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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—Men Not Excluded from These Remarks on Personal Adornment.

Of course, now, I, a man, as

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 7 Book 2 · Chapter 9 ›

being

envious

of

women

,

am

banishing

them

quite

from

their

own

(

domains

)

.

Are

there

,

in

our

case

too

,

some

things

which

,

in

respect

of

the

sobriety

we

are

to

maintain

on

account

of

the

fear

due

to

God

,

are

disallowed

?

If

it

is

true

,

(

as

it

is

,

)

that

in

men

,

for

the

sake

of

women

(

just

as

in

women

for

the

sake

of

men

)

,

there

is

implanted

,

by

a

defect

of

nature

,

the

will

to

please

;

and

if

this

sex

of

ours

acknowledges

to

itself

deceptive

trickeries

of

form

peculiarly

its

own

,

—

(

such

as

)

to

cut

the

beard

too

sharply

;

to

pluck

it

out

here

and

there

;

to

shave

round

about

(

the

mouth

)

;

to

arrange

the

hair

,

and

disguise

its

hoariness

by

dyes

;

to

remove

all

the

incipient

down

all

over

the

body

;

to

fix

(

each

particular

hair

)

in

its

place

with

(

some

)

womanly

pigment

;

to

smooth

all

the

rest

of

the

body

by

the

aid

of

some

rough

powder

or

other

:

then

,

further

,

to

take

every

opportunity

for

consulting

the

mirror

;

to

gaze

anxiously

into

it

:

—

while

yet

,

when

(

once

)

the

knowledge

of

God

has

put

an

end

to

all

wish

to

please

by

means

of

voluptuous

attraction

,

all

these

things

are

rejected

as

frivolous

,

as

hostile

to

modesty

.

For

where

God

is

,

there

modesty

is

;

there

is

sobriety

her

assistant

and

ally

.

How

,

then

,

shall

we

practise

modesty

without

her

instrumental

mean

,

that

is

,

without

sobriety

?

How

,

moreover

,

shall

we

bring

sobriety

to

bear

on

the

discharge

of

(

the

functions

of

)

modesty

,

unless

seriousness

in

appearance

and

in

countenance

,

and

in

the

general

aspect

of

the

entire

man

,

mark

our

carriage

?

Notes

1
Æmulus.
2
Gravitatis.
3
Metus.
4
Detrahuntur.
5
Gravitas.
6
Comp. de Pa., c. xv. ad fin.
7
Gravitate.
8
Gravitatem.
9
Contemplatione.