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| Elena Maryles Sztokman |
The focus on Orthodox girls’ attire treats women like sex objects rather than people.
The truth is that the focus on Tznius in women’s clothing
does seem to indicate that woman are seen as sex objects. But only if they present
themselves that way. If you think about it, those dress codes are designed to eliminate
or at least minimize the natural male response to sexual stimuli. When a man
sees a sexually provocative image of a woman he will naturally be prone to be aroused, unless
he is pre-occupied with something else.
The Halachos of Tznius in clothing are designed to eliminate those stimuli from the public
square. The less skin that shows, the less chance of being aroused.
But does Judaism really see a woman as a sex object? No. Judaism requires men to see women as fellow
human beings. Even when they dress in a provocative
fashion. That is what civilized people do. We control our impulses. We behave ourselves.
The natural male response to sexual stimuli requires men to have Shmiras
Einayim - to ‘guard our eyes’. In other words, the onus is upon us to ‘not gaze’
at a woman at all for purposes of pleasure. We are supposed to go to great
lengths to avoid that.
I believe that Judaism’s attitude about modesty in dress shows great
concern for the dignity of the woman. And to prevent seeing them as sex
objects.
So why the dress codes? Because Judaism recognizes human
nature. And the nature of the male is to be aroused by erotic images. So when women
are asked to help us see them as dignified human beings by minimizing their
sexuality in public, I see nothing wrong with that. Just because men are
obligated not to see women as sex objects, doesn’t mean that women should be
free to test our resolve by dressing as provocatively as they wish. That in my
view is plain common sense.
So I support Yeshiva of Flatbush in their resolve to enforce
modesty standards in clothing.
The question arises, what constitutes provocative clothing?
That is a very grey area that is strongly influenced by culture in which one
lives. Do the standards dictated by Halacha equal those of western culture?
Hardly. Nor do they reflect the standards of Muslim culture. It’s all about
what one is used to seeing on a daily basis.
In Muslim countries where Burkas are the norm, a female
walking in the street wearing anything less modest might be sexually arousing
to the typical male of that culture.
By contrast, in western culture, a woman wearing a loose fitting
top with short sleeves and a pair of slacks would not raise an eyebrow… even to
someone learning in Lakewood. This typical look for an American woman nevertheless
does not conform to Orthodox concepts of modesty. Those standards do not allow
for slacks or short sleeves.
So, what is a Modern Orthodox school like Yeshiva of
Flatbush do? They have no choice but to follow Halacha. If they are suddenly focusing
on the letter of the law, I suspect that there have been violations that have
entered into the realm of being sexually provocative even by American cultural standards.
The last thing a coed highs school needs is their female students dressing in a provocative manner.
Now I’m sure most students never did that – even if they did
not follow the letter of the law. But I would not be surprised if there were a number
of students that did dress provocatively - pushing the envelop in a manner to attract boys. Had they not, then I submit the school would
not have cracked down in this way.
It’s really a shame that this is being seen as objectifying
their female students. By insisting that their students dress appropriately it
should be seen as a way of de-objectifying them.
