Modesty, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series on modesty, I talked about how glorifying God was one of two main reasons for being modest. The second reason I found for dressing modestly was to guard the hearts and minds of our brothers in Christ.

Many throw this problem right back on the guys, saying “It’s their problem! They just shouldn’t look!” But girls, the responsibility for what we wear is ours right from the minute we drag those clothes out of the store. My dad says guys are visual, so why should we make it any harder for them to resist temptation? They are constantly under barrage from the world and the way the average girl dresses. As Christian ladies, we should seek to give them a safe haven from the world and not be a stumbling block. They shouldn’t have to look at their feet around their sisters in Christ.

The Christian young men I know do excuse girls and put the responsibility for remaining pure back on themselves; they take the position that they just shouldn’t look. Yet, as Christian young ladies seeking to serve Christ, we should think about the way we present ourselves to the world. In 1 Thessalonians 5:22 we are told to “abstain from all appearance of evil.” We should refrain from dressing like the world not only to glorify God, but also to protect our brothers in Christ. And by doing this, we’re glorifying God at the same time.

Sometimes as girls we don’t know exactly what effect a particular outfit will have on a guy. But instead of waiting for the guys’ reactions, ask your father. Most times, my outfits pass the “Dad Test,” but on a few occasions Dad has asked me to change outfits. No, he is not being legalistic, and no, he is not dictating to me what I can and cannot wear. He is helping me to think about the effect my clothing will have on gentlemen, and I am grateful he takes the time to care about what I wear. My parents don’t measure my hem length, instead they have given me basic guidelines about what is appropriate.

Each family has their own standards, and I won’t go into that because that is for you and your family to decide. For my family, we keep skirts below our knees and stick to a basic “not too tight, not too short, not too low” rule. And I’ve been reminded time and time again that attitude is everything. A long skirt worn with a wrong attitude can be 10 times more provocative than a knee-length skirt worn with a modest attitude. Sometimes the activity you’re doing dictates whether or not an outfit is modest. “Purity of mind” is the attitude we should have, in everything we do, and with everything we wear!



Links

Fashion & Following the Savior, Part 6
A Candle Among the Straw
Modesty on Your Wedding Day
A Godly Woman’s Fashion Statement
Guys to Girls
Purity Girls.com’s Modesty Survey: Click on the clothes hanger icon to see the survey. I recommend this for older ladies and mothers, as the guys were often very blunt in their answers. This survey was given to young Christian guys about various articles of clothing girls wear and they answered why or why not these should or should not be worn. It is VERY eye opening!