Thursday, May 24, 2012

Ask Chaviva Anything!: The Sartorial Stuff

More questions ...
Two sartorial questions: (1) Aside for uncovering your hair, have you changed anything about the way you dress since you got divorced? (2) What do you wear when you exercise? Sorry if this one seems tactless or tone-deaf, but I'm fascinated by the way people who uphold sundry modesty standards deal with dressing for the gym and I remember you had some posts about athletic wear on the old blog.
My dress hasn't really changed since I got divorced. So that's an easy answer. Wait, I take that back. Since I don't live in Teaneck anymore, I'm a lot more chill about my attire. I take a lot more time to feel good about what I'm wearing and to be very relaxed (yet professional) in my clothing choices. Dressing is a lot more fun now, I think.

As for what I wear to work out? Well, I'll probably get a lot of flack for this, but when I work out I wear workout pants and a baggy short-sleeve shirt. When I lived in Teaneck, I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this but as I take my health more seriously, I have to be realistic about working out and being comfortable while doing it. The thing I've realized is that, at the gym, people are too busy focusing on themselves to pay attention to me. If anything, I think the girl who shows up in a full hijab to work out stands out more than I do. So, from a tznius perspective, I'm doing myself a service by not standing out with long sleeves, a skirt with pants under it, etc.

FYI: Find all the goodies from The Tzniut Project here!