How far will you go to fit in?

In A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue by Wendy Shalit, Mike Royko describes a scene he witnessed one windy day while walking across the plaza. He says he noticed a woman walking hunched over and bent to one side. Wondering what would make her walk this way he continued watching her until she arrived inside the building at which point she straightened up and walked normally. Royko then realized that she had a slit dress on and was trying to prevent the wind from showing her thighs. Royko wanted to know why women would buy clothes that were made to reveal their thighs and then go to such great efforts to hide them. When he interviewed them their answer was, “it’s the fashion” (122). Why do young women go to such great lengths to be fashionable? Because they want to feel like they fit in. Why do young women feel a need to fit in? Sharon Lamb and Lyn Brown, the authors of Packaging Girlhood, blame it on the media. They claim that young women grow up watching shows that supposedly show the perfect female model. These models are often stick thin and nearly naked! Since most young women are not able to attain the ideal stick thin image, they try to promote their image by wearing very revealing clothes. Their friends at school also have an influence on them. By the time girls are seven or eight in first or second grade they are begging their parents to buy them the outfits their friends are wearing. By the time they turn sixteen they are trying to get their own job to pay for their wardrobe. Oftentimes this consists of the most similar clothes they could find to match the celebrities they idolize on TV. I encourage you to be different. Don't buy clothes just because a celebrity is wearing them!

Modesty quote of the day

Modesty is the beauty of women.
--Proverb

Modesty quote of the day

“Modesty in woman is a virtue most deserving, since we do all we can to cure her of it”
--Anonymous

fashions thoughout the years

This is what women's dress looked like in the 1800's. I don't have anything against dresses, but I would not want to wear them everyday!

This was the 60's. Short, but at least she has something on underneath.

This is the 70's fashion.

This is the 80's. Mostly pants by now. Not as short as the 60's.

This is the 90's. Notice the change in hairstyles as well.

and...The current 2010 fashions. Too short at both ends!

Watch What You Say!

Many clothes companies sell clothes with catchy slogans on them. Some of them are very degrading to women. Is it immodest to wear these clothes? I think so. In Alissa Quart's book Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers she discusses how clothing companies put wording such as "wink wink" and "eye candy" on clothing that may promote sexual advances.  Abercrombie and Fitch was one of the companies that came under fire for what they sold. Here is the exact news report. A&F was the subject of a boycott for selling t-shirts with sexist slogans and came under fire for selling thong underwear aimed at preteens with messages such as “wink wink” or “eye candy,” and for having a sexually provocative catalogue.

Here are some to avoid:

Yep, men wear them too!

There are others that are worse, but I thought these were bad enough.

modesty sources

Here are some books for more information on modesty. I have not read all of them, but I think for the most part they are good influences.
Secret Keeper by Dannah Gresh
A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue by Wendy Shalit

These are about how marketers sell young women immodest clothes.
Packaging Girlhood:Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers'Schemes By Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown
Branded: The Buying and Selling of Teenagers by Alissa Quart

These are about staying sexually pure until marriage.
and the Bride Wore White: Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity by Dannah Gresh

Here is a list of blogs on modesty. I do not claim to agree with the views of all these people. There are many different opinions on what is modest.
http://www.secretkeepergirl.com/Bod_Squad_Petition.aspx
http://blog.secretkeepergirl.com/
http://www.duggarfamily.com/photos.html
http://www.empoweredtraditionalist.com/2010/04/19/dont-apologize-for-modesty/
http://www.colleenhammond.com/modesty-resources.php


This list is by no means exhaustive. I will keep adding to it.

Does Modest = Boring?

No! Here's proof...











These images were taken from the blog geekthreads.

modest vs immodest clothing

This dress is too short, too tight, and shows too much at the top.

This is a modest dress. It covers everything at the top and falls at your knees.

This is an example of a shirt I would consider immodest. It shows too much of your chest. 

                This is an example of a shirt I would wear and consider modest. It covers everything at the top and falls at your waist.

How do you decide what is modest?

Google's definition of modesty is: freedom from vanity or conceit. I mostly shop at places such as Land's End and LL Bean. They have both modest and immodest clothes, but they are better than most stores in my opinion. Land's End clothing can be found locally at Sears or Kmart. When some moms and their teens voted on 100 shops that sold modest clothes Gap Kids, Old Navy, Lands End (available locally at Sears),and Children's Place were voted the top four places to buy modest clothing. As a general rule if your mom and your grandma approve of it it is acceptable.

What the Bible says about modesty

I am a Christian. Therefore I think it appropriate to begin this blog with a quote from the Bible. Let's see what the Bible has to say about modesty: 1 Timothy 2:9 - "And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes." (NLT)
1 Peter 3:3-4 - "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (NIV)
I will post quotes from various sources as well as my own opinion. I don't expect everyone to agree with me and that is ok. We can agree to disagree. It is my hope that this blog will encourage someone to dress modestly.