In a message dated 8/17/2004 2:18:52 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< I agree with you that the practice probably started out for practical
reasons.
 For Christian women who practice it today, it is purely relgious and they all
 use the same justification for it - submission to men. >>

Deb, I'm not going to argue about this *too* much because you're right that
"submission to men" (or, more accurately, to "a" man, a husband) is part of the
rationale or theory behind what I called a "religious injunction."  The
passages at the sites you mention make this clear, but they also explain how the
symbolism of head coverings for women relates to a complex theological argument.
 I just think that "submission to men" is a simplistic reduction of a
religious rule and tradition.  The Christian tradition of head coverings for women is
both culturally and biblically based, so I think that my phrase "religious
injunction" is more accurate and neutral than "submission to men" from a
descriptive standpoint, and I think most Christian women who use head coverings would
not in fact justify it as a sign of "submission to men" but rather as a sign
of submission to God.  That a married woman would understand that her veil or
head covering also implies submission to her husband is not equivalent to a
generic submission to men.  I don't believe unmarried women, without a husband
to be submissive to, would say their veil or covering is a sign of submission
to men in general.  I think that constitutes an unwarranted extra spin.  It's a
question of emphasis.

But getting back to wearing hats outdoors, by either sex--it seems to me that
the most basic function of a hat, from time immemorial, has been for
protection from the elements--to impart warmth in winter and shade in summer.  When
men and women in Christian Europe and America came indoors where protection was
not an issue, it was only natural, in accordance with long cultural tradition,
reinforced by the biblical notion of a clear symbolic display of the
differences between the sexes, that men would take their hats off and women would keep
theirs on.  Of course, a visit to any comprehensive art museum will confirm
that men often did in fact wear hats indoors, and you realize that you're also
dealing with the vagaries and complexities of fashion.  (I'm tempted to say
fashion rears its ugly head.)  And to answer my own previous question about
baseball caps, it's obvious that men wear them indoors nowadays as a fashion
statement.

There's ample material available for fascinating, detailed dissertations in
hat history over the ages.  But I don't think the fundamental reasons for
wearing or not wearing headgear--protection, religious symbolism, fashion, etc.,
are any great mystery.

Why did men take their hats off when they came indoors?  Same reason I do--in
a comfortable room I don't need or want to wear a hat.

David Haberstich

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).