Olivia Advises Us on Modest Concealed Carry Fashions

[ThatSnark]

Well, this is a new one. Olivia of Fresh Modesty has re-designed her blog, and as part of her design reveal, she has shared her monthly posting calendar. Most of her planned rotating topics are familiar, like the church wear, dressing down skirts, etc. But a nifty new feature is upcoming for September 22: Concealed Carry Outfits!

"I know a lot of women who would like to conceal carry a gun for safety, but are having trouble finding modest outfits and holsters that work with their build/petite frame and fashion sense. I’m currently working with T.Rex Arms to develop some super practical women’s holsters and solve some of the problems that we have as women trying to conceal."

This post has 75+ replies, many of whom are super-excited about this new feature, because it's the same thing that's been plaguing them-- just how do you dress cute and modest while packing heat? :shock:

Really? This is a thing? I live in the South, but in a more urban area, and I had no idea young women were having wardrobe issues around where to strap their gun holsters, but have a look: freshmodesty.blogspot.com/2014/09/whats-up-fresh-modesty-refreshed.html

[MissA]

I'm not a gun person myself but I have several female friends who have permits to carry concealed because this is Colorado and it is our thing, apparently. (sarcastic yays go here) They all just put the gun in their purse. Flexible, convenient, allows you to wear whatever-the-eff you feel like.

It seems like "modest dressing" would make it easier to wear a holster than otherwise. Plain old ankle holsters would work fine under long skirts. If you want to dress really immodestly and hide a gun it seems like that would be much more difficult.

[ThatSnark]

Miss A, I think you put the finger on why this doesn't sit well with me-- of course it's harder for the tank-top, Daisy-Duke wearing young lady to conceal than the long skirts and no cleavage crowd. This looks a lot more like Olivia doing virtual gun-waving than actually showing how a gun is not visible under long skirts.

Also, I'm having a hard time reconciling this need for protection with their beliefs that God/Daddy/Husband are put here for their protection. Jesus is love and peace, not guns and shooting, right? :think:

[TrueRebel1]

Concealed carrying is definitely a popular thing in my area! (Pacific NW) There are locals selling concealed carry purses, etc. all the time. I don't know that it's as much about truly feeling the need for protection, as it's about feeling the need to exercise the right to carry.

That is an interesting point about concealed carrying not really going along with the "daddy will protect me" thing. I knew a fundie family who, even though the dad and boys were into hunting and target practice with guns, they never let the girls shoot, because it was too un-feminine and independent.

[Anny Nym]

{L_OFFTOPIC} :

Just dropping by to say, today I learned that a "concealed carry purse" is a real thing.

[Brightonbelle]

I was going to start a thread on this but I'm not allowed yet! I had no idea about concealed carrying, and being from the UK where most people have never laid eyes on a real gun let alone used or owned one, the thought of this being a 'thing' genuinely terrifies me.

[FakePigtails]

I was going to start a thread on this but I'm not allowed yet! I had no idea about concealed carrying, and being from the UK where most people have never laid eyes on a real gun let alone used or owned one, the thought of this being a 'thing' genuinely terrifies me.

If that's scary, imagine trying to figure out what to do when you have family who carry (some likely in purses) and you want to have kids. I have some time before that's an issue but boy do I dread dealing with it.

[Brightonbelle]

If that's scary, imagine trying to figure out what to do when you have family who carry (some likely in purses) and you want to have kids. I have some time before that's an issue but boy do I dread dealing with it.

I can't imagine. My son is five and I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that it'll likely never even be on his radar.

[ladyamylynn]

I can't imagine. My son is five and I can't begin to tell you how glad I am that it'll likely never even be on his radar.

You're going to LOVE this post. :roll: As usual, Kim takes a flying leap past crazy into outright insanity.

inashoe.com/2012/02/how-to-choose-new-gun-for-woman/

[Emme]

You're going to LOVE this post. :roll: As usual, Kim takes a flying leap past crazy into outright insanity.

inashoe.com/2012/02/how-to-choose-new-gun-for-woman/

According to Kim: "Many people believe that the curves of a revolver make them easier to conceal on a woman’s curvy body"... FYI, KIm is "super model" shaped if you ask her commenters, but she carries a revolver.... She's the one who breastfed strapped right? In case a bear came?

[DarkAnts]

I did an Olivia the other day. I wore a knee length dress with jeans. I did it because I did not want to shave but I could see Olivia doing a similar thing in the name of modesty.

Besides, I need pockets!

[JMarie]

I'm troubled by the responses by the under-21 set, who can't wait to get a gun when allowable. Are their lives so unsafe now, what with being unarmed and all?

[FakePigtails]

I'm troubled by the responses by the under-21 set, who can't wait to get a gun when allowable. Are their lives so unsafe now, what with being unarmed and all?

IME (thankfully, a small sample set), they, and key, their parents, really do feel they're at risk enough to require a gun on their person regardless of the actual crime statistics where they live probably because "you can't be too safe." I don't think your average young adult with parents who don't worry excessively about crime would suddenly become obsessed with always carrying for their "safety." Again, among the people I know, the few who are into having guns are the ones with parents who worry constantly about safety even though they live in very safe areas so I honestly blame the parents more for not being more realistic and common-sense about issues of crime and self-defense.

[DGayle]

I'm not a gun person myself but I have several female friends who have permits to carry concealed because this is Colorado and it is our thing, apparently. (sarcastic yays go here) They all just put the gun in their purse. Flexible, convenient, allows you to wear whatever-the-eff you feel like.

I'm a gun person. When tossing their guns in their purses inevitably goes wrong, I hope it hits them instead of an innocent bystander. I don't care how heartless that sounds. Anyone who is SANE when it comes to guns knows you do NOT carry a gun in any way that is not in your total control. Strap it on your back in public? Too easy for someone else to grab it. That's not control. Purse? No control. Holster? That's much more secure.

I'm just stunned though that anyone is throwing guns in their purses. People like that make all people who safely enjoy guns look bad. Thank goodness almost all the gun-owners I know are all very serious about being safe with them. Only a single idiot I know thinks it's okay to walk around with an assault rifle strapped over his shoulder, though he doesn't do it because his wife says she'll divorce him if he does.

[FakePigtails]

I'm a gun person. When tossing their guns in their purses inevitably goes wrong, I hope it hits them instead of an innocent bystander. I don't care how heartless that sounds. Anyone who is SANE when it comes to guns knows you do NOT carry a gun in any way that is not in your total control. Strap it on your back in public? Too easy for someone else to grab it. That's not control. Purse? No control. Holster? That's much more secure.

I'm just stunned though that anyone is throwing guns in their purses. People like that make all people who safely enjoy guns look bad. Thank goodness almost all the gun-owners I know are all very serious about being safe with them. Only a single idiot I know thinks it's okay to walk around with an assault rifle strapped over his shoulder, though he doesn't do it because his wife says she'll divorce him if he does.

I've seen that some companies make special conceal carry purses. Do you know anything about those? My assumption is that they have a separate gun section but no locking mechanism for it.

I'm just terrified of this issue once we have kids (we're trying to conceive now, so these worries are becoming very real things now) because a few of our female relative carry and I know how kids can be nosy buggers. I'm absolutely terrified of my or other kids ending up finding a gun in a purse (special carry purse or no) at a family gathering and, well, it seems each week there's a new story of a child death from a found gun. But given that those relatives are convinced of the need despite very safe settings, they'd likely flip out if we asked that the guns be properly locked up with kids around :(

[FeministShrew]

My super-conservative fundie sister has an expensive leather concealed carry purse. Not sure what good it does, because the gun is not easily accessible at all. She even jokes about how hard/time consuming it would be to get to her gun in an emergency. "Wait, Mr. Shooter/Mugger/Rapist - I have to take my purse off my shoulder, unzip it, unsnap the holster & take the safety off!" So why even carry the thing?

[DGayle]

I've seen that some companies make special conceal carry purses. Do you know anything about those? My assumption is that they have a separate gun section but no locking mechanism for it.

I'm just terrified of this issue once we have kids (we're trying to conceive now, so these worries are becoming very real things now) because a few of our female relative carry and I know how kids can be nosy buggers. I'm absolutely terrified of my or other kids ending up finding a gun in a purse (special carry purse or no) at a family gathering and, well, it seems each week there's a new story of a child death from a found gun. But given that those relatives are convinced of the need despite very safe settings, they'd likely flip out if we asked that the guns be properly locked up with kids around :(

The concealed carry purses have a little pocket in the side, and the purse is made to be shot through if you can't get the gun out fast enough. This isn't safe at all.

In my family, there's no way in hell any of my right-wing gun-nut relatives (I'm not a nut, but I'm related to plenty of people who are) would carry a gun if there is any chance of a kid climbing all over them because that's an accident waiting to happen. My grandpa forbade carrying guns in his house unless it was carrying them to the gun safe, or carrying them outside to go shoot targets.

If your relatives feel the need to carry around your relatives, something's epically fucked up in your family. It may well be those relatives are insane, which is double-fucked because insane people shouldn't be allowed to have guns at all.

[DGayle]

My super-conservative fundie sister has an expensive leather concealed carry purse. Not sure what good it does, because the gun is not easily accessible at all. She even jokes about how hard/time consuming it would be to get to her gun in an emergency. "Wait, Mr. Shooter/Mugger/Rapist - I have to take my purse off my shoulder, unzip it, unsnap the holster & take the safety off!" So why even carry the thing?

You're not actually supposed to pull the gun out since it wastes "precious seconds." Just locate and shoot through the purse. I hope you aren't carrying something that could make the bullet ricochet.

[FakePigtails]

The concealed carry purses have a little pocket in the side, and the purse is made to be shot through if you can't get the gun out fast enough. This isn't safe at all.

In my family, there's no way in hell any of my right-wing gun-nut relatives (I'm not a nut, but I'm related to plenty of people who are) would carry a gun if there is any chance of a kid climbing all over them because that's an accident waiting to happen. My grandpa forbade carrying guns in his house unless it was carrying them to the gun safe, or carrying them outside to go shoot targets.

If your relatives feel the need to carry around your relatives, something's epically fucked up in your family. It may well be those relatives are insane, which is double-fucked because insane people shouldn't be allowed to have guns at all.

Thanks for the information! It's good to hear what other families have done before. Of course I hope my relatives are sane about the issue, but I can't help but be cynical knowing they feel the need to carry despite how safe their surroundings are. And if they're not sane, well, if they need to carry at whatever gathering to be safe I suppose it's too dangerous to take our kid to!

[Walking Cat Bed]

I'm not 100% anti-gun; I'm a military veteran, after all. And while I'm not thrilled about concealed-carry or open-carry laws (mostly because a significant percentage of the more vocal proponents often are more concerned with THEIR RIGHT TO CARRY than the safety of others), it's a current law of the land. We could definitely do with a change in the discourse about it, and possibly some modifications, but it is a current, applicable law.

That said: the idea of concealed-carry modest dress worries me. In part because of the willfully naive personas that the modesty-focused tend to enforce. and the frequent resistance to any change in which weapons can be used and carried by whom under what circumstances. And, well, anyone who is as fearful and suspicious and quietly hateful of those Not Like Them shouldn't have such an easy way to harm someone if they feel "threatened".

[ButterscotchEquinox]

The handgun-in-purse trend is real in my area. I stopped spending time with a few acquaintances because I saw with my own eyes that they carried in purses with their children around. One even brought her concealed carry handgun to the small store we worked in, which was a children's products shop. It scared the hell out of me. She was way too casual about leaving it accessible to the children, IMO. Concealed carry modesty wear concerns me slightly less, as it is strapped to the person's body.