In class this past week, we have been discussing the themes of sin and morality. It is evident that the modern-day attitude towards Hester’s deed stands in stark contrast to the reaction of the people of the past. This idea made me think, and I realized that over time, the definition of sin has changed. Sin is connected to one’s sense of modesty and morality. When either of the two shifts, so does one’s perception of sin.
I thought back to the American history class I took during my freshman year of high school, during which I had a chance to observe the gradual shift in American values—particularly regarding the concept of women and modesty. In the olden days, women typically wore confining corsets, long dresses over layers of starched petticoats—even their long hair was covered with bonnets. Their proper place was thought to be within the home, far removed from the public sphere. With this prevalence in modesty, interactions between non related males and females were limited.
These values fluctuated when Amelia Bloomer of the 1800s came along and called for women’s dress reform. She was a strong advocate of the “bloomer” costume, which consisted of a loose top and a skirt that stopped at the knee, with a pair of pants underneath. Bloomer is reported to have said, “As soon as it became known that I was wearing the new dress, letters came pouring in upon me by the hundreds from women all over the country making inquiries about the dress and asking for patterns—showing how ready and anxious women were to throw off the burden of long, heavy skirts.”
As women began to experience more freedom with what they wore, they began taking more social liberties as well. Ideals of modesty waned, causing moral codes to relax. Women who would once have never dreamed of interacting with a man in an unsupervised setting now thought it perfectly acceptable to even live alone with him despite being unmarried. Society’s perception of sin changed.
What was once considered a scandalous and horrific deed has now been reduced to a woman’s choice of what she wants to do with her body.
I thought back to the American history class I took during my freshman year of high school, during which I had a chance to observe the gradual shift in American values—particularly regarding the concept of women and modesty. In the olden days, women typically wore confining corsets, long dresses over layers of starched petticoats—even their long hair was covered with bonnets. Their proper place was thought to be within the home, far removed from the public sphere. With this prevalence in modesty, interactions between non related males and females were limited.
These values fluctuated when Amelia Bloomer of the 1800s came along and called for women’s dress reform. She was a strong advocate of the “bloomer” costume, which consisted of a loose top and a skirt that stopped at the knee, with a pair of pants underneath. Bloomer is reported to have said, “As soon as it became known that I was wearing the new dress, letters came pouring in upon me by the hundreds from women all over the country making inquiries about the dress and asking for patterns—showing how ready and anxious women were to throw off the burden of long, heavy skirts.”
As women began to experience more freedom with what they wore, they began taking more social liberties as well. Ideals of modesty waned, causing moral codes to relax. Women who would once have never dreamed of interacting with a man in an unsupervised setting now thought it perfectly acceptable to even live alone with him despite being unmarried. Society’s perception of sin changed.
What was once considered a scandalous and horrific deed has now been reduced to a woman’s choice of what she wants to do with her body.
