Five (Kind of Surprising) Things to Know About Quakers

#3. Quakers wear normal clothes and speak modern English.

The image of a smiling man with a big hat on a label for Quaker Oats products is what many Americans see in their minds when you say Quaker. There was a time when Quakers had rules about what we wore, the idea being that we shouldn’t be worried about outward show and we should strive for simplicity. That became its own kind of showiness as fashions moved forward for most, but not for Friends. The broad brimmed hat and plain, old fashioned clothes have fallen away. Programmed Friends were never afflicted by these fashions. These days all Quakers wear what they want. I know more about unprogrammed Friends, and we do tend to be plain, casual, comfy dressers. Birkenstocks are common.

Early Friends used thee and thou instead of you when they spoke. For example, “How are thee today?” At the time, thee and thou were the more familiar way to refer to others whereas you was considered more formal and was used when speaking to social betters. Since Friends did nothing that acknowledged social differences among people, they did not use the formal you. The usage persisted for quite a while and can even be heard in Quaker conversations today when someone is trying to make a point.

So give up on the Quaker Oats label as your frame of reference for Quakers. We look and sound like everyone else, but probably less flashy.