It seems we
have lost any distinction between good and evil, pretty and ugly, and
things are determined entirely by the competitive "Mode" in its worst
provincial urban form. We should be honest and admit that the problem
exists mainly among female members and girls, rather than among male
members and boys. The writer stressed that she was not moralizing
and was not sorry that the old days of poverty and patches are over;
it is only natural that tastes change and improve in time and the need
of decoration, rooted in feminine nature, did not pass over the women
of the Kibbutz. She herself is not immune to the "weakness" of vanity,
but she feels offended by what she views as extreme forms of vanity.
How can long and manicured fingernails fit in the hands of a working
woman? How can a female member who grows such nails work with
the Kibbutz children? Do we want our children to imitate such a style?
A few female members, continued the writer, wear on Sabbath evenings
huge long necklaces. This sort of jewelry is probably worn by women in
"high" bourgeois society, so the phenomenon reflects a lack of taste and
discloses a longing for a way of life that the Kibbutz initially negated
and contradicted. Thankfully makeup, another unneeded accessory, has
not yet taken root in the Kibbutz. General public pressure should put
an end to any extreme forms of petit-bourgeois vanity. But in addition
to eradicating undesirable forms of dress, more effort should be put
in developing a unique dress suitable for Kibbutz ideas and lifestyle.
Without such intentional efforts by Kibbutz assembly and institutions,
dress will inevitably be dictated by alien urban modes.^"
The article was answered two weeks later by another female member.
Life flows onward and changes constantly, she wrote, so there is no
point in pining for the so-called "beautiful past." Once the Kibbutz
determined even the names of the newly born children, rather tban
leaving this private decision to their parents; a female member was
328 Anat Helman
almost voted out of her membership because she owned a private pair
of stockings. Thankfully, things have changed and today such extremity
seems ridiculous and pathetic. When we first moved from a general
clothes distribution to marking clothes for each member, some objected
to the change as heretic, but now everyone agrees that it was a just and
efficient move. Once Kibbutz members had no private clothes; now each
one of us is a "private owner" of some clothes and does not regret it.
Our clothes are similar to those worn by other workers in Israei, perhaps
slightly more modest. What exactly are those "extreme manifestations
of vanity" that enraged the former writer? Why should groomed
fingernails set a bad example to our children? Isn't a groomed hand
better than one yellow hued from excessive smoking? Necklaces, like
color preferences, are a matter of taste and should bother nobody. The
writer announced that she will treat any female member not according
to what she wears, but according to her personality, and according to
the way she performs her work and duties in the Kihhutz.
As to the claim that it is only female members who suffer from the
weakness of vanity, what about beards and mustaches? Are they too
not a matter of fashion? And what about shirts from nylon and silk,
checked and striped, suits, white sweaters and cardigans, all which some
of our male members wear on Sabbath evenings? Is that not vanity?
Perhaps male members are exempt from criticism just because we do
not envy them...? We are a free society and pressure should not be used
in private issues. None of us wants the Kibbutz to turn into an "army
camp" where everyone is dressed exactly the same. Our dress should be
comfortable and modest, as befits workers, but its details should not be
dictated by the general assembly. Instead of dealing with marginal issues
such as dress.
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