Reviews
The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist by Lauren Shields
kaylasbookishlife's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve been changing up my style and wardrobe recently. Letting go of pieces I loved in my early-mid twenties and trying to create a wardrobe that is more me (late twenties-early thirties). Clothes I couldn’t wait to put on are ones I no longer feel comfortable in, and I am more attracted to different colours.
So I’m reading lots of fashion books! This one was particularly interesting and it spoke to me because I prefer clothes that cover most of my legs and shoulders. That’s my version of modesty anyway. The author begins a journey of forgoing the socially acceptable ‘beauty suit’ for clothing that covers her body (neck down) and her hair.
She explores different religious interpretations of modesty, looking in the Quran, Torah, Bible and the Book of Mormon. I loved seeing the similarities and differences!
She made a note that while she admired different cultural outfits that would fit into her modesty wardrobe (I.e. an abaya, shalwar kameez) she didn’t want it to look like cultural appropriation and so she stuck to a more ‘American’ style.
I did take issue with one part. She was talking about the issue of FGM and she mentioned it within the context of discussing Islam. I wanted her to clarify that it is not an Islamic practice. FGM is not connected to Islam or any religion. It’s a cultural practice and it occurs in Christian and other tribal communities as well, mostly in African countries. I felt like the author sort of insinuated that it was an Islamic practice.
I really enjoyed reading about her experiment and appreciated the research she mentioned within the context of modern fashion.
So I’m reading lots of fashion books! This one was particularly interesting and it spoke to me because I prefer clothes that cover most of my legs and shoulders. That’s my version of modesty anyway. The author begins a journey of forgoing the socially acceptable ‘beauty suit’ for clothing that covers her body (neck down) and her hair.
She explores different religious interpretations of modesty, looking in the Quran, Torah, Bible and the Book of Mormon. I loved seeing the similarities and differences!
She made a note that while she admired different cultural outfits that would fit into her modesty wardrobe (I.e. an abaya, shalwar kameez) she didn’t want it to look like cultural appropriation and so she stuck to a more ‘American’ style.
I did take issue with one part. She was talking about the issue of FGM and she mentioned it within the context of discussing Islam. I wanted her to clarify that it is not an Islamic practice. FGM is not connected to Islam or any religion. It’s a cultural practice and it occurs in Christian and other tribal communities as well, mostly in African countries. I felt like the author sort of insinuated that it was an Islamic practice.
I really enjoyed reading about her experiment and appreciated the research she mentioned within the context of modern fashion.
zsofia's review
2.0
Ehhh. I usually love books about "I did a thing for a year!" but this one really kind of left me cold. I wanted more about her actual experience, and less Remedial Feminism 099. There's actually very little in here about it!
I'm also a little befuddled by her own experience that almost all women wear a Beauty Suit. I sure as hell don't; I can't think of the last time I wore makeup and I stopped shaving my legs the day Trump got elected because ain't nobody got time for that. Kind of happy that I'm aging into invisibility.
I'm also a little befuddled by her own experience that almost all women wear a Beauty Suit. I sure as hell don't; I can't think of the last time I wore makeup and I stopped shaving my legs the day Trump got elected because ain't nobody got time for that. Kind of happy that I'm aging into invisibility.
kennethwade's review
4.0
Although a bit directionless and tangential at times, I enjoyed this book immensely. It includes a lot of great discussion points relating to feminism, religion, and global culture(s). The subtitle is a bit misleading, as only about 25 pages actually detail her Modesty Experiment, but I didn’t mind because there was a lot of good information and examination. With the exception of the author’s excursion into dreadlocks (which she does attempt to amend), I found this book very informative and enjoyable.
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars
emily915's review
2.0
I was really fascinated by the premise of this book, but very disappointed in the end product. The author begins by questioning the trend in certain branches of feminism that equate "hotness" with empowerment. She then talks a bit about her experience dressing modestly (legs and arms covered, as well as hair covered, and no makeup), as well as her research into modesty in other cultures and in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. It read like part-memoir, part-feminism-101, part-World-Religions-class, part-backhanded-compliment-to-religions. I'll start with the bad and end with the good. (For some perspective, I am a Catholic who believes the teachings of the Church, and I am a feminist, which is why I was so interested in seeing how this panned out.)
I'm not sure who the audience for this book was, to be honest. The author frequently repeats/overexplains common feminist talking points, which seems redundant if she's talking to other feminists. At the same time, she spends a lot of time talking about how the three major monotheistic religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) are sexist... but not as sexist as you, the reader, definitely think they are. And still, she's explaining pretty surface-level stuff, so it's really mostly interesting from the point of learning about different cultures and religions.
I disagree with a lot of her theology and her brand of feminism, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have enjoyed the book. Unfortunately, in some passages she seemed to be getting to a point, and then never arrived at it - or, she began building an argument that began to sound too un-feminist, so she backtracked without any logical explanation. I didn't mind the tangents, the personal stories, or even the feminist rhetoric buzzwords that sounded forced and repetitive - but I found her arguments and her logic to be very unconvincing. Overall, I thought she entered with a sound principle (if a woman shows a lot of skin, that doesn't necessarily mean she's empowered, especially in the West). But, as far as I could see, she wasn't open to any possibilities or conclusions that didn't support her initial thesis and her personal interpretation of feminism.
From personal experience, I can only argue directly with the section on Christian modesty/sexism - which I found rather offensive. The author works as a Christian pastor, but her theology seems very unorthodox from what most practicing Christians believe (not to say she can't write about it, but she isn't coming from the same perspective that many Christians are, so it seems disingenuous to compare our experiences). As a Catholic Christian feminist who has struggled with, researched, and believes the teachings of the Church, I found the author's arguments about sexism in the Church pretty unimpressive. (Yes, there are Christians who do sexist, and horrifying things, but that's not what she was talking about.)
She claims that certain Christian teachings or beliefs are inherently sexist, and that some Biblical passages are simply misinterpreted. I would take issue with her former claim (although there's room for debate, certainly), and the latter is... not really news. Her tone was intended to be encouraging and friendly, but it came off condescending as she tried to explain Christianity... and barely scratched the surface. She spent a lot of time trying to explain Biblical passages that are hard to wrestle with, and how she came to accept Christianity after she decided that she didn't need to accept everything in the Bible. When she did discuss modesty, she only focused on Western (mainly U.S.) Christianity, and still came away with misconceptions. (Granted, the interpretation of what constitutes modest clothing varies from denomination to denomination, and even person to person, but it still felt incomplete.)
Now the good:
It was definitely interesting to read, and I especially enjoyed learning about different cultural and religious expectations of modesty. The author certainly did quite a bit of research, and cited sources in each chapter. I do believe the author intended to be respectful of each culture and religion that she discussed, with at least some success. It's a fairly easy read, but it's also engaging and thought-provoking, at times - especially when she discussed the role of social media in what she calls women's "self-objectification". As a whole the narrative flows pretty well.
She also admits that she couldn't cover every sect of every religion, obviously, so there are of course things she wasn't able to cover, which doesn't make the book incomplete, as long as the reader knows it's not the whole picture.
All in all, it was an interesting read, but not one I'll pick up again. The logical inconsistencies were confusing and made me doubt that the author was as unbiased as I hoped she was, and it was clear that, when it comes to reconciling faith and feminism, she and I are just asking different questions entirely.
I'm not sure who the audience for this book was, to be honest. The author frequently repeats/overexplains common feminist talking points, which seems redundant if she's talking to other feminists. At the same time, she spends a lot of time talking about how the three major monotheistic religions (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) are sexist... but not as sexist as you, the reader, definitely think they are. And still, she's explaining pretty surface-level stuff, so it's really mostly interesting from the point of learning about different cultures and religions.
I disagree with a lot of her theology and her brand of feminism, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have enjoyed the book. Unfortunately, in some passages she seemed to be getting to a point, and then never arrived at it - or, she began building an argument that began to sound too un-feminist, so she backtracked without any logical explanation. I didn't mind the tangents, the personal stories, or even the feminist rhetoric buzzwords that sounded forced and repetitive - but I found her arguments and her logic to be very unconvincing. Overall, I thought she entered with a sound principle (if a woman shows a lot of skin, that doesn't necessarily mean she's empowered, especially in the West). But, as far as I could see, she wasn't open to any possibilities or conclusions that didn't support her initial thesis and her personal interpretation of feminism.
From personal experience, I can only argue directly with the section on Christian modesty/sexism - which I found rather offensive. The author works as a Christian pastor, but her theology seems very unorthodox from what most practicing Christians believe (not to say she can't write about it, but she isn't coming from the same perspective that many Christians are, so it seems disingenuous to compare our experiences). As a Catholic Christian feminist who has struggled with, researched, and believes the teachings of the Church, I found the author's arguments about sexism in the Church pretty unimpressive. (Yes, there are Christians who do sexist, and horrifying things, but that's not what she was talking about.)
She claims that certain Christian teachings or beliefs are inherently sexist, and that some Biblical passages are simply misinterpreted. I would take issue with her former claim (although there's room for debate, certainly), and the latter is... not really news. Her tone was intended to be encouraging and friendly, but it came off condescending as she tried to explain Christianity... and barely scratched the surface. She spent a lot of time trying to explain Biblical passages that are hard to wrestle with, and how she came to accept Christianity after she decided that she didn't need to accept everything in the Bible. When she did discuss modesty, she only focused on Western (mainly U.S.) Christianity, and still came away with misconceptions. (Granted, the interpretation of what constitutes modest clothing varies from denomination to denomination, and even person to person, but it still felt incomplete.)
Now the good:
It was definitely interesting to read, and I especially enjoyed learning about different cultural and religious expectations of modesty. The author certainly did quite a bit of research, and cited sources in each chapter. I do believe the author intended to be respectful of each culture and religion that she discussed, with at least some success. It's a fairly easy read, but it's also engaging and thought-provoking, at times - especially when she discussed the role of social media in what she calls women's "self-objectification". As a whole the narrative flows pretty well.
She also admits that she couldn't cover every sect of every religion, obviously, so there are of course things she wasn't able to cover, which doesn't make the book incomplete, as long as the reader knows it's not the whole picture.
All in all, it was an interesting read, but not one I'll pick up again. The logical inconsistencies were confusing and made me doubt that the author was as unbiased as I hoped she was, and it was clear that, when it comes to reconciling faith and feminism, she and I are just asking different questions entirely.
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