I reread the Halberstam article about whether marriageable girls wear enough makeup, after reading a claim that it was satire. The parts about the greatness of her son including the Ph.D. he is aspiring to, and Ollie's hair straightening salon, were indeed over the top. Her hyper-sensitivity about … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Purim Costume Ads
February 8, 2012 by
It's only Tu Beshevat, but the marketing for Purim is ratcheting up with advertisements for Purim costumes everywhere. A week or two ago, Hadassah Margolese, mother of 8-year-old Naama of Beit Shemesh fame, opened a haredi weekly distributed for free in her building's mailboxes. She was shocked … [Read more...]
Sderot Businesses Asked to Sign “Modesty” Contracts
December 12, 2011 by
I've written a lot about extreme modesty in women's dress and we always have this discussion about whether or not it is any of our business. At what point do we say "live and let live," and when do we begin to worry that these trends will affect us in our daily lives. Well, the time to worry is … [Read more...]
More Details Emerge about Veiled Women’s Cult
November 27, 2011 by
Tamar Rotem discussed the recent opposition to the cult of the veiled women in the Haaretz Friday weekly Hashavua. Even Haaretz calls them "Taliban women" only in quotes. She reviews the incidents of the last few weeks leading to a condemnation of the cult by the Edah Haredit: A 16-year-old … [Read more...]
Yediot Gives Platform to Shal-Wearers
November 15, 2011 by
Today's Yediot Aharonit "24 Hours" magazine has an "exclusive" letter from a 42-year-old cult member. The anonymous author sent it to a neighbor, whose husband delivered it to Yediot with the author's knowledge. The letter may be original and unpublished, but plenty of similar material is widely … [Read more...]
Court to Rule on "Taliban" (Hyper-Modest) Sect
October 5, 2011 by
Haaretz reports this morning about a court case involving two young veiled girls from Beit Shemesh. The article contains many details about the group they belong to, which is known internally as "Lev Tahor" (pure heart). Maybe the press will finally stop calling them Taliban women. The two girls … [Read more...]
Elad Poster Outs Couple for Immodest Behavior
May 29, 2011 by
A pashkevil went up over the weekend in Elad, warning the public about a woman and man who did "grave deeds:" Elad is a religious city outside of Petach Tikva. Here's my translation: So the Public May Know With great sorrow we must publicize that according to our Holy Torah one must stay … [Read more...]
A Frum Fashion History of Denim Skirts
May 13, 2011 by
In Tablet Magazine, Dvora Meyers takes readers on a tour of her wardrobe over the years, and how in retrospect, her skirt choices paralleled her journey away from Orthodox Judaism. In this passage, Meyers describes her ambivalence about wearing pants in public for the first time: Even with all … [Read more...]
Winter Fashion Retrospective, 2011
March 1, 2011 by
A while back, my daughter asked me to take her shopping. I told her I would take her on one condition—that she find out from her friends the best place to go. So one rainy afternoon we set out around 3:45, avoiding traffic, to the Segula intersection in Petach Tikva to H. Fashions. So what do you … [Read more...]
Interview with “Mother Taliban”
February 17, 2011 by
Channel 2's "360" program broadcast Yifat Erlich's prison interview with Bruria Keren. For some reason she called her Rabbanit M.—I don't know where the M comes from. Her husband isn't a rabbi, but it is common for female teachers to be known as Rabbanit. Of course the title adds to the … [Read more...]
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