The Power of Tradition: Good Habits vs. Oppressive Ones

 

One of the most easily identifiable symbols of the monastic life, widely used for centuries now, is the nun’s habit.  The habit and other variations of religious garb have adopted a mixed connotation over time, from the modesty associated with saintly figures such as Mother Theresa of Calcutta to – more recently – a sign of oppression against women.  For many, modest clothe, such as habits, are a form of male oppression, as they force nuns to hide their bodies to remain pure as brides of Christ, suggesting that there is something inherently sexual that the world ought not to see, a symptom of the male gaze.  This comes among a rising tide of resentment towards modest religious traditions, exemplified by bans on the use of headscarves, niqabs, and burqas in public spaces, especially in the classroom (“The Islamic Veil”).  However, in response to this new public perception, many have begun to see the habit in a new light, suggesting that some of these traditions of modesty may empower women and work against the male gaze.
            To exemplify this point, one cannot help but look to the past to try and find a strong, female role model to prove the possibility of a case such as this.  This seems to be the case with Radegund, a Frankish queen, deaconess, and saint of the sixth century.  During her life, she was a victim of the male gaze and faced objectification on many occasions, as is shown in her biography by Venantius Fortunatus.  Near the very start of her biography, the Franks invade her homeland of Thuringia, and “the royal girl became part of the plunder of these conquerors and they began to quarrel over their captive” (McNamara, 71).  Notably, Radegund is only a child, and even now she is being objectified by men and fought over, ultimately becoming the ward and later wife of the Frankish king, Clothar.  She has been turned into a prize of war.  
            Interestingly, upon marrying Clothar and being granted the financial and social status to dress in “royal robes,” Radegund desires to take on the clothes of a monacha, which is a term that is comparable to a nun today (McNamara, 73).  Moreover, she seeks to ultimately reject her marriage to her husband and act as a bride of Christ by being a deaconess, as she eventually meets with a holy man to receive consecration.  Interestingly, the holy man, “hesitated to garb the Queen in the robe of a monacha. For even then, nobles were harassing the holy man […] to keep him from veiling the king’s spouse lest the priest imagine he could take away the king’s official queen as though she were only a prostitute” (75).  Here, the nobility insult Radegund by comparing her to a prostitute, something often done by men to objectify and demean sexually liberated women. This is shocking, however, because this is in a situation where the woman in question is donning modest clothing, literally taking on the robes of a monacha, which may seem incongruous to modern – and perhaps past – readers. 
            After taking on the robes of a nun and dressing how she chooses, Radegund comes into her own and performs a miracle greater than the healings and charity that she does throughout her life: separating herself from her husband.  Radegund leaves her husband to go to Tours and live in a community of women, and she does so successfully (McNamara, 76).  Here, it seems that Radegund, although still legally married to Clothar, can effectively escape this forced marriage by wearing modest clothes.  Therefore, these religious clothes have transformed Radegund; these modest clothes are not simply a symbol of obedience or hiding from the male gaze, they are a means of female empowerment.  Her decision to become a deaconess is a rejection of her role as nothing more than a treasure won by a man in war.  Modesty and the religious life are a rejection and active resistance to the patriarchal system that Radegund lived under as well as the male gaze that turned her from a person into a prize.  Radegund reclaimed her agency and humanity by donning this religious garb.

The life of Radegund suggests how modest clothing – such as the nun’s habit – might serve as a means of female empowerment.  This is not to say that modest clothing is always the way towards female empowerment.  As has been made clear following Taliban rule in Afghanistan, forced modesty in clothing is a crisis of human rights (“Afghanistan”).  Yet, it would also seem that forcing women to forsake their traditions of modest dress – as with Burqa bans – may not be the way to female empowerment; instead, it might just be another form of oppression by the male gaze.

For further reading:

“Afghanistan: Taliban’s Crackdown on Women over ‘bad Hijab’ Must End.” United Nations, news.un.org/en/story/2024/02/1146177. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

“The Islamic Veil across Europe.” BBC News, 31 May 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-13038095. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.

McNamara, Jo Ann, et al., ed. Sainted Women of the Dark Ages. Duke University Press, 1992. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv125jnj1. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.