The Power of Modesty -- Why Dress Modestly?

[Rozellelily]

If you don’t mind the question,for what reason do you dress modesty then please?

I thought that modesty was only a “thing” due to God saying to because of the effect on opposite sex and Adam and Eve in the garden and all that.

Eg:even in most “strict” Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia women don’t feel they need to be modest when it is just the women together like a woman’s only gathering.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

If you don’t mind the question,for what reason do you dress modesty then please?

Because I don’t like giving people more information about my person than they are entitled to. I dress modestly whether with men or with women.

 

[OurLadyofSorrows]

Does modesty only extend outside in public. How about modesty in private.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

Does modesty only extend outside in public. How about modesty in private.

For me, modesty is about dressing appropriately for the situation you are in. So, for me, it applies whether in public or in private. But, what that modesty looks like will depend upon the situation I am in.

Ex. Right now, I am sitting in my home sipping coffee. I am dressed to shoes. I could leave the house exactly as I am.

 

[OurLadyofSorrows]

Its a question I have been mulling over, after reading a few of these topics. How far does modesty extend, is it strictly public, or is it also in the privacy of the home, and this then leads to the reasons and motivation for modesty for both genders.

It is past midnight here, I would not move too far in pjs , even in the house.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

Its a question I have been mulling over, after reading a few of these topics. How far does modesty extend, is it strictly public, or is it also in the privacy of the home, and this then leads to the reasons and motivation for modesty for both genders.

I think that if your motive for dressing modestly is that you don’t want to cause others to sin or you want to protect yourself from the objectification of men, you might only be concerned about how you present yourself publicly.

If, however, you dress modestly because you don’t think others are entitled to that much information about your body, you are likely modest in public and private. It is more wrapped up in your identity and your own wants and needs rather than the wants and needs of others.

 

[OurLadyofSorrows]

Are we modest before God, men and women both.

Objectification becomes less of an issue with age, does modesty.

 

[mrsdizzyd]

Are we modest before God, men and women both.

I’d certainly hope so! I think it’s a worthy goal.

 

[OurLadyofSorrows]

We are called by whom?

are we then only doing it for others and not for God.

God clothed Adam and Eve when He threw them out into the world. When they were sinless they were naked and innocent before God. Adults are not.

 

[PetraG]

OK, I sat through his video. He is totally out in left field. His premise implies that a woman who was only around people she knew and trusted wouldn’t have to concern herself with modesty. It is all about self-protection from strangers. This is not true.

The primary problem with his premise is that he’s making modesty about what strangers think. No. Modesty is about dressing for each other in charity in order to remind each other that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. It is about giving dignity to the bodies of the sons and daughters of God, made in the image of God. Modesty isn’t about protecting ourselves from vulnerabilty towards outsiders but about encouraging all to virtue before God.

We are to encourage each other in the life of Christ described by Paul:
Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Eph. 5:3-5

Obviously, modesty in dress is dress that does not encourage envy, greed or immorality, for we must thirst for the redemption of all. What has that effect is obviously going to be different in some contexts than in others. (Judgment of our own dress and refraining from judging others who have not solicited our opinions is required; we can do that.)’

(I have no idea what his lead-in point about no one liking being around the arrogant was about. He went nowhere with that. His conclusion about what to make of how much harder it is to proposition a woman than a man is also a little weird, to put it mildly. A sociologist, he is not.)

 

[PetraG]

A bar that St. Paul set was this:
Similarly, too, women should adorn themselves with proper conduct, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hairstyles and gold ornaments, or pearls, or expensive clothes, but rather, as befits women who profess reverence for God, with good deeds. (1 Tim 2:9-10)

I realize that this comes from a passage that people chafe at, and particularly one that women chafe at, but my point is that for St. Paul modesty was not just about covering the body but also about refraining from flaunting wealth or showing off. That’s a meaning of modesty that isn’t talked about very much.

I don’t think there is an instance in the New Testament that I could point to that supports the video author’s view of what modesty means. I can think of times when the faithful were cautioned not to act in ways that would put the Way in a bad light to unbelievers, but the faithful showing too much of their bodies in public was not part of those admonishments.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

Modesty is because we might turn on sexually the other sex and has nothing to do body confidence

If that were the case, there would be a heavier burden on young, good-looking people to dress modestly, and the rest of us could forget about it at some point. But that is not the reason for modesty, though it may be a side benefit.

 

[PetraG]

I think you misunderstand. I was referring to the video author’s premise that modesty is primarily about the vulnerability involved in what strangers think of you. That is not what it is about. The virtue of modesty is just about honesty, about the tremendous thing we truly are (that is, temples of the Holy Spirit) and the false things we are not meant to lower ourselves to pursuing (that is, being objects who achieve our highest realization by tempting other people to desire us or envy us or just disproportionately take notice of shallow things like what we look like).

 

[Sarcelle]

What do you think of this?

Having lived in Japan, I know some women and girls who like this type of dress. It’s called Lolita fashion. Modesty is emphasized in this fashion.

It has nothing to do with the book by Vladimir Nabokov.

Lolita fashion - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[EnglishTeacher]

I don’t think there is an instance in the New Testament that I could point to that supports the video author’s view of what modesty means. I can think of times when the faithful were cautioned not to act in ways that would put the Way in a bad light to unbelievers, but the faithful showing too much of their bodies in public was not part of those admonishments

This is a very interesting point. I agree with you that St. Paul was primarily speaking of not flaunting wealth or showing off your beauty, and that we tend to forget that aspect of modesty. But, at the same time I wonder - was it really a thing in the ancient world to show off large parts of your body? Everyone wore long robes or togas, unless of course they were competing in athletics or wearing a soldier’s uniform or something like that. So maybe the reason that St. Paul didn’t address that aspect of modesty (i.e., covering yourself with an appropriate amount of clothing) was that his contemporary audience already did cover appropriately and didn’t need to be told to do so.

 

[PetraG]

This is a very interesting point. I agree with you that St. Paul was primarily speaking of not flaunting wealth or showing off your beauty, and that we tend to forget that aspect of modesty But, at the same time I wonder - was it really a thing in the ancient world to show off large parts of your body? Everyone wore long robes or togas, unless of course they were competing in athletics or in a soldier’s uniform or something like that. So maybe that aspect of modesty wasn’t one that his contemporary audience needed to hear.

Yes, I think you’re right that it was unthinkable for people to go out in public without being covered. Slaves doing hard physical labor dressed (or undressed) for comfort, but people who wanted a higher social station covered themselves for the dignity of it. The way we dress now would have been unthinkable for anyone who wanted a social position. It would literally be for those who had no shame because they had no lower societal position to drop to.

 

[Sarcelle]

There are dresses of this fashion available that go below the knee but all of them that I’ve seen are long sleeved.

Showing an arm would be deemed as immodest in Lolita fashion according to some.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I would totally wear this. To church and maybe to work if I’m certain I won’t be do in ng somerh uk ng that will trash the top.

 

[Divine3]

Definitely different. Must admit I don’t like back. And really dislike it for weddings, bridesmaids and just in general.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Dressing immodestly just isn’t really rewarding anyway. They have guts showing so much skin and it isn’t exactly fashionable either unless they have a really warped sense of style.