Robin Burden answered
These days, you'd find it hard to distinguish a Quaker by the way that he or she is dressed.
However, Quakers do tend to wear plain clothes that don't attract attention, due to their belief system, which encourages humility and simplicity.
What do Quakers wear?
Generally, Quakers tend to wear inexpensive and unremarkable clothing.
All Quakers subscribe to something known as the 'Religious Society of Friends', and this doctrine encourages people to focus on the ethical and moral sides of their lives, and to shun the material temptations that modern clothing represents.
If you've ever seen a pack of Quaker Oats oatmeal, then you may be familiar with the brand's logo of a figure dressed in black, and who looks as if he's come from the 18th century. Although the brand has nothing to do with the Quaker movement, this image does rely on an antiquated idea of what Quakers look like.
Do Quakers wear old-fashioned clothes?
Although there are certain groups of conservative Quakers (mainly in the United States) who still dress in this way, most modern Quakers would argue that to do so is to misinterpret Quaker beliefs.
The idea of dressing in this simple black clothing was, in the 17th-18th century, meant to be a way of becoming indistinguishable, i.e. A way of not drawing attention to one's clothing.
However, dressing in 'traditional' Quaker clothing these days would only serve to make the wearer the center of attention - something that the concept of Quakerism is completely against.
However, Quakers do tend to wear plain clothes that don't attract attention, due to their belief system, which encourages humility and simplicity.
What do Quakers wear?
Generally, Quakers tend to wear inexpensive and unremarkable clothing.
All Quakers subscribe to something known as the 'Religious Society of Friends', and this doctrine encourages people to focus on the ethical and moral sides of their lives, and to shun the material temptations that modern clothing represents.
If you've ever seen a pack of Quaker Oats oatmeal, then you may be familiar with the brand's logo of a figure dressed in black, and who looks as if he's come from the 18th century. Although the brand has nothing to do with the Quaker movement, this image does rely on an antiquated idea of what Quakers look like.
Do Quakers wear old-fashioned clothes?
Although there are certain groups of conservative Quakers (mainly in the United States) who still dress in this way, most modern Quakers would argue that to do so is to misinterpret Quaker beliefs.
The idea of dressing in this simple black clothing was, in the 17th-18th century, meant to be a way of becoming indistinguishable, i.e. A way of not drawing attention to one's clothing.
However, dressing in 'traditional' Quaker clothing these days would only serve to make the wearer the center of attention - something that the concept of Quakerism is completely against.