Weirdly familiar hairdos
I've always been interested in the wives of polygamists; I've wondered why they tolerate husbands who won't commit to being faithful while expecting them to. I liked the novel Watch for the Morning by Elisabeth MacDonald, which seems to give a historically accurate view. (The women in the book have mixed feelings about the practice but feel they have no choice about it.)
So of course I was interested when Texas officials recently entered a polygamist compound and removed all the women and children (later letting the women return). The whole country has been gawking at the photos of these women who seem to come from pioneer days. They all seem to be wearing long dresses sewn from two or three 150-year-old patterns. Definitely unusual.
But what I noticed immediately were the hairdos! Everyone else has been commenting on the hair styles, but they're strangely familiar to me. They are exactly like the hairdos of the women in the religion in which I was raised, "The Truth." "The Truth" does not and never has been involved in polygamy, but its standards for women's appearance are frozen in time like those of the Yearning for Zion compound. In fact, members of "The Truth" were called the "Black Stockings" at one time because until the 1940s all the women were required to wear them. The women don't wear makeup, and, like the FLDS (Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), they use the Bible quote about a woman's hair being her crowning glory as the reason for not letting women cut their hair (but for some reason requiring them to pin it up).
See what I mean: Here is an article (with a photo) about the polygamist compound hair and dress styles, and here is another article (with a photo) about Muriel Erickson, a minister in "The Truth." I went to Sunday morning meetings in Muriel's parents' home when I was a girl.
I don't know where I'm going with this entry. I guess I just wanted to comment on learning that I have something in common with a group of people that until now has simply been a curiosity to me. Or at least I had something in common with them until I left home.
So of course I was interested when Texas officials recently entered a polygamist compound and removed all the women and children (later letting the women return). The whole country has been gawking at the photos of these women who seem to come from pioneer days. They all seem to be wearing long dresses sewn from two or three 150-year-old patterns. Definitely unusual.
But what I noticed immediately were the hairdos! Everyone else has been commenting on the hair styles, but they're strangely familiar to me. They are exactly like the hairdos of the women in the religion in which I was raised, "The Truth." "The Truth" does not and never has been involved in polygamy, but its standards for women's appearance are frozen in time like those of the Yearning for Zion compound. In fact, members of "The Truth" were called the "Black Stockings" at one time because until the 1940s all the women were required to wear them. The women don't wear makeup, and, like the FLDS (Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), they use the Bible quote about a woman's hair being her crowning glory as the reason for not letting women cut their hair (but for some reason requiring them to pin it up).
See what I mean: Here is an article (with a photo) about the polygamist compound hair and dress styles, and here is another article (with a photo) about Muriel Erickson, a minister in "The Truth." I went to Sunday morning meetings in Muriel's parents' home when I was a girl.
I don't know where I'm going with this entry. I guess I just wanted to comment on learning that I have something in common with a group of people that until now has simply been a curiosity to me. Or at least I had something in common with them until I left home.
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