Why is wearing jeans considered bad for religious men?

salt

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 1:35 am

I don't think bad.
I just think that in some communities it's considered a little too casual / less respectable than they would like. Can't really think of the word.

seeker

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:15 am

I think it really depends what stream of "frum" you're talking about. In some communities nobody wears jeans so if you do wear jeans it's like a statement. Why does nobody wear jeans? Because they're considered un-classy. But because nobody wears them, if you do wear them you're not just un-classy, you're bucking the communal trend and thus making a statement about where you want to be.

SixOfWands

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:16 am

MrsDash wrote:

I'm guessing it's because they don't go well with white button downs?

That, my friend, is a matter of taste. I like that look.

zaq

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:17 am

actually jeans look terrific with a white button down shirt. Especially in Oxford style. That's a very classic look for casual wear.

Last edited by zaq on Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:41 am; edited 1 time in total

salt

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:19 am

seeker wrote:

Couldn't have put it better myself Smile

FranticFrummie

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:29 am

I always thought this was funny, because Levi Strauss (the inventor of jeans) was very Jewish!

The problem is that jeans are associated with physical labor. Everyone knows that men are not supposed to work, they are supposed to sit and learn, preferably while wearing a suit. Rolling Eyes

I think it's awful the way some communities put down blue collar workers. Honest work is honest work, and there's nothing shameful about it.

seeker

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:32 am

I really don't think it's the blue-collar thing. Maybe that's how jeans originally came to be associated with lower class but I think they've taken on an image of their own.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:36 am

seeker wrote:

I really don't think it's the blue-collar thing. Maybe that's how jeans originally came to be associated with lower class but I think they've taken on an image of their own.

Well, that's how it was explained to me. Another reason I heard was that they were too "trendy" these days, especially the skinny jeans.

BTW, I own a jeans skirt, and DH hates it. He'll say things like "are you going to wear that out of the house?" He associates it with doing chores inside, but not street wear. The skirt is long, not too snug, and very tznius. He just really doesn't like the denim look.

zaq

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 2:46 am

Jeans are trendy? Jeans have been around longer than Yeshiva bocherim have been wearing Boringsalinos. (That is not a typo. That is a social commentary.)

LovesHashem

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 3:07 am

MrsDash wrote:

I'm guessing it's because they don't go well with white button downs?

That's very stylish nowadays

animeme

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 8:27 am

I believe its the casual thing. The whole look is supposed to be a bit more formal/ dignified. (Hence the hat and jacket.) As to the laborer thi bg, the frum blue collar workers in the communities like this that I know definitely wear jeans without issue- jeans are seen as functional, basically.

ETA that I think tightness is also an issue. If a yeshiva says, "no tight pants", that's hard to police. But "no jeans" leaves the boys with only the styles that tend to be looser.

HeartyAppetite

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 8:37 am

Because it Chikas hagoy, dressing the way of the world. We as Jews are supposed to dress differently than the rest of the nations..
(Or so I learned in school)

mommy3b2c

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 8:48 am

animeme wrote:

I agree with your post. But just want to point out, that most pants are skinny even if they are not jeans, so I don't think that's the reason.

amother

Teal

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 10:54 am

HeartyAppetite wrote:

Because it Chikas hagoy, dressing the way of the world. We as Jews are supposed to dress differently than the rest of the nations..
(Or so I learned in school)

Right. Obviously black hats and suits were invented by Jews ( and non-Jews never wore such things, let's say, 50 or 60 years ago. And shtraimels were never worn by Polish upper class gentiles about 200 years ago... What about the Rambam's turban in his picture? Couldn't have anything to do with living in Muslim Spain, could it? And what did Moshe Rabbeinu really wear? Black hat or shtraimel? All modern time "Jewish" dress goes back to non-Jewish fashions. Our authentic ancestors wore Middle Eastern style gowns, cloaks and head gear. And sandals.

amother

Babyblue

Mon, Sep 18 2017, 11:15 am

Hearty appetite, so are you saying that when I wear my denim skirt im dressing like a [gentile]? If so, then when women wear professional clothes, they are dressing like non jews too BC non jews dress professionally too.

What makes jean pants a non jewish clothes but other clothes that non jews wear whether as a uniform or professional clothes not non jewish???