Head Coverings Throughout History

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Home > Faith > Christian Head Covering > Head Coverings Throughout History

Head Coverings Throughout History

April 2017 – Something I have found very interesting in my study of head coverings is that all throughout history women have felt compelled to wear head coverings as a part of their fashion and dress. The styles have changed very drastically through the years, with so many variations in fashion, and yet, through it all, there has always remained this subconscious understanding that it is right and proper for women to wear something on their heads.

It was really only in the late 20th century (right around the time of the feminist movement; 1960s - 1980s) that all of a sudden women decided that they should no longer be under the authority of men and therefore should not need to wear head coverings. Women decided that they should be free to wear their hair loose and even cut it short and to style it any way they like.

All across the western world, women stopped wearing hats and veils to church and wives and mothers threw off their aprons and head scarves. There were only a few very small, minority communities (such as the Amish) who held on to the conviction and continued to insist on the head coverings for women.

Back in the 1960s it was still common to see Christian women attending church or mass with hats or bonnets on their heads, or wearing veils and shawls during times of prayer. At that time it was still considered right and proper, and those women who did not wear head coverings during worship services were the minority. But in just a short breath of time there was such a huge paradigm shift that took place that completely turned things upside-down. Instead of being encouraged (and even required) to wear head coverings to church, women were now being discouraged (and even forbidden in some cases) to wear anything on their heads that would give the impression of being “under submission” to a male authority figure.

There are still many cultures around the world that still have head coverings as a common part of their culture and dress, but the western culture is actively infiltrating and influencing these other cultures (through media and other means) in an effort to “liberate women” from male dominance around the world. More and more cultures are abandoning the head coverings in pursuit of this feministic freedom.

This would come as no surprise to us if it were merely happening in the secular culture in which we live, but the surprising thing is that it has happened in the church as well, even in spite of the clear instruction laid out in 1 Corinthians 11. The words found in these passages of Scripture are often taken and twisted around, excuses are made as to why they no longer apply to women today, and the instructions given in Scripture are made out to be “mere suggestions” and not of any real importance.

And yet, the same women who would say that they have no need to wear a head covering are often the first ones to speak up and scold a man if he doesn’t remove his hat before table prayers or upon entering a church building. We tell men that these passages of Scripture are still applicable to them, but we quickly come up with excuses as to why we women are no longer required to obey the same verses of Scripture ourselves!

But praise God that there is an increasing number of Christian women in our generation who are taking a serious look at the Scriptures and beginning to realize the effects that the feminist movement has had on the church and the structure of authority that God set in place. The church is beginning to wake up and realize the hypocrisy of it all. For if we are truly honest with ourselves we will look back through history and clearly see that it was not just the culture in the day of Paul that saw the need for women to wear head coverings, because for us to say that head coverings were only for that specific culture we would have to intentionally put on blinders and choose to disregard all the other cultures in the past and deliberately ignore the fact that our culture today is actually one of the very few cultures that have ever considered it acceptable for a woman to go about without a head covering of any kind.

Just take look at the pictures below as they represent many of the cultures of the past. Take a look and see the many cultures that embraced head coverings as a part of their every day fashion and dress. Browse through the many pictures of fashion as it spans through history from ancient civilizations to modern day. Take a look and then “judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife/woman to pray with her head uncovered?” (1 Corinthians 11:13 ESV)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ancient Israel ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~