Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants of any kind? I always see references to not wearing tight pants but very little on the actual subject of whether pants are wrong, immodest, or a man’s clothing. The Bible teaches that there is to be a definite distinction between the dress of men and women, but if a man and woman are standing side by side and both have on blue jeans and a t-shirt, is it enough of a distinction just because she bought hers in the women’s clothing section and they are “cut” for a woman’s figure?<\/p>\n\t
The Israelites were told, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 22:5). From this, we understand that there is to be a distinction between men and women’s clothing. However, the style of clothing is not specified. In the days of Israel, the dress of men and women was basically the same: tunic, robe, and cloak, but they differed in cut and styling. See Ancient Hebrew Clothing<\/a><\/em>\u00a0for several good illustrations.\u00a0Clothes in the Ancient World<\/a> gives greater detail. Neither men nor women wore pants.<\/p>\n For Christians, Paul states, “In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing<\/i>” (I Timothy 2:9). The Greek word\u00a0kosmois<\/i>, translated here as “modest,” refers to clothing that is neat, orderly, or appropriate to the occasion. In other words, showing up at a wedding looking like you are just about to clean the bathroom would not be “modest apparel.” The Greek word sophrosune<\/i>, translated here as “moderation,” means that in selecting an outfit, a person is of sound mind, using self-control and good judgment, and is moderate. What is being asked of Christians is that we do not stand out in a crowd because of our choice of attire. So long as current fashions match the standards of propriety set forth in the Scriptures, we adapt. We wouldn’t be the trendsetters in the group; in fact, as a rule, Christians will tend to dress a bit conservatively, but then we are not seeking attention because of our attire. Once again, there is no mention of pants versus skirts.<\/p>\n I recall a controversy over women wearing pantsuits in my teenage years. The argument ended when one brother asked another if he would wear what one of the sisters had worn at the last gathering. “Of course not!” was the answer. She had on a pink suit with a rose embroidered on the back. That answer settled it because there was a distinction even though the overall rough style was similar.<\/p>\n Yes, in modern society, forces are pushing for commonality between men’s and women’s attire. It doesn’t mean we have to go along with it. If the casual outfit calls for something on the order of jeans and tee-shirts, then select a shirt that looks masculine or feminine, depending on your gender. Avoid overly tight shirts that display the contours of the body or skimpy items that give revealing glimpses of skin that should be covered. While jeans are somewhat similar, distinctions are still being made in cuts. Men tend to wear baggier jeans these days, and you can still find women’s jeans with decorative trim. Christian men ought to avoid jeans that are so baggy that they give revealing glimpses of what they are wearing underneath or that threaten to fall down if they are not carefully held up. Women should avoid jeans that are so tight that every curve of the body is revealed.<\/p>\n When it gets to the point that people see two people from the back and guess which one is male and which female, we do not distinguish attire.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: Is it wrong for a Christian woman to wear pants of any kind? I always see references to not wearing tight pants but very little on the actual subject of whether pants are wrong, immodest, or a man’s clothing. The Bible teaches that there is to be a definite distinction between the dress of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[697,208,366,365],"class_list":["post-5041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-attire","tag-clothing","tag-dress","tag-modesty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":61155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-for-women-to-wear-some-items-of-mens-clothing\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong for women to wear some items of men’s clothing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Sometimes when I'm at home I'll wear some of my husband's clothes because they're very comfortable for lounging (basketball shorts, t-shirts, things like that). I'll also wear his basketball shorts outside in the yard when I'm playing with the kids, once again because they're very comfortable and also much\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19279,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/must-a-woman-dress-plainly-or-wear-a-covering-at-all-times\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":1},"title":"Must a woman dress plainly or wear a covering at all times?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a head-covering lady and a modest dresser. I see that you have links to different head covering sites\u00a0for ordering them.\u00a0 Do your ladies wear them all the time or just for church and praying? Also, about modesty: Are their dresses or skirts plain or with prints? Do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7415,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-the-bible-say-about-wearing-pants-low\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":2},"title":"What does the Bible say about wearing pants low?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 9, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What do the Scriptures say about guys and girls wearing pants below their backside? Answer: You won't find a direct passage because the style of dress in biblical days is quite different from modern times. However, you can find numerous guidelines which help us understand what is and is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/09\/sagging-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":43389,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-yoga-pants-bikinis-and-short-shorts-immoral\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":3},"title":"Are yoga pants, bikinis, and short shorts immoral?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 18, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Are yoga pants, bikinis, and short shorts immoral? Most women in my area wear these, even pastors' wives, so it confuses me greatly because I feel sometimes like they're immodest and that I should avert my eyes. Answer: They can be immoral. When clothing no longer hides a person's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18946,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-find-the-boxer-style-for-undergarments-more-modest-but-how-do-i-avoid-the-prohibition-on-cross-dressing\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":4},"title":"I find the boxer style for undergarments more modest, but how do I avoid the prohibition on cross-dressing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read\u00a0the article on modest dress in the Bible and agree whole-heartedly. There are a few points that I would like to clarify and ask your opinion on, however. Please bear with me. Does the verse from Deuteronomy 22:5 refer also to \"under\" garments? I have found that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":10883,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-pants-earrings-makeup-or-reggaeton-music-bad\/","url_meta":{"origin":5041,"position":5},"title":"Are pants, earrings, makeup, or Reggaeton music bad?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Is it a sin for women to wear pants outside of the church but skirts and dresses inside the church? Are earrings and using makeup a sin? Finally, is Christian Reggaeton bad? I know it's a lot of questions, but I was just wondering. Thanks! Answer: In regards\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}