Cultural fashions and modesty

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StellaSerena

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I’ve always been drawn to the wonderfully beautiful styles of dress in other cultures, and was wondering if there is any sort of prohibition in the Church about wearing some of these fashions if they don’t belong to one’s own culture. For instance, I’ve always thought Indian sarees are absolutely beautiful and so elegant, and they never seem at all immodest in their traditional context. But would it be improper for me to wear one, not being Indian?

A separate but somewhat related question… Some cultural dances that are not at all intended to be seductive or immodest might be viewed that way by other cultures. Or, the costumes typical for different dances may not follow the guidelines for modesty for every day dress. Even ballet could fall under that category. But does that make them (dances or costumes) improper for a Catholic? I love dancing and different styles of dance, but I would hate to practice one if it were a threat to decency, even if all I saw in it was something beautiful and physically beneficial!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
Stella, as I understand it, the Church says that cultural standards will define what is immodest and what is appropriate for these types of matters. In my mind, that would mean that another cultures styles of dress imported into a culture should be checked against the thoughts of modesty or the lack thereof of this dress in the culture to which it is being imported. It is for that very reason that I would understand the Church as having no problem with dances such as Ballet. Of course, there are certain categories of dance with which not only the Church, but the standards of society have a definite problem, but I feel quite confident that you were nto inquiring about those dances. Lol! Hope this helps.

Sean
 
In a sense your question is both an old one that missionaries have been asking for centuries and which modern Europeans are asking in the present moment. For example, it is not considered immodest for women from some areas of Papua New Guinea to be bare breasted in public during most of the day. If, however, a European or North American woman dressed in similar fashion among these people, would she then be immodest? I think most missionaries would probably say yes, she would be immodest, though they would not say the same of the native women of that area.
Here in Japan it was once considered appropriate, especially in mountainous areas, for men and women to mix in the public outdoor baths. This practice is much rarer these days, though there are some areas where it is still practiced. Would it be immodest for a Western male or female to enter into a mixed bath with Japanese? I think most people here in Japan, including members of the Church, would say no, it is not inappropriate or immodest.
At present there is a debate in France as to whether Muslim women should be banned from wearing the burka of many traditional Islamic societies. From the perspective of the Muslim women who may be affected by the outcome of the debate, they are probably asking the same question. Is it immodest for traditional Muslim women to accomodate the culture they find themselves in and dress in a manner that their faith tells them is immoral? I’m sure there is a great deal of confusion among Muslim women concerning this debate. It’s an interesting question with many different facets. I wish there was a simple answer.
 
Coming from a common sense standpoint, I see two questions to ask yourself.
  1. Is your intent honorable and decent? From what you have said, it seems that for you, this would be. If a man wanted to wear a kilt as a surrogate for crossdressing, or because he wanted to mock Scottish people or Scotland, that might be improper, notwithstanding the fact that kilts are acceptable attire for men in most Western areas.
  2. Is the outfit “loaded”? For example, I would venture to say that a 30 year old woman wearing a stereotypical schoolgirl uniform and pigtails outside of a theatrical or other special context is dressed inappropriately, even though objectively there may be nothing immodest about it according to standard guidelines on things like hem length, transparency and cleavage. I can’t see any way that this would apply to your case.
I have seen white European men wearing salwar kameez in the United States and haven’t found any cases where I thought it was inappropriate.
 
Catechislm:

II. THE BATTLE FOR PURITY

2520 Baptism confers on its recipient the grace of purification from all sins. But the baptized must continue to struggle against concupiscence of the flesh and disordered desires. With God’s grace he will prevail
  • by the virtue and gift of chastity, for chastity lets us love with upright and undivided heart;
  • by purity of intention which consists in seeking the true end of man: with simplicity of vision, the baptized person seeks to find and to fulfill God’s will in everything;313
  • by purity of vision, external and internal; by discipline of feelings and imagination; by refusing all complicity in impure thoughts that incline us to turn aside from the path of God’s commandments: “Appearance arouses yearning in fools”;314
  • by prayer:

    I thought that continence arose from one’s own powers, which I did not recognize in myself. I was foolish enough not to know . . . that no one can be continent unless you grant it. For you would surely have granted it if my inner groaning had reached your ears and I with firm faith had cast my cares on you.315
2521 Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.

2522 Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one’s choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.

2523 There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.

2524 The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person.

2525 Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for respect and restraint. Purity of heart brings freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion.

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a9.htm#II

I would note that the forms of modesty may vary from place to place…but as Christians …we need to take great care not to conform ourselves to that which is not good in a culture…but rather work to sanctify the culture…and purify it.
 
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