In human civilization, the clothes we wear, has a deeper meaning than a covering a body and protecting a skin. Apparently cloth has a deeper meaning used by human being to showing identity of each other, not to mention a religious. While reading Linda's article Arthur[1], it turns out that, religion is not necessarily like the Marxists who think that religion separating between material culture with something not visible. Religion gives a meaning as a escapement from a bad life to the beautyfull imaginary about live,and living hereafter in the heaven. For Marx, the body is material itself, so there are about distintinction beetween the body and religious area.
But by Arthur, religion also has attributes, and the attribute involves the body. Therefore the body has a significant issue for religious system. Featherstone said that body is a vehicle of pleasure. Thiscan bringa'body' tosomething that isperfect"itsDesirableanddesiringtheactualbodyandclosertotheidealizedimagesapproximatesandyouth, health, fitness and beautythehigheritsexchangevalue (Featherstone: 1991:176). Sohereit can be saidthat thebodyisatooltoputthe symbolsfor the satisfaction.
Body, through theclothescanmakea newimaginationofaritual (Kern. 1975)[2]. Asaritualwould be moremeaningfulifthere aresymbols that areexplainedon the identity. For the example is the caseHasidism, this isadress codelisted in thetorahrequiresa certainhow to be dressed as a good Jews, in the end, this way of dressing became specificidentity ofaJew.
Clothesbecomesymbols ofthe ritual; it islegitimizedthe perfectionofworship. In Indonesiawehave heardthe term"Muslim dress"(Baju Muslim), even there is a specialcounterthat provides a"Muslim dress". In this situation then, Clothes put on as anidentity of aMuslim, ormaybe another argument can we say that this term drive an ideathat theclothes also have areligion? InYogyakarta it self,Iseemiraculousspecial shopssellMuslim dress, and somehow because of the needforwomen'sclothingbecamemore mainstreamin comparisonwith men, so there are several big store held for provides thatMuslimwomen's clothes.
The bodyother than as atooltoexpressthe attributeis also to differencebetween menandwomen, andcloththat makesa distinctionthatis notable. LikeGodcannot distinguishsex, religions regulate womenand men how to wear a proper dress.However usually women more controlled about how to using a proper dress than a men. As inHisidismalso, the rulesin thematterof dressaremoreoftenpreferredto thefemale. Womendeemedto have'ervah’ oreroticpointthat must behiddenfrom other vision.
The question, what is the reasonof religion formeddress codedifferencesbetweenmen andwomen. EveninIslam, even there isa Quar’anictermsthat womenwho wearthe sameclothesas men do,will never beclose toheaven. Is it true because ofGodcannotdistinguishvisualization between men andwomen in natural form? What exactly isthe meaning ofclothesfor God? Whyin the article ofCarrel, Jewishlawgivesan idea ofPious throughclothes?
[1] . Linda Arthur (ed).1999. Religion, Dress, and the Body. Oxford: Berg chapter 10, pp 164.
[2] . See in Mike Featherstone, Mike Hepworth, Bryan S. Turner. 1991. The Body. Bath Press : Britain. Pp.178