Does it bother you to see families super underdressed at church?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are Catholic and live in the south. Everyone in the 10 o’clock high mass dresses exactly like you’re describing in formal wear. The Catholic churches are packed every week. If we arrive at 9:55, we cannot get a seat. Women look like it’s Easter Sunday every single Sunday with full hair and makeup. I typically wear a nice dress, jewelry and heels and make up to Mass. My boys and husband wear belts and dress shoes and collared shirts and sometimes blazers.This is very normal for southern Catholics at high mass. Come down here it’s a better life!

Nice clothes don't erase the cruelty of many white Southern Christians. Neither do manners. Too many people think there is moral righteousness in both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t care one bit. No one needs to be dressed up to attend church.

Why did everyone dress up for church in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s? You don't think that looked much nicer? You don't admire a random good looking family wearing their Sunday best if you see one on a Sunday afternoon? Come on, we all do.

This erosion of effort and appearance and coming to church in casual clothes seems to be a relatively new phenomenon.

No pride. No shame.

Church, and pretty much everywhere else. I've adult men [not unhoused or poor] at Balducci's in flannel pajama/house pants. Embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Americans are slobs.

[Anonymous]

I will admit that for Easter, I swapped my usual jeans for a pair of dockers.

Otherwise, I always jeans because God does not care how I dress for church

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree and as much focus people place on college admissions, they need to pay more attention to appearance. Being well dressed and put together is just as important professionally or more so than where you went to college.

But that’s actually a bad thing and should be discouraged throughout society rather than supported. What is wrong with you people?

[Anonymous]

I am far from conservative, but I do give some people the side eye at mass based on outfits. Someone said it up thread, its the sports jerseys that get me. You could have just worn a plain tshirt. Wearing a sports jersey takes effort to be noticeably un formal. Wear jeans and a plain tshirt if you seek comfort or have nothing more formal in your wardrobe. But dress for the room, use some common sense. And yes, this is directed to grown men as much as teenagers.

I was particularly surprised this past Easter at the variety of outfits. Wearing sweatpants to 9am mass Easter morning is an odd choice to me. It shows literally no effort or desire to acknowledge a special occasion. I understand on some Sundays families are coming or going from various sports games. But on Easter Sunday? You cant wear some nicer pants? Women were under dressed too, many in jeans which surprised me, as its so much easier to just wear a casual dress and look much nicer.

I am mid 40s, liberal, and not someone who cares much about fashion, so this seems like an odd issue to bother me, but somehow it just does! I have elementary and middle school age kids and its not hard to tell them to put on a nice shirt and pants or shorts that arent athletic. They sell pull on chinos that are basically sweat pants. Polo shirts with athletic material that are super comfortable. Looking nicer doesn't have to mean youre itchy and tight. My kids know church clothes are different than play clothes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While others are there to pray, OP attends services to judge others.

Why do the people who are there to pray dress like slobs?

You don't know what someone else is going through. Maybe they struggled to get out of bed this morning and just the effort of getting there was a lot of them. It doesn't really matter.

But in the past, they didn't dress like slobs when going to church.

What past are you talking about, specifically? Your TV-created nostalgia 1950s?

NP. You don’t need to go back nearly that far. In my childhood in the 90s, virtually everyone dressed up for church.

I see lots of athletic pants and hoodies on kids and teens at church now. I don’t really care, but I do not allow my kids to dress this way for church. It’s a matter of respect in our family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Americans are slobs.

What did peasants wear to mass in the middle ages? Probably their one and only outfit.

[Anonymous]

Are questions like this generated on some atheist site, with encouragement to "stir the pot with this one!" Because something inane like this seems to be posted about once a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am far from conservative, but I do give some people the side eye at mass based on outfits. Someone said it up thread, its the sports jerseys that get me. You could have just worn a plain tshirt. Wearing a sports jersey takes effort to be noticeably un formal. Wear jeans and a plain tshirt if you seek comfort or have nothing more formal in your wardrobe. But dress for the room, use some common sense. And yes, this is directed to grown men as much as teenagers.

I was particularly surprised this past Easter at the variety of outfits. Wearing sweatpants to 9am mass Easter morning is an odd choice to me. It shows literally no effort or desire to acknowledge a special occasion. I understand on some Sundays families are coming or going from various sports games. But on Easter Sunday? You cant wear some nicer pants? Women were under dressed too, many in jeans which surprised me, as its so much easier to just wear a casual dress and look much nicer.

I am mid 40s, liberal, and not someone who cares much about fashion, so this seems like an odd issue to bother me, but somehow it just does! I have elementary and middle school age kids and its not hard to tell them to put on a nice shirt and pants or shorts that arent athletic. They sell pull on chinos that are basically sweat pants. Polo shirts with athletic material that are super comfortable. Looking nicer doesn't have to mean youre itchy and tight. My kids know church clothes are different than play clothes.

I’m in a similar demographic - 50 years old, liberal, Catholic woman with three kids ranging in age from 9 to 16. I agree that what you describe is appropriate attire for church and is how our family dresses. I usually wear dress pants or a dress, DH and our two boys wear khakis and a polo shirt or sweater, and our DD (the youngest) usually wears a casual dress. All three kids play sports (including travel/HS sports with demanding schedules) and have other activities, so we’re often rushing to a game or some activity after church. Yet, we’ve never let our kids wear a sports uniform to church, even if that means changing in the bathroom after mass. We want them to learn to dress appropriately for whatever occasion and that there are considerations other than their own clothing preferences.

That said, I don’t judge other families or how they dress or even pay much attention. I have no idea what goes on in the lives of people I don’t know. Maybe they can only get their kids to go to church if they dress casually? Maybe the parents are losing weight and baggy sweats fit best or they’re uncomfortable with how they look in dress clothes? Who knows? But, I think it’s hypocritical to sit in church and judge people.

[Anonymous]

For all those above who are judging how I may look on the outside:

I’m at Mass working on what’s inside me: anxieties, fears. I can’t add your judgments to my plate. If you need to judge my appearance for whatever reason, that’s for you to work on.