Remember when you could wear casual clothes to the congregation book study?

by RULES & REGULATIONS 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  RULES & REGULATIONS

  I would get home from work,eat dinner,shower and put on jeans,a shirt and gym shoes to the book study. Then,one day a letter was read where men would need to wear a suit and tie and the woman would have to wear dresses. It was stated in a letter that the change was due to, '' giving a better witness to anyone who would watch us walking into our local congregation or a neighbor's house.''

  There was nothing worse than wearing a suit at a brothers house who had no air-conditioning or was too cheap to put it on because of costs. We even had a sister pass out because the brother was too cheap to put the air-conditioner on in the middle of July.
  

  
  
• 

  wannaexit

  I don't ever remember wearing really casual clothing at the book study. Although most sisters had a hierarchy in their wardrobe. The best for Sunday and Tuesday , then the book study skirt and top and of course the service every day clothes. I guess this would have been a regional thing.

  I know my husband would refuse to wear his jacket and when we attended the bookstudy in a private home, he would wear a sweater. Those were the nights that he wasn't allowed to read or pray. Well that was just fine with him
  
• 

  ShirleyW

  Well, I haven't been to a meeting since the 1980's so, I guess after then the brothers started wearing jeans and sneakers. I can't really imagine that being OK by the elders anyway to wear that to a meeting even if it's not at the KH, maybe it's a regional thing where the brothers could dress like that, sound like west coast, California thinking to me.
• 

  Designer Stubble

  When was this? I attended the book study from early 70s and then already the dress code was there.
• 

  LoveUniHateExams

  Remember when you could wear casual clothes to the congregation book study? - No, I don't remember this.

  When I first started attending the weekday book study (November 1992) I wore my school uniform, as I had no suit. A couple of months later, I did as every other male JW did - I wore a cheap suit and polyester tie to the book study meeting.
• 

  RULES & REGULATIONS

  I remember that the letter was sent before 1984. We would wear casual clothes at our congregation book study. The book study was held at our elder's basement. He had no air-conditioning and we would all suffer due to the heat.
• 

  freddo

  UK - large town with half a dozen congregations.

  I attended book study from 60's until it ended.

  Brothers always wore a tie and never jeans.

  Hot summer (UK - 25 degrees C and above) dress shirt, tie, meeting trousers.

  Cold winter (UK zero and below) suit or sports jacket, sometimes a sweater. Always a tie.

  Sisters always had skirts or dresses.

  Exceptions - snow on ground, unable to drive and so might walk in jeans, walking boots. Sisters too.
• 

  ShirleyW

  Well, like i said, must be a regional thing since the Dubs are never on the same page anyway. What part of the country are you. I know that some brothers are allowed to have mustaches and close cropped beard in the western part of the country.
• 

  Virgochik

  They are so hung up on thinking what people wear impresses God. If that were the case, why were we born naked? Anyway, I imagine the public watching these loonies all dressed up probably just thinks, OMG, if I joined this religion, look what they'd expect ME to do too, no thanks.
• 

  Dunedain

  I dont ever remember that either. I was born in, in 1975, and my memories from, say 1980 and up, of going to the book studies were always wearing what you wore at the "regular" meetings in the KH. This was in America, NYC area, so i dont know if in other parts of the world or country it was different, but i didnt think so.

  Lol, i do remember a study bringing her 8 year old son, to the book study, and he was in nothing but a T-shirt and underwear, lol. He had those tighty, whitey underwear briefs too, not boxers. I remember, i was like 9 or 10 myself, and in a shirt, tie, and dress pants, of course, and heres this kid only a year younger than me, in his underwear. I was like wtf, and i remember he wanted to play after the book study. Somehow, i dont think i wanted to play anything with him. I guess i liked my playmates with pants on, go figure.