xanthippe what's this thing with really long dresses?
sometimes i see them on fs and i can't believe how long their dresses are now, almost down to the ground.. so i was reading some of xanthippe and phizzy's posts on the strangeness of jw dress and how much they stand out and i got to thinking.
so... at one point the amish dress code was current, right?
JeffT:
"a majority of the women, of all ages, are wearing dresses that come to at least mid-calf."
"I think the problem with JW style clothing is not the clothing per se, it is the fact that they are frumps on the inside."
Anything ranging from just below the knee to mid-thigh is the norm where I am. Good point about appearances! As much as I like to talk about fashion, it's not really what counts.
xanthippe what's this thing with really long dresses?
sometimes i see them on fs and i can't believe how long their dresses are now, almost down to the ground.. so i was reading some of xanthippe and phizzy's posts on the strangeness of jw dress and how much they stand out and i got to thinking.
so... at one point the amish dress code was current, right?
Xanthippe - Commercial clothes made for larger women can be limited as far as style goes. The prevailing motto (among cheaper clothing brands or secondhand clothing - which JWs are likely limited to) is "cover them from head to toe". It's starting to slowly change, but it takes the cheaper brands a while to catch up to the latest trends.
I have no response to the grooming part of your comment except that I've seen a lot of the new JW recruits who aren't mentally all there to start with. I've personally seen plenty of larger JW females who wouldn't be caught dead with a single hair out of place or without their makeup fully done.
xanthippe what's this thing with really long dresses?
sometimes i see them on fs and i can't believe how long their dresses are now, almost down to the ground.. so i was reading some of xanthippe and phizzy's posts on the strangeness of jw dress and how much they stand out and i got to thinking.
so... at one point the amish dress code was current, right?
Diogenesister: So in 40 years will GB 5.0 be wearing bright tracksuits, Ali G style jewellery ( no..wait..they do that now!) and VW insignia around their necks?
It would be funny, but business fashion changes really slowly for men. We might see a suit jacket paired with jeans. However, women's fashion moves like lightening. There's no way to know what a modern reinterpretation of 90s women's fashion will look like in 40 years (new fabrics, tech, etc...), but it's fun to imagine.
xanthippe what's this thing with really long dresses?
sometimes i see them on fs and i can't believe how long their dresses are now, almost down to the ground.. so i was reading some of xanthippe and phizzy's posts on the strangeness of jw dress and how much they stand out and i got to thinking.
so... at one point the amish dress code was current, right?
Hmmm.... my guess would be the dress code will just stagnate to whatever the oldest JWs (and therefore the highest ranking) view as proper. The JW dress code is currently stuck in "Leave It To Beaver" land (1950s-1960s). That's where I think the GB get their fond childhood memories of a "perfect" world (well... Hollywood's portrayal of it at the time). Take a look at 1950s magazines if you want to see current JW fashion (minus the hats). I don't think we'll see Amish-level differences in clothing unless JWs move into segregated communities. Then it would be a cascading effect of what the oldest JWs see as "normal" having been mostly surrounded by old-fashioned JW dress as a young person.
the wife got back from the convention, and mentioned one point from the co talk.. he gave the statistic that on average, there are about 780 people baptized every day in the world!
everyone was amazed.. i broke it to her that there used to be a lot more.
i recall giving a talk and at that time there were around 1200/day.
Most of the ones I've seen baptized are preteens or teens of JW families. If they don't get dunked by age 13, a pioneer or "spiritual" family w/kids attaches to them. I've seen these people basically take over the child's every free moment (taking them out in service every day, on trips, sleepovers etc...). The pressure is dialed up from all sides without them realizing what's happening (kids are little naive). After getting dunked - their new "best friends" float away to their next conversion project. Even die-hard JWs seems to realize that the best hope they have to retain kids is child-baptism before age 17. Of course, no die-hard JW would ever openly admit this.
my little bethel bird has whispered in my ear some encouraging news.
it has been reported to the canadian branch that some witnesses doing cart work had police stop them from carting in public parks.
the direction sent to the southern ontario congregations is to cease carting until further notice.. this is no joke.. have a jw-free day..
Hey! Can we get Jesus in there! 😂😂😂 - DATA-DOG
Why not?
my little bethel bird has whispered in my ear some encouraging news.
it has been reported to the canadian branch that some witnesses doing cart work had police stop them from carting in public parks.
the direction sent to the southern ontario congregations is to cease carting until further notice.. this is no joke.. have a jw-free day..
Just a thought... I challenge the posters with a good grasp of photo editing to take a pic of street beggars and shove in a literature cart LOL - lastmanstanding
i happened to come across a time article in 2008. it was basically talking about the high turnover in american faiths.
it mentioned the jdubs and highlighted the following point.. an even more extreme example of what might be called "masked churn" is the relatively tiny jehovah's witnesses, with a turnover rate of about two-thirds.
that means that two-thirds of the people who told pew they were raised jehovah's witnesses no longer are — yet the group attracts roughly the same number of converts.
It was my observation that back then the born-in Witnesses were socially stunted, weird and uneducated with the mentality of people in a small town who refuse to accept the newcomers and who suffered from serious envy over people who looked prosperous and had some education.
There are also 2 categories of born-ins. One group is everything you described (including a serious case of "holier-than-thou"). This first group are the ones love-bombing the new recruits and creating the next generation of born-ins. I've heard some pretty mean things said about the new converts they're actively love bombing. Don't be fooled - even members of the first group often have a double life.
The 2nd group typically leaves the JWs or are mentally out. They break every rule they can without getting caught (education, socialization, etc...) - the art of the double life. The push to baptize at a really young age is probably due to this second group. A lot of born-ins wouldn't choose baptism once in their mid-teens.
i happened to come across a time article in 2008. it was basically talking about the high turnover in american faiths.
it mentioned the jdubs and highlighted the following point.. an even more extreme example of what might be called "masked churn" is the relatively tiny jehovah's witnesses, with a turnover rate of about two-thirds.
that means that two-thirds of the people who told pew they were raised jehovah's witnesses no longer are — yet the group attracts roughly the same number of converts.
New JW converts generally fall into 2 categories:
1. Those who are conned into believing JWs have ultimate Bible secrets. These typically burn out fast and are now less likely due to easy internet access. Those that last, drive the born-ins up a wall (which they can't admit). Most born-ins I know have a JW side that's paraded out when needed, but they're just like non-JWs when the pressure isn't on.
2. Those who seek support/benefits from an anyone-can-join group. They may
have even been 'discouraged' from other churches after attending for a
while. The JWs are a great way to get "insta-friends" if you can't get the real thing. I bet everyone can remember several "odd" people at their hall. Many born-ins just tolerate them for the sake of appearances/expectations.
The new converts are helping to drive out the born-ins.
the j ws have set up a literature trolley in one of our local shopping centers.
since the goodwill thrift store at the center has an excellent selection of second hand books, i stop by twice a month and buy a book or two that catches my interest.
as a result i've become friendly with the j ws who mind the trolley.. usually the minders are two 70 something j w ladies.
