Frankly Answered Questions - FAQs

Is it wrong to wear earrings or pants?

Q: Hi, I wanted to ask you guys a question. Do you think it is bad for a girl to wear earrings or pants? I know it might sound dumb, but I just got baptized and I want to learn more about God. If you have any idea what I am talking about please write back.

A: No, I don't believe there is anything in the Bible against wearing earrings or pants. Sometimes Holiness or Pentecostal churches teach this. They believe they find a command against the wearing of jewelry in 1 Timothy 2:9 and a command against pants in Deuteronomy 22:5.

The command in Deuteronomy certain teaches against women wearing male clothing, but in our society pants are certainly not exclusively male clothing. At one time they were, but no longer.

What about the 1 Timothy passage? There are two things to say. First, we should ask what it meant for women to wear braided hair, gold, and pearls in that society. If you do a little historical research on Roman apparel you will find that these things all represented costly or time consuming extravagance. Pearls were fabulously priced and thus way beyond the purchasing power of the average church member. A display of gold ornaments meant "I'm rich. Look at me and envy." Braids were fastened by jeweled tortoise-shell combs, pins of ivory or silver. The pin heads often were jewels or consisted of carved miniature images (an animal, a human hand, an idol, the female figure). This braiding of hair would take a servant hours to accomplish.  So in each case, these items represented extravagance.

An additional thing to say about this passage is that it is probably an example of using an absolute statement (not A but B) when a relative statement is actually meant (not merely A but B). Now don't let your eye's glaze over at this, but this is a typical language idiom and an important thing to keep in mind when reading the Bible. The Hebrews tend to give an absolute statement when we would give a relative one. [Other Biblical examples: Genesis 45:8; Exodus 16:9; Psalm 51:4; Psalm 51:16; Jeremiah 7:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:17; Philippians 2:4; 1 John 3:18.] What this means is that the best translation of 1 Timothy 2:9 is probably "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not merely with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds." Absolute statements like this are used when the speaker wishes to emphasize the latter part of the statement: "Women should dress with good deeds."

So how should a woman dress? God says that women should learn how to dress modestly and decently. Women should not try to show off, wearing flashy apparel so as to make others jealous of them or to attract men by sexual stimulation. Vanity is a sin and the pursuit of the cult of beauty is a waste of the time, money, and energy God has given to you.

But women do not have to balk at fashion either (unless a particular fashion happens to be immoral or indecent). Christian ladies must not look decidedly old-fashioned, awkward, or strange. This is just another way to draw attention to yourself: "Look at how holy and different I am." A proud heart is sometimes concealed behind a mask of pretended modesty. That too is a sin.

"Be not the first by whom the new is tried,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside."

So is it wrong to wear earrings or pants? No. But it is wrong to think that the most important thing about yourself is your outward appearance. Yes! [How much time do you spend getting outwardly beautiful compared with the time you spend getting your heart close to the Lord?] A close relationship with the Lord and good deeds are the best and most important adornment for a Christian woman. (See also 1 Peter 3:3-6).