Top 10 reasons women should dress modestly

  • Thread starter Thread starter mdgspencer
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Portrait said:
Dear severus68,

Cordial greetings and a very good day.

You have got the wrong end of the stick here as I was not suggesting that you were making nonsense. When I said, “When the literal sense makes good sense be careful not to make it nonsense” I was simply giving an additional helpful rule that might be useful when seeking to elucidate Sacred Scripture. Sorry that you misunderstood my meaning, dear friend.

None of us here have any quarrrel with your Catechism quote (why should we?), but you did appear to be implying that I might be somehow misconstruing the meaning of I Peter 3: 7 by not observing the correct rules of biblical exegesis, hence your reason for posting it. You will, I think, find that my interpretation of I Peter 3: 7 is no way a novel one or inimical to the Catholic faith. Indeed, you will discover that it is the usual way in which that Petrine passage is understood, certainly by conservative biblical scholars, at any rate.

Warmest good wishes,

Portrait

Pax
Click to expand...
That quote of mine was in response to what someone else quoted. I have no issue with Peter having referred to women as the ‘weaker sex’. Women are generally physically weaker than men. I would take issue with anyone using that quote to in any way to say that women must be dependant on men like children to adults.
 
Lost_Wanderer said:
You are confusing modesty with the form of modesty. There is no one, indefinite, absolute standard for that form. In the same manner there is no absolute standard for what word is for what meaning. (Example: Dog isn’t the only word for the animal out there. You have mutt, pooch, canine etc.)

You need to put together the parts of your quote that I bolded. These ever shifting standards ARE what determine the reactions of men. If you want proof, I can present you myself along with a good deal of fanboys from the otaku subculture. Costumes such maid, nurse, and school uniforms may not look sexually appealing to you but good Lord, if you saw how these were often exploited in sexual fetishism… shudders

Personally, it’s my attraction to anime-style characters that are partly the reason why I don’t ogle at real women as much as the next dude.

See, what women wear is not really the problem. It’s the fickle nature of humanity’s sense of sex appeal. Women (heck, all people) can only go so far to avoid pleasing something so unpredictable and indecisive.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I’ve been trying to convey in this entire thread.
 
We should have more threads urging men to strive to be like this than threads telling women to cover up more.

**A man like that shows infinitely more respect for women than one who insists they must dress a certain way. **
 
Lost_Wanderer said:
Hey that is a neat example. In fact, you’ve just inspired me to look for something similar.

Aha! Here’s one we’re probably all familiar with.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q313/lawrence_teoh2002/Umbridge.jpg

I think her dress would cause a standing ovation for the Party of Modesty. It covers all the areas that they find shocking to the eyes. It’s pink too!

But guess what? In case some of you don’t know (and I’d be surprised that you didn’t), you are looking at one of the most repulsive characters ever created in the history of fiction.

LOL! I’m sure you’re joking but as to clarify to everyone else, Rogue-type in fantasy geek terms are thieves with really convenient stealth abilities. :p:D
Click to expand...
Haha, funny you should post a picture of that awful Delores Umbridge woman. I just bought the 7th Harry Potter movie today. Huge fan. I think Hermione (Emma Watson) is one of the prettiest young girls I’ve ever seen. 👍

http://indyposted.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Emma-Watson.jpg
 
Joan1969 said:
Hi Portrait,

It is precisely because we are living in difficult times that prudence becomes very important. We need to develop the approach that does the least harm in terms of unnecessarily alienating people or keeping them from the Gospel. Yes, we need to be firm in our own integrity, but only insofar as standards serve an objective purpose can they be held up for everyone. That’s why I think talking to men and finding what they typically need here is so important.

God Bless,
Joan
Click to expand...
To prove my point in my earlier post, here’s an example.

A man like Portrait will say that it is immodest for a women to wear pants. There are numerous other men on this forum who will say the same.

You want the opinion of the general male public? As I said before, the vast majority will tell you that there is nothing indecent about wearing shorts on a hot day or a bikini to the beach.
 
Debora123 said:
You want the opinion of the general male public? As I said before, the vast majority will tell you that there is nothing indecent about wearing shorts on a hot day or a bikini to the beach.
Click to expand...
To be a lady in the fashion of Our Lady… Should a good Catholic girl imitate Mary? Can you imagine Our Lady of the Beach in a bikini? What you are saying is that if Mary were living today in our modern society with its current modes of fashion, you would see nothing obscene in the idea of Our Lady wearing a bikini. Does this really connect with your sensibilities about what is obscene or not obscene? Let’s try the question another way. What if as a male I said that I would love to see Our Lady of the Beach in a hot new bikini? Is this not obscene? Yet, one has to ask what would be appropriate apparel for Our Lady of the Beach?
 
Very true. However, what is more germane to the discussion on this thread would be your father’s view as to whether it would be morally acceptable if his own mother or a nun were to dress like a stripper or a prostitute. There seems to be a plea for exacting “tough love” on the male population, as if one were side-stepping the male purity problem. The solution seems to be to dress moms & nuns as strippers & prostitutes. Am I not stating the modesty relativists on this discussion thread correctly? Ah yes, but I am slipping into gross exaggeration mode as a knee jerk response to allegations that the modesty police are seeking to place woman in burkas to control them in the battle of the sexes. The fact of the matter is there is a sense of common decency somewhere between burkas and bikinis that constitute true modesty and “being a lady”.
 
wynnejj said:
To be a lady in the fashion of Our Lady… Should a good Catholic girl imitate Mary? Can you imagine Our Lady of the Beach in a bikini? What you are saying is that if Mary were living today in our modern society with its current modes of fashion, you would see nothing obscene in the idea of Our Lady wearing a bikini. Does this really connect with your sensibilities about what is obscene or not obscene? Let’s try the question another way. What if as a male I said that I would love to see Our Lady of the Beach in a hot new bikini? Is this not obscene? Yet, one has to ask what would be appropriate apparel for Our Lady of the Beach?
Click to expand...
Mary lived more than two thousands years ago and would I suppose dress in the mannner women at that time dressed. Your anologies are ridiculous for more than one reason. Who are you to determine what is appropriate attire for anyone?
 
severus68 said:
Mary lived more than two thousands years ago and would I suppose dress in the mannner women at that time dressed. Your anologies are ridiculous for more than one reason. Who are you to determine what is appropriate attire for anyone?
Click to expand...
Are you qualified to dress yourself? My question was simple. If you were role-playing yourself as Mary raised in contemporary society, not 2000 years ago, could you see yourself as Mary wearing a bikini in concert with your understanding of Mary’s character?
 
wynnejj said:
Are you qualified to dress yourself? My question was simple. If you were role-playing yourself as Mary raised in contemporary society, not 2000 years ago, could you see yourself as Mary wearing a bikini in concert with your understanding of Mary’s character?
Click to expand...
I am since I am more than 6 years old and am sane - the last time I looked. Would I wear a bikini may not be the most apt question, lol. You are making the presumption that a bikini is obscene. There are women and men who are really obscene in their thoughts, words and deeds while covered up. Asking what would I wear today if I was Mary is really silly. If she was living today she would not be the mother of God. Never mind - if Mary was living today and wore a bikini, why not? I would however, suggest to her that she not wear one in Saudi Arabia for instance, for obvious reasons.
 
wynnejj said:
Are you qualified to dress yourself? My question was simple. If you were role-playing yourself as Mary raised in contemporary society, not 2000 years ago, could you see yourself as Mary wearing a bikini in concert with your understanding of Mary’s character?
Click to expand...
I’ve heard this question before. Unfortunately for you, it’s like asking can you imagine a contemporary George Washington wearing overalls and eating at the local diner? How about Abe Lincoln without his top hat and is instead, dressed for a casual trip to the golf course?

Heck in the context of my own country, I doubt plenty of Filipinos would recognize national heroes like Andres Bonifacio without his trademark scarf and the messy attire of an anti-Spanish revolutionary.

It think we first have to tackle this problem by splitting something in two. That being the concept of Mary as a whole (physical/iconic representations included).

Now let’s throw out the Mary we “see” in pictures, portraits, paintings etc. Let’s talk about what we perceive Mary is on the inside.

Okay to make it easy, I’ll just assume that she’s a pretty simple girl. Obviously she does not like to be extravagant. An ideal girl next door… I might also have to state that I’m imagining Mary’s personality prior to the Annunciation (and motherhood in general).

All right. Here’s what I can imagine: a young, simple country girl who is the ideal daughter.

Next I shall then take for what passes as a metrosexual fashion expert inside me and come with what I perceive as a swimsuit befitting such a personality.

This is what first came to my mind.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
(Please ignore the pointy ears and the pig tails as this was the only image of the swimsuit I could find that would fit.)
 
severus68 said:
Never mind - if Mary was living today and wore a bikini, why not?
Click to expand...
Very interesting… Let’s open the original post with the top ten reasons for women to dress modestly. Note the picture - Our Lady of Guadalupe. So let’s see how the story would play out today. I’m Juan Diego walking the beach and I see Our Lady of the Beach. She has me go see the bishop to build a shrine on the spot where she appears. He asks for a sign. I come back with roses in my tilma. After the roses fall out, there’s Our Lady of the Beach in the common dress of our times appropriate for the beach - a bikini. Why not? 😃
 
wynnejj said:
Very interesting… Let’s open the original post with the top ten reasons for women to dress modestly. Note the picture - Our Lady of Guadalupe. So let’s see how the story would play out today. I’m Juan Diego walking the beach and I see Our Lady of the Beach. She has me go see the bishop to build a shrine on the spot where she appears. He asks for a sign. I come back with roses in my tilma. After the roses fall out, there’s Our Lady of the Beach in the common dress of our times appropriate for the beach - a bikini. Why not? 😃
Click to expand...
How about we replace imagining Our Lady in a bikini and instead, Our Lady in a McDonald’s employee uniform?

Sorry but whatever your argument is. It’s ridiculous.
 
wynnejj said:
Very interesting… Let’s open the original post with the top ten reasons for women to dress modestly. Note the picture - Our Lady of Guadalupe. So let’s see how the story would play out today. I’m Juan Diego walking the beach and I see Our Lady of the Beach. She has me go see the bishop to build a shrine on the spot where she appears. He asks for a sign. I come back with roses in my tilma. After the roses fall out, there’s Our Lady of the Beach in the common dress of our times appropriate for the beach - a bikini. Why not? 😃
Click to expand...
Again, this rather silly. Its a picture of a statute. Our Lady looks caucasian. You are all about appearances which may be misleading or downright wrong.
 
severus68 said:
Again, this rather silly. Its a picture of a statute. Our Lady looks caucasian. You are all about appearances which may be misleading or downright wrong.
Click to expand...
Our Lady of Guadalupe is not a picture of a statue. Frankly, I didn’t know much about it until quite recently. I highly recommend looking this up from various sources.

That being said, I have to say that I’m a bit embarrassed about my example of Our Lady of the Beach, because unbeknownst to me there is a controversy in Ireland over an art exhibit recently that depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe in a bikini made with flowers. If I had known there was such a thing going on, I don’t think I would have been comfortable using my example.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top