02/16/2024
As He faced certain death, Jesus prayed for us, the Body of Christ, to be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:21). Sadly, our unity is compromised when we’re so quick to look down upon each other as backslidden over the most trivial of disagreements. I’ve watched millions of Christian women be written off as “just like the world” because of a style of garment they wear (pants). At one point, I wrote them off too. I wore exclusively skirts for the glory of God and they didn't, so I was more spiritually mature... right? If you've used this logic as well, I highly recommend listening to a Christian lady explain her motives/reasons behind wearing pants for herself.
Here’s your chance:
1. I wear pants because Scripture never teaches that men and women shouldn’t wear the same *kind* of garment.
If it did, Christian women couldn’t wear shirts or jackets either. Even if we accept Deut. 22:5 (Jewish law) as applicable for today, we know men and women of that era both wore robes, tunics, sandals, etc.[1] So, at best, the distinctions referenced in Deuteronomy were stylistic. Stylistic distinctions between men and women’s pants exist clearly today. (No man I know would ever wear my girly jeans—forget my flowy, mid-calf culottes.) All that aside, God Himself made “coats” (tunics) for both Adam and Eve—the same *kind* of garment, even if there was stylistic differences. (Gen. 1:21)
2. I wear pants because they are not inherently men’s apparel.
The first preserved pants in history date to 1200 - 900 BC and they were found in the burial sites of both men and women. [2] Even if new evidence appeared that proved pants were designed for men first, so were shirts, T-shirts, tennis shoes, nylon stockings, hoodies, and much more. Even skirts were originally invented for men. [3] It's true, the Bible only mentions “breeches” in reference to priestly (men's) attire, but biblical breeches were a modesty garment closer akin to underwear (“loins” to “thigh” “to cover their nakedness” Ex. 28:42)—surely, God had no intention of banning women's undergarments.
3. I wear pants because the New Testament never teaches that separation from the world comes through clothing.
Instead we read, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” - John 13:35. Sure, there will be some trending clothing that isn’t appropriate, but will Christians be the only people refusing to wear it? No. We will always be the only people with Christ living in us and loving through us.
4. I wear pants because the Early Church also did not find their separation from the world through clothing.
Here’s a quote from circa 200 AD, “For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe... Following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life... They love all men, and are persecuted by all... They are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life;” —The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, Chapter 5 [4]
5. I wear pants because I support the first-wave women’s rights movement which helped usher them into Western culture.
“Guilty by association“ is a logical fallacy, but even if it wasn't, the initial women's rights movement is nothing to be ashamed of. It was all about women having the right to vote, work, and go to college. The early Holiness Movement did a great deal to push these goals forward. For example, a Wesleyan Methodist church hosted the first women's rights convention [5], and a then-Holiness college was the first to admit women. [5]
6. I wear pants for practical and safety reasons.
I’ve skied in a skirt and fallen flat on my face. I’ve biked in a skirt and gotten it caught in the chains. I've gone out in the snow in a skirt and frozen my legs. 3,000 years ago, pants were invented for men and women’s for practical reasons. Millennia later, they were re-introduced to men’s clothing for practical reasons, and when women began to bike and work in factories, they were also re-introduced to women's clothing for practical reasons—safety and warmth included. [6]
7. I wear pants because my femininity does not come from clothing.
Some say, “Skirts are more feminine than pants; to embrace your femininity you need to choose the most feminine option.” That's just an opinion, but by that logic, couldn't we claim pink is more feminine than blue? Lace is more feminine than straight edges? Cotton is more feminine than jean (designed for male miners)? At the end of the day, I don't need a skirt to show I'm a lady. I need to talk like a lady, walk like a lady, and act like a lady.
8. I wear pants in order to stay modest in all circumstances.
I’ve swam in a skirt, played sports in a skirt, rode horses in a skirt, and climbed rocks and ladders in a skirt. I‘ve also had more moments of accidental indecency that I care to remember. Let’s be honest, the only way to ensure modesty while active in a skirt—especially when a harness is involved—is to wear tight pants (leggings) underneath. Personally, I’m more comfortable covered by pants than by leggings.
9. I wear pants to be authentic.
For years, I knew there was nothing wrong with wearing women's pants, but I didn't wear them out of respect for other people's opinions. Unintentionally, I led people to believe that I was also in the camp that pants are “heaven or hell.” When I corrected this, some Holiness Christians became very upset with me believing I had been deceitful. I received threats/warnings about what would happen if I didn't change my belief. I then realized I hadn't been wearing exclusively skirts out of respect but out of fear. Pressure and shaming weren't good enough reasons to change my belief, so in the interest of authenticity, I began wearing pants, as well as skirts and dresses.
10. I wear pants because my holiness comes from Christ alone.
Holiness is not something that can be earned through extra-strict appearances or extra-biblical rules. Holiness comes through relationship with Jesus. If my Savior hasn’t shown me, not through His Word and not through walking with Him, that He would be pleased for me to wear exclusively skirts, then I have no reason to believe that doing so would gain me favor with God. (Heb. 12:10, Rom. 3:22-27)
11. I wear pants for the glory of God.
On matters that aren’t clearly taught on in scripture, Christians are going to disagree, and that’s okay. Paul discusses this in Romans 14, and concludes that we must each study/decide for ourselves (v. 5), we must not despise or judge one another (v. 3, 10), and, no matter what we choose, we must do so in honor to the Lord (v. 5-9). We’re commanded, “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31.) I’ve chosen to wear pants, so I will do so for the glory of God. If you’ve chosen to only wear skirts, great! I respect your decision and say, “Then only wear skirts, and do so for the glory of God.” May Christ be honored through our unity! (John 17:20-23)
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Thank you for sharing this post! For a more in-depth look at this topic, please check out our website articles:
https://bereanholiness.com/can-women-wear-pants/
https://bereanholiness.com/the-problem-with-pants/
References:
1. The Kregel Pictorial Guide to sharing Everyday Life in Bible Times, Tim Dowley, 4-5.
2. “Who Invented Trousers?” Adrienne More, 29. https://www.academia.edu/8737411/Who_Invented_Trousers
3. Ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian & Persian Costume, Mary G. Houston, Chapter 1.
4. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, Chapter 5, https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07131b.htm
5. Historical Dictionary of the Holiness Movement, William Kostlevy, 188, 318. See also: https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/the-first-womens-rights-convention.htm
6. Bikes and Bloomers: Victorian Women Inventors and Their Extraordinary Cycle Wear, Kat Jungnickel, 4.
