Intentional Observation: Mennonites in flip-flops
1 July 2009 28 Comments
“A little bit of dissonance is really required to have something
that will hold our attention for a longer period of time.”
- Pete Pinnell
Two things in the past few months prompted me to ponder the idea of contrast.
First off, I’ve taken note this year of the mennonites (at least that’s what we assume they are) shopping at our local Walmart. I’ve long had a fascination with Amish (and old order Mennonite, thus) cultures, probably in large part because of what seems to be their slower paced, more relationship and community based lifestyles. Another part of my interest almost certainly stems from the culture’s seeming affirmation of working with your hands.
There are two observations I’ve made with respect to contrast in observing the local mennonites. First of all, the men dress in such a way that you can’t pick them out of a crowd: Boots, jeans and t-shirts, but you know they are mennonite because of the lady on their arm donning a modest handmade dress, with a bonnet or cap in her hair.
Secondly, the women’s more conservative dress is often at odds with their footwear. I’ve seen them wearing tennis shoes for years now, but it was only a few months ago I saw some of them wearing flip-flops for the first time. This wonderfully jarring discrepancy scrawled a grin on my face that lasted all the way into the parking lot. The nearly neon flip-flops next to pale blue, floral, handmade dresses worked for me in light of Pinnell’s quote at the top of this post, and apparently work for mennonites too. Brightly colored synthetic footwear is simply at odds with the common (mis)conceptions harbored by those of us not immersed in that culture.
I wanted to take a picture with my cameraphone, but abstained from bothering the young ladies. Instead I searched through Flickr and found the fantastic image above, taken by Jizzon, showing a group of mennonite women, some in bright colored flip-flops (click on the image to go to the Flickr page where you can enlarge it). The clothing contrast in Jizzon’s photograph isn’t as stark as it usually is in the Siloam Springs’ Walmart. The girls in his capture are wearing much brighter handmade dresses than I’ve ever seen the group in Northwest Arkansas don.
If you’re craving even more paradox, look at this image of two mennonites in dresses and bonnets on a jet ski.
Secondly, after looking through an album posted by a photographer friend, Aus10, on Facebook I commented as follows:
Interesting to me how so much portraiture (including wedding photography) in the past five years or so has been about creating contrast — or so it seems to me as an observer. The well-groomed subjects are placed in rough and rustic environments: Against decrepit buildings with peeling paint, along derelict railway tracks covered in weeds etc. Seems to me this is a new trend for the media, and one that I like (unlike this everybody jump up in the air phenomenon). Is my observation correct in your professional opinion? And can you talk about why you think this is the case, if you think my assessment is correct?
The photographer’s reply was more or less to say that the high school seniors, in the case of the album I responded to, see their friends’ photos or advertisements for Urban Outfitters and want the same thing. Regardless of these teen’s, um, less than intellectual desire for this aesthetic, I must reiterate that I think it works and works well.
My own senior picture was from one of those gimmicky old-time photo rooms (which is what I wanted it to be, although mom had me submit a color image from a $10 Sears sitting for the actual yearbook.) However, I would have liked something akin to this popular contrasty style if I would have thought it was worth it for my parents to spend $400 (I’m sure it’s much more nowadays) for proper senior photographs.
Just a quick note before I explore the rest of your site…
There are MANY different types of Mennonites ranging in style of women’s dress from jeans and a little covering to cape plain dress, black socks and dark shoes. Flip flops would be more common among some liberal conservative groups. Amish women often don’t wear shoes at all. I see bright dresses like these pretty often, usually among ‘Pilgrim Mennonite’ or ‘Mid-Atlantic Mennonite’ women.
Yes, some Menno men look like ‘everyone else’ but some are quite conservative. It all depends on their church. You usually can tell what type they are if you know what to look for.
I don’t pretend to have knowledge of such, but acknowledge the wide variety of subcultures within the Mennonite culture. My wife’s dad actually pastored a couple of general conference Mennonite churches, neither of which were nearly as conservative as the ones I’m referring to here. Neither of which actually went very well either; her dad was, well, much too evangelistic and outgoing for the liking of the congregations he shortly shepherded.
Point of my posts titled Intentional Observation are simply to encourage people to, if I can use a cliche, stop and smell the roses in the midst of our harried culture. Not making cultural commentary here, or not meaning to in any concerted manner.
I respect and know mennonites. and not to confuse anyone but there are some variation of beliefs. the girls on the jet ski seems to be some that are liberal on the action but conservative on the dress. I do not think they are holdeman mennonites. the girls and boy in the top photo of this site seem to be the holdeman mennonites. they live in moderate homes and have the average america additude. their church has a web site you can look and read about them at .. {churchofgodinchristmennonite.net/}
The Mennonites you have photographed in this post are most likely Holdeman (or Church of God in Christ) Mennonites (and I am likely related to them as my family is Holdeman and there are not a very large number). The Elders of the different church congregations will often change the rules about certain elements of dress. Some families within the church will also make certain allowances.
I would like to point out that the Amish broke off from the Mennonite church in the 1600′s while the Holdeman’s broke off in the 1800′s. Both groups are fundamentalists of sorts, believing the original church had become too modern.
umm, ya, you cant be a holdeman cuz i am and theres no such thing as “elders”. my amish cousins have “elders” and there is a bigger amount of us than you obviously think. thankyou
The group of Mennonnites with the black benie cap called a “tie down” is the Holdemans, officially known as the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. The hair is folded, not rolled into a bun, and the tie down is pinned into place. The actual covering is almost triangular in shape, but has some curavature at the top, the longest side. A most unnatural covering, and dissimillar as compaired to the general population of covering Mennonites. Up until the 1920s a shall was worn, but slowly this particular style of day ware headcovering took root. The Church body has considered other styles, but this particular style has remained in favor, a general vote takes place. One should note, that Holdeman women have the right to vote unlike some of the Fellowship Mennonites that split from General Conference in the 1950s where only men vote. This group of Mennonites were in Russia and the black style is from that region. There are Old Colony Mennonites that ended up in Mexico, that wear a triangular scarf that hangs in the back that covers the hair; this group origionally from Canada was from the same region in Russian. Both having migrated in the 1860-70s.
This “tie down” you speak of is actually called a dakj (pronounced “doke)… and there are no real church rules about how the hair is placed under it. Different “fashions” can be found in different regions… Canada, the Midwest, the Southeast, etc.
shes talking about the the holdeman mennonites. all the holdemans have the same coverings so you must be confused cuz we dont call it that name, whatever it means. that must be some other kind of mennonite, like, old order or something!
Actually the black “Bennie cap” as you cal it is called a Head Covering. We do wear a “Tie Down” but it is only to church and it looks like a big handkerchief tied under a girls chin.
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I am a former member of the Holdeman Mennonites. This picture is very true to what the YOUNG women wear. Older women do not wear flip flops in public nor do the men wear sandals. I was a baptized member of the Church in God Mennonite for almost ten years. The colors and patterns of the dresses are becoming much bolder (among the young women) as the “church” becomes more lax in areas of technology bans: computers, cell phones and digital photo sharing. It is true the men wear “boughten” clothes from the store while women MUST make their own by acceptable patterns. The headcovering is only called a tie down if it is the one worn for church services. It is a babushka like scarf tied down over the ears. The young girls go to great lengths to get the hair that is showing to look as flattering as is possible and still stay in the boundaries. In the Holdeman Mennonites boys prefer the pretty girls that are slim and the girls go for looks and money. Same as the world. But they don’t date. They like a boy and if he likes her he goes to his parents who go to her parents and they go to the minister. If she does not want him she says no.
If the holdeman mennonites don’t date, how do they know who to marry? Do they pray to God and then God shows them who to marry or do they have to figure it out on their own without dating? Please email me a response. Thank You.
Well, often the young people do meet and may be involved in the same youth group, so in that way, the young people may get to know each other. If they are from far away from each other, like if one or the other of them is visiting in a congregation that is far from their home, they still may meet or talk to each other, or they may not (it just depends on if there is opportunity or if either of them wants to meet new people where they are visiting). Usually, the young people do pray about such a situation. In that way, one would say that God may lead them into marriage. On the other hand, if God doesn’t lead them into marriage, then perhaps they will stay single. On the other other hand, possibly God will lead them to be married later in their lives.
Holdemen congregations are very small, Susan. These boys and girls very often grow up together or work closely together doing mission-type work if they are from different regions. They also DO have social lives… groups of kids play games, hang out, have parties… it’s not like arranged marriages or something of that sort. It is far more conventional that it might seem.
actually, lots of congregations are big. especially the ones in kansas that have been there longer. we have “youth deals” where we play volleyball or baseball with our youth leaders. and we meet people through weddings and stuff like that.
im a 15 year old in the church. and no one i know is married to a rich person. its all about love. also, it depends on the persons character if they wear sandals or flip flops. my dad wears sandals sometimes, but my mom isnt a flip flop wearing person. so its not like a rule that all the adults wear just shoes. you should know that if you were part of the church for 10 years. thank you.
im a 15 year old in the church. and no one i know is married to a rich person. its all about love. also, it depends on the persons character if they wear sandals or flip flops. my dad wears sandals sometimes, but my mom isnt a flip flop wearing person. so its not like a rule that all the adults wear just shoes. also, everyones had cell phones since they came out. you should know that if you were part of the church for 10 years. thank you. sorry if i sound mad. im not, just trying to make my point.
im a 15 year old in the church. and no one i know is married to a rich person. its all about love. also, it depends on the persons character if they wear sandals or flip flops. my dad wears sandals sometimes, but my mom isnt a flip flop wearing person. so its not like a rule that all the adults wear just shoes. also, everyones had cell phones since they came out. thank you. sorry if i sound mad. im not, just trying to make my point.
oh my goodness im so sorry! i didnt mean to post it that many times! oops!
Holdeman Mennonites do not vote. When they elect a new minister yes the women vote. But politics is a no no.
One more thing, very important: Holdeman Mennonites are NOT a cult. They are a religious order that requires a life commitment no different than Dominican’s, Franciscan’s, etc except they can marry. And of course they are not Catholic but Anabaptists which are called the third arm of the reformation. Too many lies online about the Holdeman’s being a cult. Not true. They are very sincere, consecrated Christians, more Christian that the ones calling them a cult. I was a Evangelical when I went to the Holdemans and they the Holdeman’s-are the real deal. It’s the Evangelical’s that can learn a few things about living a Christian life from the Holdeman’s.
Thanks for the comments. They’ve been enlightening.
But I have to take issue any time someone talks about levels of Christianity. There’s just something inherently wrong with that, assigning levels of spirituality within the Body of Christ. Some of us are younger than others in the faith, yes, but the faith is still in the same God and same salvation.
Thank you. My best friends are Holdeman Mennonite. It’s good to read positive things for a change. Just came upon this site. Thanks.
hello. im not a stalker im just curious to where you are from. thanks
I agree that Holdeman Mennonites are not a cult and also that we can all learn a lot from these “very sincere consecrated Christians.”
I think what one is seeing here is that young people dress like…er…young people. They will experiment with things and try things. And it would seem that a wise parent will stand by their child and 1) tell them the truth and 2) allow them to make mistakes. Sometimes one learns more from making a mistake than from doing what is right all of the time, don’t you think?
Please note that if this church was about rules, there would be nothing to hang it together. Each person dresses according to their personal taste and interpretation of the scriptures teaching on modesty and simplicity.
The problem is the many women and girls haven’t been taught modesty and what Chritian Womanhood is.
Thanks for the comment that Holdemans are not a cult. All those cult comments are from ex- Holdemans (if that tells you anything.) I have been Holdeman and exHoldman and even if you leave their faith they stay close and good friends!
i just wanted to say this, ” I HAD NO CLUE THAT WHEN WE WEAR FLIP FLOPS IT SHOCKS PEOPLE.” the town where im from is so small that the townspeople are used to us so i thot it was pretty funny when i read that article. i mean, i go to walmart in flipflops all the time!