Is it okay to wear short sleeved shirts?

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Larquetta

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I know that short sleeved shirts go against Pope Pius XI’s code of modesty, but almost all my shirts have short sleeves, so would it be acceptable to wear them (especially if I wear them with a shawl or jacket) until I can purchase more modest shirts?
 
Wearing short sleeved shirts aren’t immodest. There’s no obligation to follow that code of modesty.
 
Larquetta said:
I know that short sleeved shirts go against Pope Pius XI’s code of modesty, but almost all my shirts have short sleeves, so would it be acceptable to wear them (especially if I wear them with a shawl or jacket) until I can purchase more modest shirts?
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Short sleeved shirts are not “immodest.” I suggest you talk to your priest because you seem about some stuff.
 
Thanks for the reply. I have encountered several Catholics recently who have told me that it is a sin to wear short-sleeved shirts, which is why I decided to impose on myself an extreme standard of modesty.
 
Larquetta said:
Thanks for the reply. I have encountered several Catholics recently who have told me that it is a sin to wear short-sleeved shirts, which is why I decided to impose on myself an extreme standard of modesty.
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You probably shouldn’t listen to random people. Random people have all sorts of crazy ideas. And this is definitely crazy.
 
RolandThompsonGunner said:
You probably shouldn’t listen to random people. Random people have all sorts of crazy ideas. And this is definitely crazy.
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Definitely. It’s always better to ask your Priest about whether something is a sin, rather than listen to the opinions of others.
 
Larquetta said:
I am unable to, but the people I know do.
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That’s explain s lot. They are a Catholic fringe, for a while they were excommunicated and only recently brought back into communion with Catholic Church.
 
Thank you. So if Pope Pius XI’s standard for modesty is no longer binding, is there still any sort of objective standard for modesty?
 
Short-sleeved shirts are perfectly acceptable. There is nothing immodest about them.

Whatever materials or websites you’re reading that say they aren’t, I’d advise you to stop.
Larquetta said:
is there still any sort of objective standard for modesty?
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Not sure what you mean by “objective”. All standards for modesty are somewhat subjective because they are cultural. A topless woman in the USA is definitely immodest; a topless woman in some parts of the developing world is just dressed normally to go about her day.

If you’re looking for a list of Church rules about what people should wear or not wear, it doesn’t exist.

“Modest” usually means one’s clothing is not sexually suggestive (by the standards of the culture) and is respectful and appropriate for the place you’re wearing the clothes. A one-piece swimsuit at the beach is probably modest (unless it’s cut to show a lot of cleavage or cameltoe). A one-piece swimsuit worn to church is immodest.
 
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Larquetta said:
is there still any sort of objective standard for modesty?
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Objective? No, not really. It’s going to depend on context, culture, etc. There’s not like some kind of official Catholic list of approved attire. Common sense is going to be a better guide here than anything.
 
The only people I’ve ever met who habitually wear long sleeves all the time, summer and winter alike, are Protestants who belong to the Assemblies of God or another church of that kind. Catholics, definitely not!
 
BartholomewB said:
The only people I’ve ever met who habitually wear long sleeves all the time, summer and winter alike, are Protestants who belong to the Assemblies of God or another church of that kind. Catholics, definitely not!
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Also ultra Orthodox Jews and devoted Muslims.
 
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Within certain very broad parameters, modesty is culturally conditioned. The virtue of modesty is an absolute, but how it is practiced, differs with time, place, circumstances, and even possibly the individuals involved.

The Pius XI standards were for one time and place. Our culture, for good or for ill, has morphed such that bifurcated garments (that’s Latin for “pants” as the term is used in the American lexicon) on women, above-the-knee shorts, and, in and of themselves — there are exceptions — two-piece women’s bathing suits, are no longer considered “immodest” by any but the most severely orthodox/conservative/traditionalist/whatever Catholics. Ditto for short sleeves and necklines on women that come more than two fingers’-width below the [EDITED TO ADD] collarbone. And as far as Padre Pio’s severe (and I do mean severe) restrictions on women’s fashion when they approached him for confession, he’s not around anymore to ask him to elaborate, and he made those standards stricter over time — surely “modest” didn’t become “immodest” somewhere down the road just on Padre Pio’s say-so. No disrespect intended, just stating the fact.

I am no fan of “modesty creep” or “fashion creep”, i.e., pushing the boundaries just a little at a time, the end result being once-patently-immodest fashions becoming modest “because everybody’s used to it by now”, but again, modesty standards do change over time, and in different places and cultures.
LumineDiei said:
St Gianna Beretta Molla wore short sleeved tops and also pants- there are pictures of her on the web showing that she did. And she died before Vatican II. There are plenty of newly beatified women that wore both, and worked outside the home. None of that is sinful, and the Pope Pius Xl gave his opinion, not a declaration Ex Cathedra. Just like Pope Francis has opinions… [emphasis mine - HSD]
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I am so glad you used that example!
 
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Larquetta said:
I have encountered several Catholics recently who have told me that it is a sin to wear short-sleeved shirts,
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Where do you encounter such people? Wherever it is, you need to stay away.

Because the idea short sleeved shirts are sinful is crazy.
 
HomeschoolDad said:
And as far as Padre Pio’s severe (and I do mean severe) restrictions on women’s fashion when they approached him for confession, he’s not around anymore to ask him to elaborate, and he made those standards stricter over time — surely “modest” didn’t become “immodest” somewhere down the road just on Padre Pio’s say-so. No disrespect intended, just stating the fact.
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I’m glad you brought this up. Just last night I was trying to read some of Padre Pio’s writing and his harshness toward women kept popping into my mind, like ‘he wrote this encouragement for men, not me’. I know it’s silly, and usually I can ‘eat the hay and spit out the sticks’, but it triggers that sense of female shame that had been projected upon me/us from a variety of sources.

To the OP, read, listen, research, expose yourself to a variety of opinions, find the balance, and learn to think and discern. You sound young and well intentioned–keep thirsting for righteousness. As Christians, discernment is important and we must always seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I wish you well.
 
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