My obsession with women and religion

[kz_blogorambling]

Well, we all know I have an obsession with nuns that won't quit. I've also been intrigued by Hijab (muslim headscarf) for some time. I suddenly wondered if these two were connected.

When I see a woman wearing the headscarf, I feel sort of envious. Some of the women around here don't wear plain ones but rather very lovely patterns. Maybe I feel that way because it seems exotic to me. Or maybe because I like the idea of freedom from bad hair days. Or because I admire such an outward expression of faith. And while this defeats the intended purpose, I also think the scarves are very alluring. What does the woman's hair look like? Is it straight, or wavy? How long is it? Not knowing is intriguing. I am also influenced, I think, by some essays I read by some well-educated, professional women who described their decision to wear the headscarf. I totally got what they were saying.

And then we've got nuns, not all of whom wear head coverings of course, but I find myself intrigued by those who wear the full habit.

So is it the head thing? Do I have a secret wish to bewimple myself?

I can just see it now.

Friend: "Cranky, you've converted to Islam? What made you accept Mohommed as the true prophet?"

Cranky: "I don't know about any of that. I'm just in it for the clothes."

I just bought another nun book on half.com. I'm not even Catholic.

Comments

[billdo1.livejournal.com]

Word of the day: bewimple.

I'm still chuckling over that one.

[postmoderngirl.livejournal.com]

I am fond of hijabs myself. When I was in California, I told my mom I wanted a sari, and she got all excited about some neat fabric she happened to have. This included a wonderful gold cloth that I immediately appropriated as a hijab. I wore it around the house for a few days, but it wasn't hemmed, it just had raw edges. My mom offered to hem it up, and then I accidentally left it behind. I have to get her to send it to me so I can wear it around as a shawl-cum-headscarf.

[delphica.livejournal.com]

I can't remember, have we talked about the nun doll site?

[crankyasanoldma.livejournal.com]

Hee. No, but I'd heard about this and as I posted I thought "I'll bet dollars to donuts that delphica mentions nun dolls"

[anahitaa.livejournal.com]

The best are those really baggy pants? The ones that are tight at the ankles. They are really comfy.

I have worn a hejab several times recently (when I went with my mom to DC to get her Iranian passport reissued and I found it hard to get used to. Plus, they are really strict, and if your hair is falling forward, the staff at the offices shout at you!

Yikes!

[sadillac.livejournal.com]

Oh Gawd. Harem pants. . .please. I'm at work!

There's just something about 'em. Maybe I watched too much "I Dream of Jeannie" when I was a kid.

[mrblue92.livejournal.com]

Maybe instead of a "tarts and vicars" party, you can throw a "nuns and pimps" party, just to satisfy the craving.

Not that I'd be showing up, mind you... I'm really not a "dress-up" sort of person. At all.

[psyche0.livejournal.com]

But I bet you would look positively snazzy in a pimp daddy outfit.

I like nun books too!

[mermil.livejournal.com]

I read "nun novels" all the time. I think I am interested in nuns for the same reason I am interested in HAssidic Jews: I feel like my life is all messy and unstructured and these are groups that lead very organized lives with fascinating rituals.

My two favorite nun books are Mariette in Ecstasy by Ron Hansen and In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. Good times.

Re: I like nun books too!

[crankyasanoldma.livejournal.com]

The esteemed delphica (see her in a comment above) told me about the Brede book. I LOVED it. It was fabulous, maybe one of the better fiction books I've ever read.

She also recently sent me a book called "The Romance Reader" by Pearl Abraham. It's about a hasidic jewish girl. I'll bet she'd let me pass it on to you if you haven't read it already.

delphica is quality people--you should check her out.

[vix1.livejournal.com]

You may be interested in thread I read in GQ last night about Orthodox Jewish women and wigs. (Can't link because I don't have access at work).

[gingy.livejournal.com]

I think that Sister Cranky sounds more silly than Doctor Cranky. However, it's got an evil, bad, memories-nobody-wants connotation, whereas Doctor Cranky is just a Wes Craven movie.

[sadillac.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. . .I don't know. . .Sister Cranky, eh?

::pictures Cranks in a wimple::

::realizes he's at work and better stop::

[thinksnow.livejournal.com]

This might explain your recent tooling around in your six-point doctoral tam, eh? You, dear Karen, have a head-ornament fetish.