Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants? ... (or maybe you can)

 

A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.
—Deuteronomy 22:5

Does this verse prohibit women from wearing pants?

The short answer is no—not simply because they are pants. Deuteronomy 22:5 does not identify one particular garment as permanently belonging to men. It prohibits a woman from wearing what belongs distinctively to a man and a man from wearing what belongs distinctively to a woman.

Men and women in the ancient world both wore garments that would look somewhat robe-like to us. That did not mean their clothing was interchangeable. Differences in cut, length, fabric, ornamentation, and manner of wearing could still identify clothing as masculine or feminine.

The same principle applies today. A man’s suit and a woman’s suit may contain similar pieces, yet we recognize that they are designed and styled differently. Likewise, men’s and women’s pants are normally cut, sized, and marketed for different bodies. A pair of pants made and recognized as women’s clothing is not automatically “a man’s garment.”

The command addresses the deliberate crossing or obscuring of the distinction between male and female. Clothing communicates. A person can use it to present truthfully as the sex God created—or to imitate, disguise, or present as the opposite sex.

That principle remains relevant even when particular styles change.

There was a time in Western culture when pants were viewed almost exclusively as male attire. A woman wearing them then may have communicated something different from what a woman wearing ordinary women’s slacks communicates today. Cultural meaning does not determine whether male and female are real, but it does affect what a particular garment communicates.

This means that Deuteronomy 22:5 should not be reduced to:

Men wear pants; women wear dresses.

Scripture does not give us that formula. Nor does it teach that any garment ever associated with men remains exclusively masculine for all people, places, and centuries.

At the same time, we should not empty the verse of meaning by saying, “Clothing does not matter as long as I know I am a woman.” God created male and female, and Christians should not deliberately use clothing to deny, mock, or erase that distinction.

The relevant questions are:

• Is this garment made and commonly recognized as women’s clothing?
• Does it present me truthfully as a woman?
• Am I trying to imitate men or obscure the distinction between the sexes?
• Does my clothing reflect modesty and honor God?

A Christian woman may answer those questions and conclude that women’s pants are appropriate. Another may choose skirts or dresses as a personal conviction. Both choices can be made sincerely.

The difficulty begins when a personal application becomes a universal command.

A woman who wears a head covering has accepted one biblical distinction between men and women in worship. That does not automatically commit her to a dresses-only interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:5. The two passages deserve to be studied on their own terms.

Deuteronomy 22:5 teaches us to honor the distinction between male and female. It does not teach that the presence of two pant legs turns a woman’s garment into a man’s.