Extreme Modesty Mother Load!

[Sola]

Oh, thanks! I have no idea what "tzniut" means (some kind of Jewish thing?), but I like some of those skirts. :)

Some of the modern, westernised Muslim online clothes stores have long skirts too. There's one called Shukr that sells some nice skirts. They've actually got a post Eid sale on at the moment and have really slashed their prices. I'm an ankle length skirt person. My two favourites are my ankle length denim one ala Duggar style and my ankle length prairie style skirt of many colours. But I guess I'm a bit of a hippy at heart :)

[Lainey]

Wow, I thought I was the only one! My friends used to tease me and call my look "Benazir Bhutto chic". Let's be BFFs, we can swap scarves <3

Haha, okay! :D Just to be clear, I usually don't wear anything on my head. But when I do (I went through a "kerchief" phase), I like it.

And I like the feeling of long skirts. Always have.

[Lainey]

Some of the modern, westernised Muslim online clothes stores have long skirts too. There's one called Shukr that sells some nice skirts. They've actually got a post Eid sale on at the moment and have really slashed their prices. I'm an ankle length skirt person. My two favourites are my ankle length denim one ala Duggar style and my ankle length prairie style skirt of many colours. But I guess I'm a bit of a hippy at heart :)

Oooh, thanks! I like some of those. I wish they had a little more colour, but I do like some of them. Those dresses look comfy...

[LilMissMetaphor]

Mother LODE.

Carry on.

[Kaylee]

I think Kate's Mercantile seems more of a "costumey" place... but I could be wrong.

Nope, they're definitely an everyday modest clothing shop. I have several dresses and skirts an a few tops I bought from them. They use different seamstresses, so the quality can vary, but it's usually pretty good.

They are more affordable than places like King's Daughters or Lilies' and actually carry tall skirts and 2-3x dresses that will fit me. The only weird thing is you can email for a list of what's in stock and they will describe the dresses (colors/pattern, collar & waist style) in your size, but there's no actual photo of the dress or fabric used.

Another place to check for petticoats & ankle length skirts is recollections.biz - it's geared more to re-enactors, but is very good quality and they have some pretty nice outfits. Some are on the pricey side, but they always have sales and they have some pretty things. Again though, most of the fabrics are going to be solid or floral calicos, but they may be able to make something different if you email and ask - most places like this will make any of their designs in your own fabric.

[Guest Anonymous]

With all the big baggy jumpers why do they need maternity wear??? Am I missing something??

[Deleted08]

I wear bloomers lol! Actually I have normal panties but due to a health problem they hurt. Bloomers keep pressure off my bits so they're handy when I'm not going commando lol.

I like some of the styles of dress but meh to all the cape dresses etc. I love prarie skirts and empire waist dresses alot but I love wearing pants whenever I want as well :D.

[Lady Elaine]

aponderingheart.com/blog/?p=3753

She also doesn't shave her legs or armpits, among other things. Causes too much stress on the body.

[AnnoDomini]

The first thing i noticed was the 'Gentlemen, please take warning, this is a ladies' post' sentence--as if modesty applies to women only!

[clibbyjo]

Lainey, you better check Goodwill!! I got all my long skirts(which are many) from there!

[bananacat]

I also like nightgowns - the uglier the better. On some weekend days I'll spend all day inside reading or relaxing, and never even bother getting dressed. So uglier sleepwear feels more comfortable to me, because there's no way I'll be tempted to leave to go to 7-11 like I would if I were wearing sweatpants or some other pjs that could pass for "real" clothes.

I do wear regular pajamas, but I also like long, flowy nightgowns that feel like I'm basically wearing nothing with just a sheet draped over me. I once found a hideous caftan at Goodwill and I was so excited. But I wouldn't buy from this site of questionable quality when I can buy from catalogs or stores that I know are good quality and also won't be giving money to fundies. I also wouldn't buy from this site because I hate high necklines in nightgowns because I will strangle myself when I sit down and then I have to stand up and re-adjust.

[synchroswimr]

I have purchased from Shukr before and the skirts are nice, but VERY long. I shortened them to make them ankle-length.

[emmiedahl]

If you want modest and colourful, look for Middle Eastern and Indian clothing shops. Most of the outfits come with long scarves/shawls as well. You can either use them to cover your hair OR as a coordinating baby sling. I like to cover my hair as well; I don't think there is a morality issue with it but I have thin hair.

[formerlyfundie]

Are baby girls always required to wear dresses, too?!

Yes, unless it is a little footed onesie or something like that, which are not encouraged to wear out of the home because they are considered pajamas. I used to put pants under my daughter's skirts/dresses for ~modesty's sake because I was told once that women of any age can cause a man to sin. :shock: I feel horrible now because as much as I wanted to take my daughter out in just a onesie this summer (IT WAS SO HOT!) I always had a skirt or some bottom on her, she must have been burning up :cry: .

[HowRude]

I would not like to be seen in these clothes during the daylight but the night gowns I like. I just sort of feel bad for these kids while we did not have much control over what we wore as children we did not have to wear this.

[emmiedahl]

This was one of the things that confused me when I first became a member of FJ because my ultra-Orthodox haredi Jewish friends dress babies like babies (onesies, jammies, or even in just a diaper if the situation demands it) and also wear normal swim and ski attire, although mixed bathing is an issue with some Jews once the child gets older.

The modesty rules are much less important with younger children because no one is looking at them as a sex object unless they are fucked-up pedophiles. The idea that the sight of a roly baby thigh could turn a man on is abhorrent and disgusting. I can't believe some religions would make that a foundation of modesty laws.

Even if you have high standards for modesty, you don't have to make your children uncomfortable or dress them like circus freaks. A loose shirt and a normal skirt do just fine and then people aren't staring at you. I gained weight with my fifth and dress ultra-modestly just because no one wants to see my body right now TYVM and I still don't look like Carolyn Ingalls.

[mirele]

This was one of the things that confused me when I first became a member of FJ because my ultra-Orthodox haredi Jewish friends dress babies like babies (onesies, jammies, or even in just a diaper if the situation demands it) and also wear normal swim and ski attire, although mixed bathing is an issue with some Jews once the child gets older.

The modesty rules are much less important with younger children because no one is looking at them as a sex object unless they are fucked-up pedophiles. The idea that the sight of a roly baby thigh could turn a man on is abhorrent and disgusting. I can't believe some religions would make that a foundation of modesty laws.

Even if you have high standards for modesty, you don't have to make your children uncomfortable or dress them like circus freaks. A loose shirt and a normal skirt do just fine and then people aren't staring at you. I gained weight with my fifth and dress ultra-modestly just because no one wants to see my body right now TYVM and I still don't look like Carolyn Ingalls.

Caroline Ingalls dressed more fashionably than these ladies! She tight-laced so she could show off her tiny waist. (I remember that from the Little House books and tried to figure out how big her waist would be if Charles Ingalls could put his hands around it.)

[moreorlessnu]

Caroline Ingalls dressed more fashionably than these ladies! She tight-laced so she could show off her tiny waist. (I remember that from the Little House books and tried to figure out how big her waist would be if Charles Ingalls could put his hands around it.)

Ah yes! Pa said he could span Ma's waist with his hands when they were first married...

[ems]

This place is in the town where my uncle used to live (near Rochester/the Finger Lakes region of NY). I never go up there any more, but if I'm in the area again I need to check it out! My guess would be Mennonite, but yeah, pretty crazy.

[ems]

I do have a question about this type of modesty. Because when I look at them all I see is their clothing- not their face or their covered hair- I'm staring right at the body. Now the Duggars say that your face and countenance (gag) are supposed to be the focal point that others notice when they see you and not their body- so that's why they always have "perfectly" coiffed aqua net hair and and have on a lot of make up. And for the most part, I have to say, it kind of works for them because I usually just focus on their face and my eyes aren't really pulled down to their outfit unless I'm thinking about it. But that is SO not what happens when I see these extreme frumper lovers who wear no makeup and dress in sacks devoid of color and shape. So do they think it's a sin to try and make yourself look attractive in any way? Is the goal to look as sexless as possible? Why do they want their particular brand of modesty to stand out so much from the norm that they almost become parodies instead of being taken at all seriously? There's just so much variation among the fundies and I'm wondering how they got to where they are within the scope of modesty.

With these types of fundies, the Mennonite-looking ones, it actually does seem that their goal is looking "plain," ala the Amish. Of course it doesn't work, because they are living somewhat in the "real world" rather than in an Amish community, and so they just stand out and draw attention to themselves. Not very modest. But a lot of them seem to take pride in how "set apart" they are.

[dormouse]

One person admitted to liking their nightgown, now it's my time to fess up: I kind of like the swimsuit. I'm pear-shaped, I have cellulite, and even the most modest "mainstream" tankini or skirtini shows the thighs. Their swimsuit looks pretty much like my everyday clothes (knee-lenght skirt, black t-shirt). But this is exactly why I wouldn't actually get it: swimming in what looks like regular clothes would draw way more attention than my pasty thighs in, say, a black one-piece.

[liltwinstar]

I think that the modesty rules for babies/children is more about training them to behave in a certain way, to wear certain types of clothes, etc - it's not about "modesty" necessarily. Just about training them to wear dresses all the time and "act like ladies" (blech). Back when my mom used to read the fundie magazines/books, that was the argument anyway - "dress your baby in a dress and bloomers from birth and she won't rebel and wear jeans when she's 13!!!"

I don't remember reading anything that said "dress your babies in bloomers to keep the pedophiles away." I know some people say stuff like that now, but back then (20ish years ago), it was about child training for future modesty, if that makes sense.

[Beeks]

I sort of love the baby bloomers. Good thing my babies are boys or I'd be tempted to buy them!

[emmiedahl]

I like then too! Most dresses come with them anyway. I just don't like being forced to do anything, which is basically what fundamentalism does.

[cate]

This place is 40 minutes away from me. I haven't encountered any super-modest-weird-clothing fundies here, but I've never actually been to Mt Morris...

We have a lot less Mormons than I'd expect for the area, too, considering it's where Joseph Smith found his magic plates and all.