Even after I left the Amish the second time, it wasn’t that last time I would wear Amish clothing. When I went back to visit my parents, it was more comfortable for everyone if I “wore Amish,” which I did for the first several visits. In the photos below, David and I had taken two of my sisters to the Cleveland Art Museum. Sarah had just had her first son, so he is the baby in both photos. The hideous kerchief instead of a kopp — what was I thinking?!
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From left to right: Katherine, me, Sarah. (I look none to happy, I noticed)
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Me with Sarah’s baby. I forgot that David used to use my crocheted rug to cover the exposed springs in his seat.
After the first few visits, I stopped wearing Amish clothing around my family. The first time I wore my English clothing, it was awkward, but after that it wasn’t so bad.
After I had stopped wearing Amish, there was still one occasion when I did. I’ll write about that in my next post.
Thanks for sharing…..the pictures are nice…blessings
Hello Saloma,
Tonight I discovered your blog. I’m a UK Mennonite blogger, with an interest in Amish life: http://radref.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Amish
It never ceases to surprise and enthrall me: the sheer richness and diversity of this Anabaptist Tradition. I’m looking forward to dropping in on our blog more often. Shalom, Phil Wood
You know, I don’t like wearing kerchiefs either.
How did you feel those first few times when you wore Amish clothing? After we, a group of people left Aylmer Ontario and moved to Cookeville TN, we were ask by our leader in TN to wear our bonnets and the right kind of suspenders so as not to offend the Amish we had left. But we were more offensive by wearing those things because they knew we did it just for them.
Your kerchief isn’t hideous at all. But, I guess beauty is the eye of the beholder. And there is beauty if the headcovering, whatever it looks like, has special significance for the person wearing it. Doesn’t really matter much what others think.
Greetings, thanks for sharing the pictures.
Last night, my 93 year old mother and I had the pleasure of hearing you (and David) speak to a very large crowd at the Sequoya Library in Madison. I read your book and you so graciously signed it for me. We appreciated your comments on your life. You had a hard life, but have been able to overcome the obstacles that were put in your path. I also appreciated the fact that you indicated that the comments were about your life and you could not speak for all Amish. While I was not the person that asked the question about the acceptance of other races and ethnicities, as an African-American woman, I appreciated your candid statements about racism. Living here in Wisconsin and also having been to an Amish community in Indiana and to Lancaster, PA, I know that I felt that I was being looked at in an welcomed manner, but my dollars were welcomed in the stores.
Wishing you and David much happiness and I cannot wait for your next book. Safe travels.
It’s interesting to see the differences in Amish dress. Women use pins instead of buttons because buttons are too decorative but in some communities collars are not allowed either. Your dresses are collared. Some of it just doesn’t make sense. I understand plain – but buttons can be hidden so they are functional not decorative or snaps that you sew in could be used. Or ‘invisible’ zippers. (Regular zippers showing aren’t attractive either. LOL) Straight pins can hurt people, not just the wearer but if someone fell against you or something. There are ways to be plain while being practical!