Covering: Does attracting attention make it pointless?

To say that my family reacted poorly when I started covering would be an understatement. They gave me an argument that I’ve heard other people make before: “Covering makes you stand out, which obviously defeats the purpose of doing it.” To that, I say: “Pish-tosh!” (I love working pish-tosh into a conversation; it’s so much fun to say.)

It’s true that covering your head can make you stand out in a crowd, but I think one must consider motivation and the kind of attention one receives. It would be bad if I covered my head with the intent of getting attention. It would be bad if I walked into the room and announced: “Look at me! My head is covered! Aren’t I a fantastic person for doing this?” That would be intentionally making people notice me. I do not bear responsibility for the fact that modesty is (in my opinion) not the cultural norm.

Let me try to make a comparison. Pretend that it became culturally acceptable for women to go shirtless in the same places as men. I still would be firmly set against letting it all hang out while jogging through the park, even if it made people notice me. “Everybody else is doing it” just isn’t good enough for many situations.

I’ve noticed that people who are against covering tend to exaggerate the amount of attention that those who cover get. I’m not Lady GaGa. It’s not like I’m wearing an astrolabe on my head. It’s just a scarf. It’s not like all heads turn when I walk into a room. Only occasionally do people stare—and, honestly, half those people are little girls who think I look like a princess. I haven’t noticed myself drawing any more attention than I did when I wore my purple shoes before I started covering. (I still have the shoes. They’re awesome. One of my bosses thinks it’s great when I coordinate my headgear with my shoes.)

Covering may attract a bit more attention than not covering, but I feel that it’s far better to get a few stares than to ignore my conscience when I get dressed every morning. And (again, in my opinion) everybody should own a pair of fabulous purple shoes.

~Ninquelen

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