Small girls often wear their hair in braids, which do not hang loose but are fastened together around the back of the head. When girls are four years of age, their hair is twisted into rolls and arranged into a bun at the back of the head. Adult women part their hair in the center and also wear it in a bun. Cutting or curling hair, shaving legs, and trimming eyebrows are prohibited because they are viewed as irreverent tampering with God’s creation.
The dresses of little girls button in the back. For dress-up occasions little girls wear a black Schatzli, a little pinafore apron that flows around the dress and matches its length. Church dresses for little girls are solid colors—purple, dark green, dark blue, maroon, pink—covered with a white organdy pinafore.
Adult women close their dresses in the front with snap fasteners or straight pins. Sleeve lengths vary. Younger girls and more liberal women wear shorter skirts, lower necklines, and puffier sleeves. The skirts of older women may touch the tops of their shoes, whereas those of younger girls are often just below the knees. Dresses are usually a solid color of gray, blue, green, purple, or wine. A black dress is worn by adult women to communion services and funerals as well as to other religious services during periods of mourning.
Except for young girls at play, Amish females usually wear aprons over their dresses. A belt sewn at the top of the apron encircles the waist and is fastened with pins. The width of the belt varies from one to four inches; progressive women wear wider ones. A bib apron is often worn by younger and more progressive women when they go to town or other public places. A black apron may sometimes have a fine white polka dot print. Women also wear capes that cover the top half of their dresses. The cape is cut like a triangle, and its apex is fastened with pins at the waistline in back. The sides are brought over the shoulders, overlapped in front, and connected with pins.
A young girl begins wearing a cape and apron in daily activities at about age eight. The cape and apron worn to church are white organdy, but those for other occasions are black. Young girls typically only wear head coverings and capes to church and other dress-up occasions—not to school or in casual settings. From age twelve to about age forty, women wear a cape and dress of the same color. In church services single girls wear a white cape and apron, symbols of virginity. Unmarried women wear a white cape and apron to church until about age thirty, when they begin wearing a colored cape and black apron, as do married women. After age forty a black cape and apron are worn over any color dress. Ministers’ wives always wear a black cape and apron. Capes are worn mostly for dress-up occasions, but aprons are worn at all times.
Black stockings are worn by all females, except babies under two years of age, who wear white. Teenage girls and progressive women wear serviceweight nylon stockings, but younger girls and older women often wear cotton stockings. Black tie shoes are usually worn to church and other dress-up events. Brides and ministers’ wives as well as older women always wear high shoes in winter. Children, youth, and even some adults wear athletic sneakers to informal events.
These two women illustrate typical dress at a summer public gathering.
A shawl and bonnet complete the woman’s distinctive wardrobe. Babies of both sexes wear a bonnet when they are first brought to church at six weeks of age. Little girls wear colored bonnets until age nine, when they begin wearing black bonnets, as do adult women. The style of the woman’s bonnet is fairly consistent, but differences in size signal a Plain or progressive attitude. There is a growing tendency for some women to appear in public without a bonnet, to the consternation of some leaders.
Woolen shawls are worn by Amish women of all ages—except young girls, who usually wear a homemade coat for school. The black shawl is draped over the shoulders and fastened in front at the neck with a hat pin or safety pin. A homemade woolen coat with a quilted lining is usually worn under the shawl by adult women. The coat is always black and is fastened with either buttons or snaps in the front. Teens and some adults wear the coat without a shawl.
Dress also signals stages of mourning for a loved one. Women carry the symbolic burden of grief by wearing black capes and aprons for various lengths of time for different relatives: one year (spouse, parent, child, brother, or sister), six months (grandparent or grandchild), three months (uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew), and six weeks (first cousin). This symbol of mourning enables the community to grant the solitude and support that is fitting for a particular loss.
OUTFITTING THE MEN
In the past, baby boys wore dresses until about age one, making it easier to change their diapers. Today some progressive mothers outfit their child in pants and shirt throughout the week and bring them to church in a dress only once or twice as a courteous nod to tradition. More traditional mothers, on the other hand, may wait a year before ever dressing a boy in pants. The boy’s first pants have buttonholes at the waistline, which fasten to large buttons on the shirt. At about four years of age, boys wear adult-styled suits, which include a vest, suspenders, coat, hat, and “broadfall” trousers.
The debate about appropriate dress for baby boys is interesting. Conservative parents, holding to older ways, may say sarcastically, “Soon the little boy babies will be born with pants.” More progressive parents will confess that they can hardly bear to put their baby boys in dresses because “out in the world such things happen with grown men, and we may be encouraging bad things if we don’t dress them like boys.” Although the Amish are not preoccupied with the lives of gays and lesbians as in the larger culture, some of them do connect this particular tradition to such issues in American society.
The hair of Amish males is cut about even with the earlobe. Hair is not parted, and bangs are cut in front about halfway down the forehead. Sideburns without a beard are prohibited for members. Men shave until marriage, at which time they grow a beard, which serves the symbolic function of a wedding ring in the larger culture and as a rite of passage to manhood as well. Single men over forty also grow a beard. An untrimmed, full beard from ear to ear is encouraged for adult men; however, many trim their beards for neatness. The upper lip is shaved even after marriage because the mustache, once associated with European military officers, is forbidden by the church. Some young Amish men wear their hair in a “shingled” style by getting it cut in a commercial barber shop, but upon baptism they must return to the traditional Amish bowl cut with bangs.
These young men sport the typical vest and hat en route to a youth gathering in their open buggy. The lack of beards indicates they are unmarried. Sunglasses are acceptable but not jewelry or wrist watches.
For males the distinctive wide-brimmed hat is the foremost tag of Amish identity. Hats are worn whenever men are outside the house. Amish boys begin wearing a hat at about age two. Straw hats are worn in the summer; black woolen hats, in the winter. At about age ten, boys begin wearing a “telescope” hat with creases pressed into the crown’s inner edge. Little boys, older and more conservative men, and ministers wear a black hat with a plain or rounded crown. Around age forty most men give up their telescoped hats for plain crowned hats. Sunglasses, gloves, and scarves are worn seasonally.
Hook-and-eye fasteners close the suit coats and vests worn at church services. Buttons are worn on work coats. In some cases, Velcro is used as a fastener. Shirts are usually pocketless. “Broadfall” trousers without hip pockets or zippers are the norm for males of all ages. The wide opening on the front of pants is closed with buttons. Trousers are held by suspenders, for belts are prohibited. For work, men and boys wear a black sack coat often fastened with snaps or buttons. Men wear a frock coat with divided tails and a V-neck shirt for church and special occasions. Boys receive their Mutze, or frock coat, at age sixteen. For other cold weather dress-up occasions, men wear a plain-cut, notched-collar suit coat instead of the Mutze. A black vest is usually worn under the coat. In summer months males may attend church or other dress-up occasions without a coat but rarely without a vest. Vest, hat, and suspenders, prime markers of ethnic identi
ty, must never be left behind.
Although black is the dominant color for men, dress shirts are typically green, purple, blue, or wine. The color of death, however, is white. Both males and females are buried in white. Special white pants and a vest are made for the man, who is also dressed in his best white shirt. A white dress is fashioned for the woman, and she also wears the white bridal cape and apron worn at her wedding. Single women will often put away, in safekeeping for their burial, the last white cap and apron they wore before joining the ranks of adult women.
DRESSING OVER THE DECADES
Some aspects of Amish dress can be traced back to European peasant traditions, others to early American customs. Many traits of Amish garb simply jelled over the years as the church sought to remain separate from the world, preempt pride, avoid fashions, and preserve tradition. The Amish dress code is justified by appeals to tradition, as simply the way things are, in the same way that ties for men and skirts for women are justified in the larger culture. Modesty is often given as the reason for many of the practices. Amish dress, the central code of moral order, has been blessed by the church and wisely passed on by the forebears of the faith. Conforming to the code is a redemptive ritual that binds one to the group and reveals a willingness to yield to history, to church, to God—a yielding that places one in touch with divine mysteries.
Some Amish leaders and thoughtful lay people offer religious reasons for some of the practices. One member stated:
There is significance in the Amish garb other than mere tradition. The broadfall trousers worn by the men are designed for the sake of modesty. Suspenders are worn so that the trousers need not fit so tightly. The head covering is a symbol of the woman’s subjection to the man and to God. It is worn at all times, especially in the presence of men and while praying. The cape is designed for the nursing mother and the apron for the pregnant woman. So that no woman has to expose herself, all women wear clothes designed in this manner. The length of the hair for men and the width of the hat brim are established for the sake of uniformity.
Despite minor changes in Amish dress in the twentieth century, the styles have been rather resilient. An elderly member noted that around 1910 men wore different colors of corduroy trousers—brown, gray, and blue—and they rarely had a suit coat that matched their pants. Gradually, male dress suits became a uniform black, and corduroy became taboo. A sharper line between dress and work clothes emerged after the Depression. Until this time, many males had only one pair of shoes and would merely “blacken” them before going to church. The separation of clothing for work from that for dress-up occasions reflects a growing division between activities as well as a more affluent lifestyle.
A threat to Amish identity appeared in the 1970s when a federal regulation required employees in construction industries to wear protective hard hats. Although most Amish were in farm-related occupations, those in public construction firms in several states were affected by the regulation. The broad-brimmed hat had served as an important badge of ethnicity for many years. Church leaders, dismayed by the regulation, feared that Amish men in other jobs might also leave their hats at home.
A Lancaster representative for the Amish National Steering Committee made several trips to Washington, D.C., to plead the Amish case with the Secretary of Labor and Industry. The representative explained that dress is part of their religious testimony against worldliness and hence wearing the traditional hat was a religious issue. According to a firsthand witness, the secretary asked the Amish spokesman to pass his hat around the table of bureaucrats. When it reached the secretary’s hands, he tested its rigidity and wryly remarked: “This hat is pretty stiff by itself; it is no use in us fighting you. We’ll see what we can do.” The secretary’s staff designed an exemption form to excuse Amish men from the regulation. And so, according to Amish lore, the traditional hat trumped the powers of bureaucracy.
YOUTH AND DRESS
Although the broad contours of the dress code are firmly established, minor variations abound. Church leaders are unhappy that boys occasionally go hatless. Some girls have coverings that do not cover their ears and strings that are rarely tied except for church. One layman worries about the shrinking size and shape of the head covering worn by teenage girls. He believes it is a pattern that might follow the trend of some Mennonite groups where, as the strings come off, more hair is exposed and soon the covering shrinks to a small “flat doily” on top of the head. However, he concluded almost triumphantly, “We still have the strings on and the ear covered by the corner of the cap.”
Some young men use their hairstyle to taunt church authorities and assert their independence. In the 1950s and 1960s, teenage boys cut their hair short to defy church standards. In the 1970s and 1980s some young males wore long hair to stir the ire of Amish elders. Several members date the flip-flop in hairstyles to the popularity of the Beatles. Leaders cite the change as an example of worldly influence. A minister stated: “We used to have trouble with short hair, and now we have to tell them about long hair. As the world changes so we have to change our teaching.” By the turn of the twenty-first century, short hair was back.
The time when men begin growing the beard has also changed over the years. In 1880, the beard was a requirement at baptism. By 1920, it was no longer required at baptism, but a young man had to grow one before he could apply for marriage. Today the beard symbolizes marriage and manhood rather than church membership. Now young men are expected to have a “full stand” by the time of the first communion service, usually in the spring, after they are married. In the 1950s, young men who trimmed their beards in defiance of church rules had to make public confessions. “Today,” one leader said, “the beard isn’t much of an issue since so many outside people have one.” But he lamented, “We have troubles with the mustache sometimes. Some boys will go away deer hunting for a week and come back with a mustache on and be daring enough to come to church with it.” Deer hunters have conformed to hunting regulations by wearing fluorescent orange vests and hats over their black coats and broad-brimmed hats, making a colorful confluence of old and new.
Some teenage boys look like mirror images of their dads, and others experiment with “dressing around” by getting a “shingled” haircut and wearing commercial shirts of all styles and patterns. They have a fondness for black jeans as well as for baseball caps and sneakers. Dressed in this attire, they can easily disguise their Amish identity and melt into the larger society. At baptism, of course, these worldly symbols must be trashed for the sacred garb of the church.
DRESSING FOR COMMITMENT
Although Amish dress is important throughout the life cycle, it is carefully scrutinized at baptism. Families vary in their compliance with church regulations, but at baptism everyone must conform. One minister estimated that half of the families do not have to change the dress of their children at baptism. “But then,” he said, “there are a portion that have to be kind of coaxed, kind of brought into line.” He explained: “We have to work harder to get our young ladies in line with regulations than we do with the boys. Our girls get jobs away from home in restaurants, and their coverings get smaller, dresses are shorter, stockings are almost flesh-colored, and the shoes get fancy.”
Hair and dress styles are a barometer of church loyalty. A minister noted: “You can single your people out, your families out, which way they are leaning by the cut of their hair. After twelve years of age, you can just about tell what they’re thinking by their hair. You can almost tell which boys are driving an automobile by the cut of their hair; they have it shingled, you know.” “How a child is dressed,” said one mother, “gives away the mother’s heart.”
Dress also reflects role changes in ministerial leadership. In general, the higher the level of authority, the greater the expectations for conservative dress. At the time of ordination, both husband and wife are expected to make changes. Men wear a crown wool hat with a wider brim, a more plainly tailored suit, high top shoes for Sunday service
s, and a distinctive overcoat over the Mutze on cold days. The spouse of an ordained man always wears a black cape and black apron, a bigger covering with wider strings, high top shoes for Sunday services, and more plainly tailored dresses, capes, and aprons always attached with pins. Ordained men and their spouses are expected to serve as models of faithful compliance.
NEGOTIATED PATTERNS OF DRESS
One of the more subtle changes in dress has been a shift to double- and single-knit polyester materials. There are some restrictions on the type of material used for clothing. Corduroy, rib-knit, prints, and certain colors—yellow, for example—are off limits. The acceptance of synthetic materials saves considerable labor in washing and ironing. The traditional styles present a standard “front” to the public eye. Moreover, common patterns on the front stage allow the latest type of synthetic materials to be adopted backstage without alarm. Striking a bargain, the Amish have accepted labor-saving synthetic materials but have insisted on making their own clothing in order to preserve the symbolic patterns that protect their ethnic identity.
A variety of other negotiations have been underway as well. The Amish have long eschewed buttons and have used hooks and eyes to fasten the clothing of men and pins to attach dresses and aprons for women. However, this practice has increasingly become a ritual of deference to tradition only on Sunday. On many everyday garments for both men and women, snaps are used in lieu of buttons. Still avoiding the forbidden buttons, and more practical than hooks and eyes and straight pins, snaps make a perfect compromise. Buttons are used for men’s shirts and to close their broadfall trousers. However, hooks and eyes on dress-up coats keep the traditional symbols front stage. On Sunday the traditional hooks and eyes and pins prevail. All of these arrangements reveal a delicate compromise between the patterns of tradition and the interests of convenience.
The Riddle of Amish Culture Page 8