The most striking expression of Washington's austerity is seen in the veils, introduced in season three of the show. Worn by the women of Gilead, these are inspired by an archetype from each of the four major religions. The veils worn by the handmaids and aunts are an underdressing of a wimple, which is a cloth headdress still worn by some nuns that covers the head, neck, and sides of the face. "I took those from paintings," Bronfman explains. "One was an Albrecht Dürer painting of his wife, and she's got the wimple on, which covers her chin and her forehead. I played with that and made it cover up the mouth, which takes away the last thing that the handmaids had: their voice. There's no more whispering between them going on, and you can't instigate anything anymore. So it's complete docility."
