Covering hair

The basic reason for any religion requiring a woman to cover her head is because her hair, especially her long hair is considered seductive and therefore it should be covered in case it makes men loose control of themselves.

In art, uncovered flowing her is often used to indicate that a woman is a prostitute or mistress. St Mary Magdalen, often seen as being a prostitute because of the way she washed Christ's feet with special oils and wiped them with her hair, is almost always portrayed in art as having long luxuriant hair.

The pre-raphaelite painter, Holman Hunt used the same image in his painting 'The Awakening Conscience' to indicate that the woman in the picture is a mistress not a wife. artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-awakening-conscience/eAEe8oI1HIMufA?hl=en-GB

I understand that not that long ago Jewish women wore scarves over their hair, when they started using wigs instead of scarves I do not know.

But it is not just Jewish women who cover their hair. Muslim women do and we can see that in our streets daily. It also occurs within Christianity. Nuns always had habits that covered their hair and even now, nuns, wearing ordinry odern dress will wear a veil on an Alice band, which does show some of there hair and Christian women were always expected to cover their heads when going into a church until quite recently.

A lot of Sikh men cover their hair too

Remember that when these traditions started, men made the decisions , women would not have had say or been able to voice an opinion. It was a way to keep female under the control of a society that was run by men for men. I am not anti men in any way honest but when you look at most religions it was definitely misogynistic.

Luckygirl

Religions of all kinds have long been troubled by sex: uncleanliness, women as temptresses, women as unclean, power and ownership by men, control and so it goes on.

Essentially these are ways to prevent women attracting other males; of men asserting their ownership; and are at a fundamental level men's fear of their own sexual drives for which women must take the blame.

I find it all very grim indeed.

Absolutely agree

I agree - in my culture men are taught to take responsibility for their actions.

I really don't care what people do with their hair as long as it is clean, and they conform to hygiene / safety regulations as appropriate.
I have no problem with anyone who wants to cover it, shave it, or whatever they want to do with it. I do have a problem with other people telling them what to do.

I grew up in a strict Baptist family, we always wore hats to chapel and it was explained to me that a women’s hair was her crowning glory and the only glory that should be seen in the house of God was the glory of God. From memory the relevant scripture is in Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians.

Who ever said that hasn't seen my hair.

I think most rules linked to religion are irrational and usually adversely, and disproportionately, affect women. That is why I am not a fan of organised religions, which are usually hierarchical and male-dominated.

I would hope that in due course some of these practices, such as rules relating to women's dress, covering of hair, prohibitions on contraception, separation of women from men in religious settings, taboos surrounding menstruation, etc, etc, will moderate. However, I don't agree with laws being brought in to force people to abandon these practices as I see it as just another form of control.

Many moons ago, when I was doing “O level” religious studies it was explained to us that in the early Christian church Paul had decreed women should cover their heads in church to prevent slaves, who had shaven heads, being embarrassed or made to feel inferior while worshiping.
I have no idea whether this is documented but our teacher was an ordained minister who really knew his subject

Where I live there is a large Orthodox Jewish community. As others have said, the women wear wigs, but they aren't drawn back or particularly drab. Just normal hair appearance wigs. The girls are usually very covered up though, and the older boys wear the usual masculine clothing.

While theirs is religious adherence, I don't really see it as being much different to other groups. The very young working class mothers have a 'uniform' of sorts. As do the middle class 'yummy mummies'. I think I fit firmly into the granny uniform group too.

Luckygirl

Religions of all kinds have long been troubled by sex: uncleanliness, women as temptresses, women as unclean, power and ownership by men, control and so it goes on.

Essentially these are ways to prevent women attracting other males; of men asserting their ownership; and are at a fundamental level men's fear of their own sexual drives for which women must take the blame.

I find it all very grim indeed.

I agree.
Women having to take the blame for men's inability to control themselves.

Many moons ago, when I was doing “O level” religious studies it was explained to us that in the early Christian church Paul had decreed women should cover their heads in church to prevent slaves, who had shaven heads, being embarrassed or made to feel inferior while worshiping.

Paul was a misogynist, wasn't he?

3: But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5: but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled dishonors her head -- it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6: For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her wear a veil. 7: For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8: (For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9: Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.) 10: That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels.
Corinthians

Yep it's a woman's crowning glory. So if you have alopecia totalis (no hair) like me, what is my crowning glory I wonder?

I once read a quote from some presumably olden-days Muslim man, who said, ‘A woman who uncovers her hair might as well go naked.’

I got the impression that the inference was that she’d arouse rabid lust in any man who happened to see her. Assuming he was thinking of young and beautiful, of course, not a well worn old thing, with droopy bosoms and sparse grey hair.

Girls always wore hats to church when I was a young person too and many women wore mantilla.

It’s such a pity that-if the sight of our hair drives men wild (!)-then men should be “controlled” instead!

Absolutely Newquay ! as the bible says “ if they eye offend thee pluck it out”

Or perhaps walk about outside blindfolded

Antwerp has a large Jewish population and the last time DGS and I went to the Zoo there we saw 3 large Jewish family groups. All the Women were wearing identical wigs.
It was a bit creepy and DGS was fascinated.
I wondered if it was a passive protest by the Women, it did look a bit weird.

I agree with the posters who have mentioned women wearing hats in church. Until quite recently no woman would ever be seen in church without a hat or head covering, and I, as a little girl had to wear a hat and gloves to go to church on Sunday morning. Like sodapop my family were Methodists, and as she says, Sunday School in the afternoons was less formal. No hats, but still gloves. Little white cotton ones in the summer, with white canvas toe sandles and little white socks, along with my best Sunday dress. A best winter coat and matching hat in the winter, and gloves too.

An uncle in my family was of the Brethren ( Christian) denomination . The women were not allowed to have short hair until about the 70s I think, and even at a meeting in their own house they had to wear a hat .
Paul would definitely be considered a misogynist today , but I suppose in those days it was a cultural thing and all men were like that.

Seems like another world now doesn't it maddyone

Did you mean the Plymouth Brethren Atqui my birth mother's family belonged to this sect. They appeared not to want any pleasure from life at all. To the day she died her family never knew she had an illegitimate child.

I was looking at two Muslim young women a few days ago they were dressed in complete head to toe black with the face burka on also. They were walking with two other Muslim women and the other two had smart clothing and head coverings, they had two young children with them in summer ordinary clothing.
The women in the burkas must have been warm as it was a lovely day. It is common place now to see these women dressed in burkas on our streets although sometimes I do look at them thinking how dress and what we see as certain normal has changed a lot.

3nanny6, do you mean burka? It is quite unusual to see Burkas in this country link to burka and niqab

sodapop, did you have a relationship with your birth Mother outside of her family? My close friend was Plymouth Brethren but married out, which I'm sure made a difference. Her extended family drifted away from it too and all stayed Christian but Anglican