Modesty for Men

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ehhhh that depends.

For Mass, no.

For that beach trip, or for wading through a creek with a lot of sharp rocks catching crawdads? theyre perfect
 
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Right. It sticks to your clothes even after washing them. Showering and antiperspirant is more than sufficient.
 
My family had two ferrets and I own and wear (occasionally, perhaps once a month to Mass) a short-brimmed fedora (not a trilby, but not quite a full fedora). I don’t however, play dungeons and dragons!

Also, as has been mentioned earlier in this thread, what is now commonly called a “fedora” is not a fedora, but rather a trilby. If you saw someone wearing a real fedora with matching attire, I’m sure your first thought would not be, “ferret-owning D&D player.”
 
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Years ago, I learned a few things for men (I’m a guy):
  1. Don’t wear T-shirts or baseball caps that advertise alcohol, certain places of business, shirts with colorful 4 letter words, etc.
  2. Take your baseball cap off when you go inside, particularly a business. However, I have seen men take off their baseball cap in a fast food restaurant to say a prayer before a meal.
  3. Don’t wear ripped up jeans, and pull your pants up.
  4. Don’t wear sleeveless t-shirts out in public - the gym might be okay, but not at the grocery store.
  5. Board shorts are usually long enough for the beach or the pool. Save the speedoes for swim meets.
  6. Personally, I don’t like tattoos.
  7. If you have facial hair, make sure it’s trimmed.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I live in the South. In places like Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, there’s quite a few “country boys”. Here’s a few things about “country boys”
  1. Country boys will normally keep a few pairs of jeans that are new. Some of them (seriously) will iron them. Country boys save these jeans for special occasions, such as church, a date, a night at the dance hall, a wedding, etc.
  2. Country boys will regularly wear a belt with their jeans.
  3. Like their jeans, country boys will normally keep a good pair of boots for special occasions, such as church. These boots are in much better condition than their broken in work boots.
  4. Country boys normally wear collared shirts. For special occasions, such as church, their shirts are ironed and pressed.
  5. A country boy will take his hat off in church, or leave it in his truck.
  6. Country boys, regardless of age, are polite. The majority say, “yes ma’am”, “yes sir”, hello Mrs. Smith how are you today, hello Ms. Rodriguez how are you?"
That said, in places like East Texas, I am not bothered by a guy showing up in jeans, boots, and a checkered shirt at Mass. Those guys take care of their clothes, and that’s their “Sunday Best.” Some places of business in the South it is commonplace for men to come dressed to work like this too.

Since I’ve been back in the South for a number of years, I have appreciated the positive attitude of these “country boys”.
 
Back before my daughters arrived on the scene, every year, I’d take a couple of weeks-long motorcycle rambles around the country (and Europe, for a couple of years). Wonderful trips. I’ve ridden through all of the 48 contiguous states,and half of Europe.

So, when Sunday would roll around, I’d have to find a church wherever I found myself, and go to Mass dressed as I was. Which was dressed for riding. Sometimes that meant black leather everything. No way around it. One can’t pack many changes of clothes on a bike.

I never got any flack at any of the churches I went to. Mostly, after Mass, people (after seeing the New York plate on my bike) would ask me about my trip, and sometimes invite me for coffee after Mass, or even, a few times, to join them for brunch at a local restaurant. Nobody seemed to mind the motorcycle gear, or the long hair, or the tattoos.

The tattoos? I have a lot, I’m sorry to say. All gotten thirty or more years ago. Hey, I did a lot of dumb stuff in my twenties. Some of those dumb things show. I wish I hadn’t done it, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Again, I never got any flack for it at any of the churches I attended.

I also remember, back in my home town of New York City, when there used to be a meat-packers and printers’ Mass at a parish in the West Village, which was right in the meat-packing district, which included, along with the meat-packing operations, a number of printing companies. Both of those businesses operate at strange hours. Newspapers and magazines have to be printed on time to hit the newsstands in the morning, and the meat-packing companies would run all night.

So this parish would have a Mass at something like 4:00 a.m. for the people working in the area. You’d see guys in bloody aprons with long knives on their belts, and printers in ink-stained aprons and clothes.

My point being, sure, dress appropriately for Mass whenever you can. But it’s more important to get to Mass however you can and wherever you are, than to worry about your clothes.
 
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hwriggles4 said:
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I live in the South. In places like Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky, there’s quite a few “country boys”. Here’s a few things about “country boys”

Country boys will normally keep a few pairs of jeans that are new. Some of them (seriously) will iron them. Country boys save these jeans for special occasions, such as church, a date, a night at the dance hall, a wedding, etc.
Country boys will regularly wear a belt with their jeans.
Like their jeans, country boys will normally keep a good pair of boots for special occasions, such as church. These boots are in much better condition than their broken in work boots.
Country boys normally wear collared shirts. For special occasions, such as church, their shirts are ironed and pressed.
A country boy will take his hat off in church, or leave it in his truck.
Country boys, regardless of age, are polite. The majority say, “yes ma’am”, “yes sir”, hello Mrs. Smith how are you today, hello Ms. Rodriguez how are you?"
Click to expand...
Seems like I got a country boy husband without the hat - in europe 😃
 
At the same time though,if the eccentric dressed man can’t be poor in spirit ,wouldn’t this create a bit of a cookie cutter type society (at least amongst Christians)?

Isn’t it nice to have a bit of variety in life including even with a few eccentric men and women who like to dress boldly.
Is it their dress sense that is the issue or is it their motive.Ie:if they dress that way because they do it in a sense of fun,artisticness and boldness rather than from trying to show off is it still an issue?

An analogy might be very bold lipstick and eyeshadow-some of us might not wear this in everyday daytime but might somewhere appropriate such as a nightclub,nice dinner out etc…
 
I maintain a consistent regime of beer consumption to ensure my rock hard abs are not exposed.
 
The fashion in Europe is altogether flashier, women included. Tobe PC now some brands offer unisex items. Like Zara for example. These look kind of modest for women but on guys I think they would just look in between genders. Well the brands are tricksy and they often use some skinny boyish looking girl model who looks awesome in mostly anything.
I would not be shocked if they used skinny girl models for all the clothes in adds. Just to keep the fashion completely ethereal and out of the real world for ye mortals coming to get dressed.
😜
To answer the topic - just don’t show us everything through that textile. Same general rule would apply for women too in today’s age. Look dressed not like the clothes are being painted on your naked, even if perfect, body.
 
Rozellelily said:
At the same time though,if the eccentric dressed man can’t be poor in spirit ,wouldn’t this create a bit of a cookie cutter type society (at least amongst Christians)?

Isn’t it nice to have a bit of variety in life including even with a few eccentric men and women who like to dress boldly.

Is it their dress sense that is the issue or is it their motive.Ie:if they dress that way because they do it in a sense of fun,artisticness and boldness rather than from trying to show off is it still an issue?

An analogy might be very bold lipstick and eyeshadow-some of us might not wear this in everyday daytime but might somewhere appropriate such as a nightclub,nice dinner out etc…
Click to expand...
Remember, Thomas Merton was a monk. They take the matter of being poor in spirit a good deal more seriously.
 
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