The "trads" of the Eastern Orthodox (Old Believers) only permit opaque head coverings. Have you read or heard anywhere else in the Latin Rite about this requirement? Makes sense to me because what is the point of covering something out of respect if it is see-through. Would a traditional Catholic woman dare to wear see-through clothing? Of course not, so why skimp out on a Biblical requirement to cover women's heads?
Regarding the bolded, this is a poor analogy. Among the many men I have known in my life, none of them would say that a woman's hair is as arousing or distracting as her naked body.
But I prefer to enlarge the context for this to one of general charity for others in our appearance, on the part of women
and men.
That context includes a descent into sloppiness regarding social etiquette and protocol since 1960, just as much in men as in women. That is the realistic climate that the West has inherited since so-called "liberation" (i.e., self-centeredness and contempt for social norms). The legacy continues, even --often-- absent awareness of that. It has become so habitual to take umbrage at any request to mortify one's own preferences and "comfort" that a huge percentage of people are not even aware of their self-absorption.
That's the first context.
The second context is one of leadership: If a traditional Catholic environment is going to manifest respect for all aspects of tradition (including dress at Mass), then the priest in charge should communicate that in some way. In some chapels, dress codes are posted near the entrance and/or published in the bulletin, on the website if there is one, etc. That doesn't always convince all attendees, however, and so sometimes priests, if they want compliance, have to mention it at the pulpit, which one trad priest I know does.
The third context -- one I have observed to be most effective -- is the conversion of the person himself/herself. Thus, in my parish, a couple coming in from the N.O., both wearing jeans at their first several Masses, changed their own habits out of love and respect. She now veils and wears skirts. For anyone to complain about the fact that her veil is lace and thus one can "see through" it and notice she has actual hair is just, I'm sorry, petty.
In my experience, the least effective method of enforcement is being lectured by lay men or lay women, but that seems to be, unfortunately, the most frequent approach.
I have a variety of head coverings, all of them gifts from a loving friend who loves to adorn others. Some are opaque, one is lace, and one is what I would call diaphanous, although not gossamer. I choose based on the colors I am wearing that day. I consider it a privilege to cover my head for a variety of reasons having to do with The Presence.
In several trad parishes I have visited, the much bigger problem is male attire, not female. Recently, one of those priests had to mention from the pulpit that he does not consider polo shirts on men to be proper Sunday attire. (Do men even own collared shirts any more? How could it be so difficult to refrain from wearing T-shirts and polo shirts to Mass? Even if your occupation is manual labor, you never get invited to a more dressy occasion? You never interview anywhere for a new job?) Anyway, that priest's one remark from the pulpit -- even though it had also been published in the bulletin for weeks -- cured the problem instantly. The next Sunday, all the men were wearing shirts and ties.
