Don't judge a book by it's cover, or lack of

As identified in my last post, Gypsy and Traveller women obey a strict moral code on the inside but what about the outside? What pops into your head when you see these girls?

Immodest, loose, shameless…? Well you’re probably not alone. These are Gypsies and Travellers.

So not to be accused of 'reducing a whole culture to a few crystals, lipstick and a big skirt', I’m not saying that all Gypsy and Traveller females dress like this but there’s certainly no denying that it’s become a common style within the community. The question is, how can people claiming to be moral Christians dress, to what appears to us, so improperly? Can both these individuals obey the same God?

Gypsy girl

Amish girl

Though most strains of Christianity have never officially outlined the ‘Christian’ code of dress, the term ‘Christian modesty’ is often applied. Let’s just say you wouldn’t see a mini skirt or a boob tube in the Virgin Mary’s wardrobe. And why?...

Modesty = spiritual integrity

In a nutshell, skimpy clothes are a ‘temptation’ attracting male attention and inciting immoral, lustful behaviour and a ‘distraction’ from spiritual worship preventing our purpose of seeking God. This understanding is expressed well by Charles Hill, an Ohio church planter, in his article "Butts and Boobs" where he raises worries over skimpy dressing during the summer.

So, in this respect then, Gypsies and Travellers are certainly at odds with Christianity. Especially being so highly strung and not agreeing with sex before marriage why are they wearing clothes their own religion would reject on the basis that it leads to lust? Or aren’t the motives surrounding their dress really that innocent?   

When marriage is the goal and dating is forbidden then you use everything you’ve got to attract a husband, including your appearance.  Therefore, aren’t the Gypsy and Traveller community just condoning this lustful behaviour that the Christian church is so against. Maybe Gypsy girls should adopt the approach taken by other Christian girls through the campaign 'Modest is Hottest'.

Though in all fairness we can’t give this Christian interpretation full credibility as it itself has been labelled as dangerous by presenting the female form as sexual temptation it seems to objectify women as just sexual objects surrounding them in a sense of shame. Arguably then this view isn’t compatible with future gender equality within Christianity, discussed in the earlier post. Are Gypsies and Travellers ahead of their time dressing as a freedom of expression rather that obeying out-dated Christianity?

Extravagance not important

‘It’s all about looking the best’ – declared Cheyenne, a Gypsy, in an episode of ‘Big Fat Gypsy Weddings’

And how is this achieved? LOTS of ‘bling’ and ‘sparkle’. But it’s this extravagance that’s arguably in contradiction to Christian teachings.

‘Also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God’ (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

So is a Christian someone who doesn’t wear jewels and extravagant clothes, which would certainly contradict ‘Gypsy fashion’? It seems more realistic to suggest that like other Christian interpretations of the Bible it’s exactly that, not a literal reading but read to uncover a wider message. The message of this then is that at the very least we shouldn’t place importance on our appearance as a status symbol, rather we should concentrate on the purity of our inner being. So can Gypsy and Traveller females justify their clothing by being so highly strung morally? As 'The Bible says man looks on the outside but God looks at the heart'. So if their hearts are pure and Christian then surely God can forgive their immodest outfits?