My suggestion is that women ought to wear a dress—at least in certain contexts. My convictions are that the actual symbol is culturally conditioned, while what it represents is of more universal value. Paul seems to go to great lengths to argue that one ought to wear a head covering to avoid embarrassment, not to incur it! This is why, I think, the early church followed the practice of adopting a symbol that was already in use. It would not be embarrassing because it was not distinctive; but it would have its function because it became normative.