2446 The lure of the kurta

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Michel de Montaigne: “Life in itself is neither good nor evil,
it is the place of good and evil, according to what you make it.”

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Another blogger (you know who you are...) mentioned having worn a beautiful sparkly kurta to a sort of country-style old-time-religion-y event, and seemed to have caused quite a stir among the other very plainly dressed women there. Their reaction confused me. I often feel like I'm dressed "wrong", too, even though what I'm wearing is chaste and good, and I'm seldom sure why. I had to think about it a while.

I think it has to do with sin. Fundamental types get all upset about sin.

To sin is bad. But to tempt another into sin is worse.

To feel envy is a sin. To cause another to feel envy is a worse sin.

I suspect the other women were envious, and to them it was a bad thing, and it was blamed on the lure of the kurta.

Likewise, to lust is a sin. To tempt another to lust is a worse sin, and that's why in older cultures and fundamentalist religions, women either cover their hair or otherwise make it ugly, and wear concealing clothing.

And that's why my mother wanted me to cut my hair when I became an "adult".
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