the
sacrament symbolizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we should be as comely and
respectful, as dignified and appropriate as we can be. We should be
recognizable in appearance as well as in behavior that we truly are disciples
of Christ, that in a spirit of worship we are meek and lowly of heart, that we
truly desire the Savior’s Spirit to be with us always."
If we
truly are disciples of Jesus Christ and our appearance manifests that in our
"best dress," I propound that it doesn't much matter whether that
best dress is a dress or pants.
Update 11/12/15
I have come to realize that my disdain for wearing dresses is closely tied to the temperature. I get cold easily, and dresses don't do much to keep me warm when it is chilly. Also, feeling free from the constraints of "having" to wear a dress every week, I've found that I don't mind them as much as I used to. And so I sometimes still wear dresses to church, or, newly, on dates with my husband, who, as it turns out, sometimes likes me to wear a dress. But either way, I'm still not trying to make a radical statement. Sometimes (especially when it's cold) I simply choose to wear pants to church.
I have come to realize that my disdain for wearing dresses is closely tied to the temperature. I get cold easily, and dresses don't do much to keep me warm when it is chilly. Also, feeling free from the constraints of "having" to wear a dress every week, I've found that I don't mind them as much as I used to. And so I sometimes still wear dresses to church, or, newly, on dates with my husband, who, as it turns out, sometimes likes me to wear a dress. But either way, I'm still not trying to make a radical statement. Sometimes (especially when it's cold) I simply choose to wear pants to church.
