August 3, 2025 • 17 mins
Video link: https://youtu.be/5JUhkH71qUc
How Hasidic Women Dress: A Conversation with Pearl from Williamsburg
What does modest clothing mean in the Hasidic world—and how is it taught from such a young age?
In this video, I sit down with Pearl, a Hasidic woman from Williamsburg who has been dressing in this tradition for over 70 years. We talk about how Hasidic girls begin learning the rules of modesty at age 3, what kinds of clothing are considered appropriate, and how fashion trends are received within the community.
We also discuss:
– The difference between weekday and Shabbos outfits
– How community standards evolve (or don’t)
– Why new clothing styles can become controversial
– And what it’s like to follow these customs over a lifetime
This is a rare glimpse into the everyday experience of Hasidic women’s fashion and the ideas behind it—all from someone who’s lived it for decades.
#HasidicWomen #HasidicFashion #WilliamsburgBrooklyn #JewishTraditions #OrthodoxJudaism #ModestFashion #PearlFromWilliamsburg
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How Hasidic Women Dress: A Conversation with Pearl from Williamsburg
What does modest clothing mean in the Hasidic world—and how is it taught from such a young age?
In this video, I sit down with Pearl, a Hasidic woman from Williamsburg who has been dressing in this tradition for over 70 years. We talk about how Hasidic girls begin learning the rules of modesty at age 3, what kinds of clothing are considered appropriate, and how fashion trends are received within the community.
We also discuss:
– The difference between weekday and Shabbos outfits
– How community standards evolve (or don’t)
– Why new clothing styles can become controversial
– And what it’s like to follow these customs over a lifetime
This is a rare glimpse into the everyday experience of Hasidic women’s fashion and the ideas behind it—all from someone who’s lived it for decades.
#HasidicWomen #HasidicFashion #WilliamsburgBrooklyn #JewishTraditions #OrthodoxJudaism #ModestFashion #PearlFromWilliamsburg
Music credit:
1. Song: Planet Nine
Music by: / infraction
Provided by:
https://bit.ly/YouTubeEMW ⚫
2. Song: Chill
Composer: Sakura Hz
Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x1zYZR6PXhEmDY89G4rzg
License: Creative Commons (BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com
3. Music track: floral by massobeats
Source: https://freetouse.com/music
Free To Use Music for Videos
4. Music track: Magnificent by Pufino
Source: https://freetouse.com/music
No Copyright Music (Free Download)
5. Music track: rose water by massobeats
Source: https://freetouse.com/music
Free To Use Music for Videos
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know, there's a new documentary that's coming out that
I have the great misfortune of being in because they
contacted me and they said they're doing a documentary about
religion and women, and I didn't know that it was
some kind of screed against religion and women. And when
I arrived, I found them to be incredibly antagonistic. And
(00:23):
I'm heard on the trailer saying in this community, women
start to dress modestly at age three, and it's like
used as like gotcha. I thought I was just saying
something simple. It's something that's very interesting about Hasidic women's clothing,
like sociologically is there's like a distinct wardrobe for Shavas
(00:46):
and for Vaughan for weekdays which is Vachan and Shavas,
which is Saturday. What symbolizes shava state? What makes something weakend?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Like it's not the weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Only shadow, yeah, only for shads.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
The change in it is the change in what we
do a whole week. We work right and Shabus is
the day of connecting with Hashem. It's a day of rest,
it's a holy day. So of course if it's a
holy day, we want to dress in a holy fashion.
We wear things that we don't wear in the weekdays
(01:20):
because these are these are clothing that honors the shabas.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So what makes something if you go into Macy's, how
do you know that this is shoppstick? What makes a chopstick?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
You have to grow up in this community. It's often
we know, we know, we know, we know, we know,
we have a feel.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I have a feel for it's a feel.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Oh, I can't wear this in the ready. This is shoppastick.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Why what makes a chopstick?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It's more elegant, a little bit more elegant, it's a
little bit it feels to a shop stick, and we
put it away for sho.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But the stuff from shabas you can also wear for
Janta for holidays and also.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
No shabus and will be the same weddings. What be
a different client of clothing because it's very fancy, it's
more fancy shop You don't dress fancy, but you just
accepted clothing that looks better on you that's more expensive.
But a wedding is very dressy clothing. So no, we
don't sit by the table wedding wedding dress?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Do you do you have specific clothings that are specific
for shabas.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sure what you want me to bring it out? Yes?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Okay you yeah, no, I put it away.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
This is for shoppa.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
What white tights on girls?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
They're not wearing white tights and girls, and.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I know they're not black tights on shoa.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah. I mean people in my age are like, we're like,
you know, we're looking and saying you need this.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It's the loss of a certain precious innocence. We were
running around shops with our white tights hanging over our ankles,
full of stains and spots.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It doesn't matter, but you know that this was the
shop the gibush.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, it was the clothing for shoppas. We even had
Shobist coats sure, which was like an old coat versus
a puppet.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Anything, anything beIN Shoberstick. I mean, look at the men
how they address shopstick. They don't wear their weekday clothing.
They're special clothing for shoppers, the boys, the men, everybody.
Nobody sends a three year old to shool. Let's say
they're sending him to shoel with what he's wearing in
the weekness. It's a special clothing that you put away
for shabas only.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, yeah, it's interesting. You know you can so taste
feel the shops. This is something I experienced that was
really interesting. During COVID, everything fell apart, like in the
sense of time, except for the time of shabus. It's like,
even if someone would put me in solitary confinement and
I'd have no clock, I will know in my body
(03:41):
when it's shabus. And I think it comes from years
of eating the same food, wearing special clothes. Sumer decide
it from the shopstick is sold, Yeah, we get a
special sols. Yeah. What about an apron? Do you wear
a white apron and SHOs.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
You want to see it?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, I'd love to see it.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I got it from one of my daughters.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Wow is it made from gotometerian Let's look at it. Wow,
it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
It is beautiful. So I wear it for left bench
get the candles, only for lighting the candle. Yeah, I'm
also modern.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Well I'm taking it off. Yeah, I see this is made.
See it does look like a.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Gott It's made from gottle material.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
How long does it take her to this. I've never
seen someone make their own shops take a apron.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I know this is very unusual.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, my mother used to make my brother's belts, the gottils.
I don't think it ever occurred to her to who
still wears a half apron like this?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Many people?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, what about when a girl becomes but miss fel.
When a boy becomes barmitzvah in this community, his clothing changes,
he starts to wear the hat and the jacket. What
happens for a girl?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, she gets an awareness of now when she does
a mitzvah, he goes into her log book. I say,
she's responsible, you know, she becomes more.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Responsible, she feels more grown up.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Definitely, Definitely. It's not such a big what do they
call these rituals? There's life rituals. Like for a boy,
he gets a lot of responsibility for him.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
It's a rite of passage in a very big way.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
That's what I want. That's the word I've looked for. Yeah,
very very very good way.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
From when she's three until when she's thirteen, what happens
to her clothing?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Oh, an interesting thing. Once she graduates grade school, she
puts on different stockings, the famous pump stack.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
The famous mouth boy. Are you laughing.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Because we were once talking about pump stocking.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I think one of your friends calls it bulletproof stockings.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I do. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You know what I learned as a result of palm
stockings that a scene behind tights can be provocative.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Because the gomc as provocative. It used to be provocative
clothing when there was a scene and wanted the scene.
He wanted it because it shows like, let's say that
this is holy stockings. For want of a better explanation,
it's not the way it was. That people should see
that this is not the foot there's stocking, but the
(06:35):
provocative stockings. We're usually in black, like fish net stockings
with black seam.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
You know, So, yeah, it's different. It's definitely.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Believe me, these are not provocatives by no stretch of
the imagination.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You know. There's a new documentary that's coming out that
I have the great misfortune of being in because they
contacted me and they said they're doing a documentary about
religion and women, and I didn't know that it was
some kind of screed against religion and women. And when
I arrived, I found them to be incredibly antagonistic. And
(07:12):
I'm heard on the trailer saying in this community, women
start to dress modestly at age three, and it's like
used as like, gotcha. I thought I was just saying
something simple truth, But they're using like how utterly unacceptable
what they're.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Doing with it doesn't matter what is the truth matters
what they're doing with it. That's their prerogative, right.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, but they're saying essentially, girls here are sexualized from
age three, terrible.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They're not sexualized. They're being taught the principles of Sneus
of modesty. It's not because they're sexualized they're sexualizing it.
Their head is going there. We don't sexualize it. It's
the way a Jewish daughter is supposed to go dressed.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So can we talk about that? What what is she
supposed to wear to make her moods? Never pants?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
By three?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, after three, After three.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
We usually put on longer stockings, no pants, and they
feel very grown up. You see, they're old enough already
to see. Oh you know they're older sisters are already
wearing tights. The whole purpose, the whole idea, is to
make Judaism sweet for them, is to.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Make them want it.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
It's not we don't say now you have to be
three years old and now you have to wear tights. No, look,
you're a big girl already you like your sisters, you're
still gonna go to school. Your brother got pious, right,
he gets yes, And now you're gonna be a big girl.
You're gonna wear tights and you're not gonna wear short
sleeves anymore. You make it, you make it something that's
(08:44):
they want the child that's and really that's the way
all of Judaism is. Really try to be taught, and
it's exciting for the child that you know, all kids
want to grow up, want to be grown ups, and
we all want to be younger.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So at age three, also, no more pants? Why no pants?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Pants are modest, Yes, they look modest to you. We
see it as a man's dress, men's dress, and we
are forbidden for women to wear men's clothing, for a
man to wear women's clothing. It's forbidden. So that's why
we look at pants and a girl with jaundice dye,
because it's not the goal to wear pants. The goal
(09:27):
is to take those pants off and to be a girl.
Now I have a big girl.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Ah, It's like it's like pants are or bag a dish.
They're the men's clothing and that's the problem. But you
would feel comfortable with like a cleaning lady in your
house with pants, Sure, because you don't feel it's not
You wouldn't feel comfortable with a mini skirt on the
cleaning lady.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
No, because that's very provocative. A mini skirt is provocative.
Pants are also provocative the way they wear pants today,
you know, but as some people, some people get their
cleaning women to wear like a smuck, like a little
roose overdress, which is not which a smock or a
long apron or something to somebody, somebody actually made this
(10:12):
clothing for the cleaning women. I forgot what it was called.
Made of honor, made of honor, right, made of honor.
They look more honorable and being, you know, covered a
little bit from that provocative clothing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Did you ever in your life say I wish I
could wear pants?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Never?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Never?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Why would I say that.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I don't know pants are comfortable. I'm not trying to tempt.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
You or anything.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
No.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
I never had a yen for that. No, I never
had a yen for you know. I'll tell you again,
my father puts such a strong feeling of love for
Yiddish guit intors. I never felt anything burdensome.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
But you also is dressed passionately and always enjoyed looking.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I used to dress very trendy when I was younger,
but always very sneeze dick.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Which is allowed at which point it depends.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
It depends if something trendy like for instance, you know,
see these skirts. Now, everybody's wearing skirts like above their ankle.
This is trendy.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Now to go longer instead of mid calf, to go
above the ankle.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Right, So this is you could be trendy, but you
have to be sneeze dick with a trend if it
fits into the the rules of sneers.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Wait, my submar education is coming to me. I remember
the expression. And I'm mother and I think every new
new trend brings a new illness.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Okay, because still in Oil, we do not want to
emulate the other nations what they what they find trendy.
We don't want to be part of that. But young
people have a very big Nasian how do you say
Nasian challenge?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Challenge?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You know, we constantly talked to about it. So it
depends depends on the It depends how you know, teenagers
are rebellious and and even Hasidis the teenagers are rebellious.
No comparison to the rest of the world. But the
rebelliousness is inborn, like you know, it comes, it comes
with the territory. So it depends how rebellious a teenager is.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
What about here, What are the traditions around here?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Loose hair is considered very provocative, so the girls like
to have long hair. I wish you would be here
when the girls go to school every morning, you know why,
And every single girl's here is.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
In a ponytail. I know.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I have noticed for this reason that the hair shouldn't
be loose.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Flowing, But why don't they have it cut short like me?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
That's how I style, not because it's a Hollywood style,
but because it's not as style in the school for
the kids. We have our own styles. We have our own.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Our scruncheese and style. A pop no no more, no more.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
That went up, that went out with a Dodo.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Bird like me. What are you talking about a long
time ago? What was your style of hair when you
were a girl.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
You don't want to know.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
You don't want to know.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
I have a picture. I'll show it to you off camera.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Caro, you don't want the worldbody had.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
To have curly hair, and my hair was as straight
as can be, and I tortured myself rollers with everything,
and nothing helped. Nothing helped. That's why I wanted to
yank my hairs. That's why if I wouldn't have cut
my hair, if I would have be yanked.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Out of your scow. So when is the big change
for women's marriage? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Nothing changes for nothing much changes by a man. What
changes by him?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
He wears the strain, I mean.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Puts on a different clothing, but his life doesn't change
in any spectacular way like it does for women. I mean,
of course the marriage is a change, but for women
it's a really, really big change. It's it's physically a
huge change.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You know, because she covers her head. No why because
because she has sex.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And now the cover of the head is so minored
to to where we grow up. You know. The other changes,
you know, having to take care now of a husband.
We are in the row of it's not it's not
it's not so democratic.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So the woman is usually taking care of the husband.
She's trained for that. She's helping her mother with the
children she's trained to be. You have to take care
and running the house herself. It's a good change, but
those are the changes the man he's got, he's got
it made, you know, unless he has to start providing
for his family, then his life becomes not so easy. Yeah,
(15:04):
well this is life. This is life. I mean, this
is life for everybody. For your dish is just a dishes.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, yeah, everything work very hard. In terms of clothing,
Since we talked a little bit about clothing, one other
question I have is do you have a separate wardrobe
for winter and summer?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Really? What do you mean? Sure?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I don't have of course I have a separate wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
What's the difference between your two wardrobe? Are you wearing
winter or summer?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Summer?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
What's the difference?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
You wear lighter? Its light in the winter, I would pullovers.
Uh huh, winter clothing and summer clothing, right.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
And what do you do? You have them both in
your closet?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I do because I have a very very small wardrobe.
But some people put it you know that they need
they need a lot of closets. The children also, all
children have winter, you don't You don't use a wind
to golden in the summer, right, so you have to
put the winter clothing away.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
So you have essentially four wardrobes, winter shabas, winter weekday
and likewise for summer.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Last question, Yeah, what's your favorite outfit? You ever had
anything that makes me look skinny? I remember what I
was wearing for my bishow when I my date.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, I have no idea what I was wearing. No, no,
I was very, very skinny. So my mother was always
trying to get me clothing that looked made me look
a little heavier.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Ah, so funny. Life a little ironic sometimes it is,
it really is. Let's go shopping for clothing that makes
us look a little heavier.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I hate to shop for clothing me too. Well, you
have such a good figure. Why would you hate to shop?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I hate to shop for clothing. It's extremely unpleasant. It's
extremely unpleasant. I would wear the same pants and top
all the time, like men dressed like ha see dish man.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
That's right, they have no problems.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah, this was fun, Yes, it was. Thank you, pearl.
I so enjoy talking to you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
You're so welcome, and I enjoyed it so much too.
You know, there's a new documentary that's coming out that
I have the great misfortune of being in because they
contacted me and they said they're doing a documentary about
religion and women, and I didn't know that it was
some kind of screed against religion and women. And when
I arrived, I found them to be incredibly antagonistic. And
(00:23):
I'm heard on the trailer saying in this community, women
start to dress modestly at age three, and it's like
used as like gotcha. I thought I was just saying
something simple. It's something that's very interesting about Hasidic women's clothing,
like sociologically is there's like a distinct wardrobe for Shavas
(00:46):
and for Vaughan for weekdays which is Vachan and Shavas,
which is Saturday. What symbolizes shava state? What makes something weakend?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Like it's not the weekend.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
Only shadow, yeah, only for shads.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
The change in it is the change in what we
do a whole week. We work right and Shabus is
the day of connecting with Hashem. It's a day of rest,
it's a holy day. So of course if it's a
holy day, we want to dress in a holy fashion.
We wear things that we don't wear in the weekdays
(01:20):
because these are these are clothing that honors the shabas.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So what makes something if you go into Macy's, how
do you know that this is shoppstick? What makes a chopstick?
Speaker 2 (01:30):
You have to grow up in this community. It's often
we know, we know, we know, we know, we know,
we have a feel.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I have a feel for it's a feel.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Oh, I can't wear this in the ready. This is shoppastick.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Why what makes a chopstick?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It's more elegant, a little bit more elegant, it's a
little bit it feels to a shop stick, and we
put it away for sho.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But the stuff from shabas you can also wear for
Janta for holidays and also.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
No shabus and will be the same weddings. What be
a different client of clothing because it's very fancy, it's
more fancy shop You don't dress fancy, but you just
accepted clothing that looks better on you that's more expensive.
But a wedding is very dressy clothing. So no, we
don't sit by the table wedding wedding dress?
Speaker 1 (02:17):
Do you do you have specific clothings that are specific
for shabas.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Sure what you want me to bring it out? Yes?
Speaker 1 (02:25):
Okay you yeah, no, I put it away.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
This is for shoppa.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
What white tights on girls?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
They're not wearing white tights and girls, and.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I know they're not black tights on shoa.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Yeah. I mean people in my age are like, we're like,
you know, we're looking and saying you need this.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
It's the loss of a certain precious innocence. We were
running around shops with our white tights hanging over our ankles,
full of stains and spots.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
It doesn't matter, but you know that this was the
shop the gibush.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Yeah, it was the clothing for shoppas. We even had
Shobist coats sure, which was like an old coat versus
a puppet.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Anything, anything beIN Shoberstick. I mean, look at the men
how they address shopstick. They don't wear their weekday clothing.
They're special clothing for shoppers, the boys, the men, everybody.
Nobody sends a three year old to shool. Let's say
they're sending him to shoel with what he's wearing in
the weekness. It's a special clothing that you put away
for shabas only.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, yeah, it's interesting. You know you can so taste
feel the shops. This is something I experienced that was
really interesting. During COVID, everything fell apart, like in the
sense of time, except for the time of shabus. It's like,
even if someone would put me in solitary confinement and
I'd have no clock, I will know in my body
(03:41):
when it's shabus. And I think it comes from years
of eating the same food, wearing special clothes. Sumer decide
it from the shopstick is sold, Yeah, we get a
special sols. Yeah. What about an apron? Do you wear
a white apron and SHOs.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
You want to see it?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Yeah, I'd love to see it.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
I got it from one of my daughters.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Wow is it made from gotometerian Let's look at it. Wow,
it's beautiful.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
It is beautiful. So I wear it for left bench
get the candles, only for lighting the candle. Yeah, I'm
also modern.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Well I'm taking it off. Yeah, I see this is made.
See it does look like a.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Gott It's made from gottle material.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
How long does it take her to this. I've never
seen someone make their own shops take a apron.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I know this is very unusual.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Yeah, my mother used to make my brother's belts, the gottils.
I don't think it ever occurred to her to who
still wears a half apron like this?
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Many people?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, what about when a girl becomes but miss fel.
When a boy becomes barmitzvah in this community, his clothing changes,
he starts to wear the hat and the jacket. What
happens for a girl?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
No, she gets an awareness of now when she does
a mitzvah, he goes into her log book. I say,
she's responsible, you know, she becomes more.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Responsible, she feels more grown up.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Definitely, Definitely. It's not such a big what do they
call these rituals? There's life rituals. Like for a boy,
he gets a lot of responsibility for him.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
It's a rite of passage in a very big way.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
That's what I want. That's the word I've looked for. Yeah,
very very very good way.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
From when she's three until when she's thirteen, what happens
to her clothing?
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Oh, an interesting thing. Once she graduates grade school, she
puts on different stockings, the famous pump stack.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
The famous mouth boy. Are you laughing.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Because we were once talking about pump stocking.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
I think one of your friends calls it bulletproof stockings.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I do. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
You know what I learned as a result of palm
stockings that a scene behind tights can be provocative.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Because the gomc as provocative. It used to be provocative
clothing when there was a scene and wanted the scene.
He wanted it because it shows like, let's say that
this is holy stockings. For want of a better explanation,
it's not the way it was. That people should see
that this is not the foot there's stocking, but the
(06:35):
provocative stockings. We're usually in black, like fish net stockings
with black seam.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
You know, So, yeah, it's different. It's definitely.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Believe me, these are not provocatives by no stretch of
the imagination.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
You know. There's a new documentary that's coming out that
I have the great misfortune of being in because they
contacted me and they said they're doing a documentary about
religion and women, and I didn't know that it was
some kind of screed against religion and women. And when
I arrived, I found them to be incredibly antagonistic. And
(07:12):
I'm heard on the trailer saying in this community, women
start to dress modestly at age three, and it's like
used as like, gotcha. I thought I was just saying
something simple truth, But they're using like how utterly unacceptable
what they're.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Doing with it doesn't matter what is the truth matters
what they're doing with it. That's their prerogative, right.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah, but they're saying essentially, girls here are sexualized from
age three, terrible.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They're not sexualized. They're being taught the principles of Sneus
of modesty. It's not because they're sexualized they're sexualizing it.
Their head is going there. We don't sexualize it. It's
the way a Jewish daughter is supposed to go dressed.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So can we talk about that? What what is she
supposed to wear to make her moods? Never pants?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
By three?
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Yeah, after three, After three.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
We usually put on longer stockings, no pants, and they
feel very grown up. You see, they're old enough already
to see. Oh you know they're older sisters are already
wearing tights. The whole purpose, the whole idea, is to
make Judaism sweet for them, is to.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
Make them want it.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
It's not we don't say now you have to be
three years old and now you have to wear tights. No, look,
you're a big girl already you like your sisters, you're
still gonna go to school. Your brother got pious, right,
he gets yes, And now you're gonna be a big girl.
You're gonna wear tights and you're not gonna wear short
sleeves anymore. You make it, you make it something that's
(08:44):
they want the child that's and really that's the way
all of Judaism is. Really try to be taught, and
it's exciting for the child that you know, all kids
want to grow up, want to be grown ups, and
we all want to be younger.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
So at age three, also, no more pants? Why no pants?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Pants are modest, Yes, they look modest to you. We
see it as a man's dress, men's dress, and we
are forbidden for women to wear men's clothing, for a
man to wear women's clothing. It's forbidden. So that's why
we look at pants and a girl with jaundice dye,
because it's not the goal to wear pants. The goal
(09:27):
is to take those pants off and to be a girl.
Now I have a big girl.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Ah, It's like it's like pants are or bag a dish.
They're the men's clothing and that's the problem. But you
would feel comfortable with like a cleaning lady in your
house with pants, Sure, because you don't feel it's not
You wouldn't feel comfortable with a mini skirt on the
cleaning lady.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
No, because that's very provocative. A mini skirt is provocative.
Pants are also provocative the way they wear pants today,
you know, but as some people, some people get their
cleaning women to wear like a smuck, like a little
roose overdress, which is not which a smock or a
long apron or something to somebody, somebody actually made this
(10:12):
clothing for the cleaning women. I forgot what it was called.
Made of honor, made of honor, right, made of honor.
They look more honorable and being, you know, covered a
little bit from that provocative clothing.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Did you ever in your life say I wish I
could wear pants?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Never?
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Never?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Why would I say that.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I don't know pants are comfortable. I'm not trying to tempt.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
You or anything.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
No.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
I never had a yen for that. No, I never
had a yen for you know. I'll tell you again,
my father puts such a strong feeling of love for
Yiddish guit intors. I never felt anything burdensome.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
But you also is dressed passionately and always enjoyed looking.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I used to dress very trendy when I was younger,
but always very sneeze dick.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Which is allowed at which point it depends.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
It depends if something trendy like for instance, you know,
see these skirts. Now, everybody's wearing skirts like above their ankle.
This is trendy.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
Now to go longer instead of mid calf, to go
above the ankle.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Right, So this is you could be trendy, but you
have to be sneeze dick with a trend if it
fits into the the rules of sneers.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Wait, my submar education is coming to me. I remember
the expression. And I'm mother and I think every new
new trend brings a new illness.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Okay, because still in Oil, we do not want to
emulate the other nations what they what they find trendy.
We don't want to be part of that. But young
people have a very big Nasian how do you say
Nasian challenge?
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Challenge?
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You know, we constantly talked to about it. So it
depends depends on the It depends how you know, teenagers
are rebellious and and even Hasidis the teenagers are rebellious.
No comparison to the rest of the world. But the
rebelliousness is inborn, like you know, it comes, it comes
with the territory. So it depends how rebellious a teenager is.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
What about here, What are the traditions around here?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Loose hair is considered very provocative, so the girls like
to have long hair. I wish you would be here
when the girls go to school every morning, you know why,
And every single girl's here is.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
In a ponytail. I know.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
I have noticed for this reason that the hair shouldn't
be loose.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
Flowing, But why don't they have it cut short like me?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
That's how I style, not because it's a Hollywood style,
but because it's not as style in the school for
the kids. We have our own styles. We have our own.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Our scruncheese and style. A pop no no more, no more.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
That went up, that went out with a Dodo.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Bird like me. What are you talking about a long
time ago? What was your style of hair when you
were a girl.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
You don't want to know.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
You don't want to know.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
I have a picture. I'll show it to you off camera.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Caro, you don't want the worldbody had.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
To have curly hair, and my hair was as straight
as can be, and I tortured myself rollers with everything,
and nothing helped. Nothing helped. That's why I wanted to
yank my hairs. That's why if I wouldn't have cut
my hair, if I would have be yanked.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
Out of your scow. So when is the big change
for women's marriage? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Nothing changes for nothing much changes by a man. What
changes by him?
Speaker 1 (14:03):
He wears the strain, I mean.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Puts on a different clothing, but his life doesn't change
in any spectacular way like it does for women. I mean,
of course the marriage is a change, but for women
it's a really, really big change. It's it's physically a
huge change.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
You know, because she covers her head. No why because
because she has sex.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
And now the cover of the head is so minored
to to where we grow up. You know. The other changes,
you know, having to take care now of a husband.
We are in the row of it's not it's not
it's not so democratic.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You know.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So the woman is usually taking care of the husband.
She's trained for that. She's helping her mother with the
children she's trained to be. You have to take care
and running the house herself. It's a good change, but
those are the changes the man he's got, he's got
it made, you know, unless he has to start providing
for his family, then his life becomes not so easy. Yeah,
(15:04):
well this is life. This is life. I mean, this
is life for everybody. For your dish is just a dishes.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Yeah, yeah, everything work very hard. In terms of clothing,
Since we talked a little bit about clothing, one other
question I have is do you have a separate wardrobe
for winter and summer?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Sure?
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Really? What do you mean? Sure?
Speaker 2 (15:26):
I don't have of course I have a separate wardrobe.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
What's the difference between your two wardrobe? Are you wearing
winter or summer?
Speaker 2 (15:33):
Summer?
Speaker 1 (15:34):
What's the difference?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
You wear lighter? Its light in the winter, I would pullovers.
Uh huh, winter clothing and summer clothing, right.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
And what do you do? You have them both in
your closet?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
I do because I have a very very small wardrobe.
But some people put it you know that they need
they need a lot of closets. The children also, all
children have winter, you don't You don't use a wind
to golden in the summer, right, so you have to
put the winter clothing away.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
So you have essentially four wardrobes, winter shabas, winter weekday
and likewise for summer.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
Last question, Yeah, what's your favorite outfit? You ever had
anything that makes me look skinny? I remember what I
was wearing for my bishow when I my date.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Yeah, I have no idea what I was wearing. No, no,
I was very, very skinny. So my mother was always
trying to get me clothing that looked made me look
a little heavier.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Ah, so funny. Life a little ironic sometimes it is,
it really is. Let's go shopping for clothing that makes
us look a little heavier.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I hate to shop for clothing me too. Well, you
have such a good figure. Why would you hate to shop?
Speaker 1 (16:48):
I hate to shop for clothing. It's extremely unpleasant. It's
extremely unpleasant. I would wear the same pants and top
all the time, like men dressed like ha see dish man.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
That's right, they have no problems.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yeah, this was fun, Yes, it was. Thank you, pearl.
I so enjoy talking to you.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
You're so welcome, and I enjoyed it so much too.
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