Chosen Dress for the Chosen People a new look at orthodox fashion by lori goldman You’ve seen them in Hewitt with their multicolored trays, eating the significantly better kosher brownies. You’ve watched them, perhaps in envy, with their yarmulkeladen male friends. You’ve seen them satirized on various blogs donning their infamous and ubiquitous denim skirts. Ah, but the presumed observant Jewish girl’s uniform of UGG boots and souvenir sweatshirts from a year abroad has more significance than what meets the naked eye. Religious Jewish girls must abide by fairly strict modesty guidelines
called tzinut (pronounced tz’nee-oot), which call for specific areas of the body to be covered—namely, everything that falls between the knee, collarbone, and elbow. The idea behind tzniut is that women must dress and present themselves in a modest and appropriate way to society in order to respect and portray moral values. Additionally, these modesty guidelines are meant to prevent any uncomfortable situations sexually, for the covered regions are what some might find stimulating. As anyone could attest to, the way one dresses affects one’s relationships, with one’s peers, professors, or even parents. Thus, Jewish law wants to make sure that women, and men, are taken seriously as moral and intellectual individuals. One observant Jewish girl paralleled tzinut to how one might dress to impress for an interview. A girl would never want a future employer to see her in barely-there clothes, because that kind of outfit does not exude the message that she is competent and hard working. One should dress to fit a part, whether it is professionally for a job, or modestly for society. Tzinut, however, is more than just about modesty and respect. There are very few sartorial pieces that demand positive attention like a tailored men’s inspired suit on a woman, something that is not allowed under this strict interpretation of Jewish law. These dress restrictions are also about creating a sense of community. Just like in other cultures, Jews want to be able to identify “their own.” In other words, the observance of tzinut is a strong bond that the Jewish girls on campus share and it lets them know right away who holds their same religious values. Even with the boundaries that set