A big topic in the blogging world is modesty. I know many girls that have shared their thoughts on the subject and I thought it was high time for me to share what I think about it.
Modesty is not just about making sure that we have our bodies covered correctly. It’s about making sure that we do indeed look like ladies (for those of us who are ladies, obviously). Don't worry, I'm not saying that we have to wear big dresses with ruffles and and bows all the time! Although, we do need to be dressing in a way that makes sure we will not be mistaken for a man. In my opinion.
“Your clothes should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show that you are indeed a lady”...
The main goal of modesty? Well, you want those that you come in contact with to realize you are a young woman; not a chimney sweep, a man or a prostitute. You want young men men to look at you as a person and admire you; not look at parts of you because you are dressed in a revealing way. Please don't be the kind of lady that likes to show everything and leaves no room for imagination. Pretty please? It's disgusting and definitely not flattering.
I do want to point out that feminine modesty does not mean that you always have to wear pink and be in a dress. You should look for clothes that flatter your skin color, hair, shape, etc. Like I said before, just look for clothes that keep you covered enough that you have some mysteriousness.
I know some of you don't wear jeans and like to wear skirts all the time, and I respect your personal convictions. I personally love to wear skirts and dresses, but I also think that you can wear jeans and still be modest. Everyone has to make their own decisions about how comfortable they feel and what modesty means to them, right? I try my hardest to be modest all the time, but Katie is a big help and tells me if I need to change something about my outfit and "fix" things. I love older sisters... :)
Anyways, so I feel I can wear jeans and tank tops, and still be modest. I know some girls may cringe at the thought of wearing pants, but my whole family is in agreement with me that it is perfectly fine for ME.
You have the right to make those decisions based on what God is telling you.
Before I close this, I would love for EVERYONE that reads this post to leave a comment and tell why they wear what they wear. I am very curious as to what everyone believes. If you are a guy, I want you to give your opinion on what you think is modest too, what isn't, and why.
This post was to encourage others and wasn't meant to stir up anything at all. I want to accept what other people believe and I know that everyone has their own personal convictions.
Before I close this, I would love for EVERYONE that reads this post to leave a comment and tell why they wear what they wear. I am very curious as to what everyone believes. If you are a guy, I want you to give your opinion on what you think is modest too, what isn't, and why.
This post was to encourage others and wasn't meant to stir up anything at all. I want to accept what other people believe and I know that everyone has their own personal convictions.
I agree with you...girls should be modest yet feminine. Besides, God created us to be girls, so why try to act like something (boys) we're not?
ReplyDeleteI believe that lots of styles of jeans are modest and I personally like jeans better than skirts. Some jeans, however, are far too tight, low, etc.
I believe that modesty is not just an outward act of obedience to God and respect for Him, but also a heart issue. Because honestly, if a girl is wearing something modest but is thinking wrongly and has a sour attitude, does she have a modest HEART?
I agree. I've recently started to wear skirts more often as I have 'grown up' a wee bit recently =)
ReplyDeleteThere are so many pretty skirts and dresses in the stores at the moment, but some of them are rather short.
What are your thoughts on length? My skirts have gotton shorter and shorter over the years.
I read a book by Mary Kassian a few years ago and she says that she thinks it's more important to consider how and with what attitude and intention we wear our clothes with. So we look in the mirror and think 'Hey, what a sexy outfit!' it's definitley inappropriate even if we have enough skin covered. Or if we are dressing specifically to draw attention, etc.
xxx
LOVE this post! I love all that you said on the subject.I wear pants most days of the week,but I do love to wear a skirt+dress too;especially on Sundays. =)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Emily! :) Modesty is always an interesting topic. It's very important to me and my family (i have 3 sisters so clothes is always a big topic) that we dress modest and not pull focus to our bodies. I do wear jeans and skirts. I believe that it's perfectly fine to wear jeans just so long as they aren't so tight that they show too much. I know that others would disagree with me. But that is how i feel about modesty. totally argree that it's a heart issue. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouraging post. :)
Katie
I agree with you, Emily. God created women to be women. I think we shouldn't "dress to impress", but dress to please God and to show our personality! I have to disagree with you on one point, though. I believe that skirts speak femininity plainly. While pants can be modest, they just don't give the testimony that dresses and skirts do. When I see a girl in a skirt, I think of her as a lady! why do men have short hair, and women have long hair? Because it separates the genders. Anyway... this is a very deep subject, and everyone has their own convictions. I won't look down on someone who wears pants; I wear pants around the house, and while working, but I like to wear skirts out. Here's a last note... the Bible says to be in the world, but not of it. It also says that we shouldn't be conformed to the world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is holy, acceptable, PERFECT will of God. :) Sorry this turned out to be so long. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteLove this (our next girls ministry event will actually revolve around modesty). I think the more you come to know Jesus, understand him and the closer your relationship is with Him - your modesty will reflect that. I know the older I get the more modest my clothing becomes - that's not to say that I don't enjoy a nice outfit, but I'm soooooo much more aware now of how I dress than I was when I was younger. You can be totally in style and still be modest. I could go on and on about this topic :). Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI also believe you can be modest in jeans, and I wear pants most of the time for ease and comfort. But I also love wearing a skirt and feeling like a lady when doing so. :D
ReplyDeleteMy mom has a cute rule called the "1-Inch-Pinch". If you can pinch an inch of fabric from the sides of your pants (Or even the seat) at the tightest part, they're modest. If you can't get any extra fabric at all, they're too tight. :D I like this because sometimes it's hard to decide "How tight is too tight?"
Tops are another thing. I've seen many girls who think they are modest because they're wearing a skirt... but their t-shirt, blouse, etc. is so snug around their chest that it leaves nothing to the imagination, like you said. And low-cut is not pretty, period. I don't like wearing anything I have to slap my hand over when I bend over, lest I expose my whole front to whoever may be standing in front of me. ;) A good way to check if something is too low-cut is to bend over in front of the mirror and touch your knees. If you see too much... the top is too low. :)
I'm fine with sleeveless shirts as long as the armpits don't gap and the 'strap' of the shirt isn't too narrow. Exposed undergarment straps are NOT ladylike. :)
My thoughts. :D
http://therebelution.com/modestysurvey/
ReplyDeleteEvery girl should go through that whole thing. And refer to it often. :) There's things that you often would not think about, yet you wonder why you didn't.
As for my personal standards... I wear skirts probably 99% of the time. I'll wear pants for hiking and other outdoor activities. For some things, pants simply give better coverage than a skirt.
On the whole, though, I far prefer skirts. They're more comfortable, I believe they're more modest, and as Leila said, they are more feminine. People take notice when they see a girl in a skirt. A few months ago I was flying alone, and ended up sitting next to a man who asked me why I was wearing a skirt. He said it was the first thing he noticed when I walked up to the gate. (That conversation was... interesting. How do you answer when someone keeps telling you that "you need a boyfriend"? Thankfully, he was NOT suggesting himself!!! He finally conceded when I told him that "I don't need to find him, I'm waiting for someone who loves me enough to find me." :D)
There are three questions I think a girl should ask herself about her clothes.
First, go look in the mirror. Where do your eyes go first? Where does your clothing draw your eyes? Does your clothing draw your eyes, or does it tend to deflect attention to your face?
Second, why are you wearing it? Is your motive services to your brothers in Christ? How do you tend to act while wearing those clothes? If you tend to act more flirtatious while wearing them, even if nothing is revealed, then is it possibly something about the clothes?
Third, what standards has your authority (husband or parents) given you? Do your clothes meet that standard? And even if they do, are you pushing the boundaries?
I hope this comment isn't as long as it feels, I think I've been typing for a long time... :)
I agree with you wholeheartedly =)
ReplyDeleteI also feel it is fine for me to wear jeans and tank tops. I don't feel they are immodest. =)
I do wear more skirts and dresses than I used to, especially in the summer as I recenly moved and its much warmer here in the summer.
I love trying to add feminine touches to my outfits instead of just hanging around in my sweats all the time.
Leslie Ludy has written a lot about fashion in her magazines and I love a lot of what she writes about how to spruce up an outfit and make it more feminine.
Thanks for sharing!
Much Love,
L
(allglorious-within.blogspot.com)
I agree with what you said about how you don't have to wear skirts all the time to be modest.. Although it is my personal conviction to wear skirts, I think that you can be modest in pants, too:)
ReplyDeleteLike you said, Emily, you have to go by what convictions that GOD gives you:)
This is a great post, Emily. It was wonderful to read your opinion on the topic of modesty!
ReplyDeleteI believe that wearing jeans/pants is perfectly fine. I have found sweater dresses to be one of my favorite clothing items. They look very stylish with a pair of jeans, they are modest, and the overall outfit is quite comfortable.
I also love the feminine feeling when wearing a skirt or dress.
I wear skirts mostly in the summer, mainly because I have more summer skirts than winter skirts.
Most importantly, the heart is what really matters. Am I shining God's light to others and honoring Him? If so, my clothing will most likely be modest.
... Just some quick thoughts of mine! Thank you again for this post! :)
Love & Blessings,
Jenna
I love modesty posts. :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, I wear skirts and dresses all the time. It is a standard my parents have set and I've never known anything different.
I've tried pants on before, and I felt very exposed, like my legs were just painted a blue color. And when pants are modest, they always look so masculine and not very stylish. I think that modest pants may exist, but they are so hard to find! lol
I do believe the way we dress is a spiritual conviction between God and the individual and their parents, so I don't look down on people who wear pants, I just don't.
I like to wear skirts better anyways. :)
And I believe skirts shouldn't be too short and tops not too tight or low.
Thanks for this post, Emily. :)
I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anything wrong withwearing pants as long as they are modest. Of course not all pants are modest ,but then I wouldn't consider all skirts modest either.
♥Michelle
thoughtful post, emily! i'm in an agreement with you! i love wearing jeans and shorts but i love skirts and dresses too! but i hate inmodest things like too short shorts, skirts, dresses etc. and too low cut tops!
ReplyDeleteA fun most to read Emily!
ReplyDeleteAnd as I agree with you on most things I will say that I've always worn skirts and find them to be more modest then pants in most cases and much more feminine. What I thought interesting though is that pants/skirts seem to be most of the topic with the comments, but I have also seen so many young ladies who are trying to be modest and yet wear too low of tops and too tight/short of pants or skirts. It is highly important to check our outfits in mirror, or as you mentioned, ask an older (or any) sister! That comes in very helpful. :)
Anyhow, you certainly have got me thinking and I may even have to do my own blog post about my feelings on modesty :)
Love you, Hannah S. <3
My Blog:
gladblog.gladheartacres.com
under "Hannah" category!
Great post! I think you have to be balanced when approaching the issue of modesty. Everyone will have their own personal convictions in their heart and I respect their choices. :-) Personally, I wear skirts & jeans, and think you can be modest & feminine in either one! Surprisingly I actually feel 100x "sexier" when wearing skirts. So sometimes I go for jeans to be a little more subdued!
ReplyDeleteMy bottom line, is that when I look in the mirror, I ask myself if Christ would be pleased in the way I look. And to me that is most important!
Well I guess that since I'm one of the few guys up here and since you asked I'll leave my opinion. I agree pretty much with what you said Emily. The reason why is because I like it when a girl dresses in a way that shows she is a lady but doesn't distract from what she's got going on inside. It makes her beautiful both inside and out. I think it shows that she cares about how she looks but also understands that looks aren't everything.
ReplyDeleteWOW! This looks like a great post, Emily. I wrote one about modesty several months ago and it received a good reaction much like yours has - isn't that SO encouraging?!
ReplyDeleteIt is way too late to read this in its entirety tonight, but I'll look for it again this week. =)
Lovely blog.
I agree with you that modesty doesn't mean you have to wear dresses and lace and bows all the time. I also agree with you that jeans can be modest. I wear jeans and skirts, but sometimes I feel more feminine when I wear a skirt (I guess it depends on the mood I'm in that day). I usually wear jeans when I'm going to have to do something that a skirt wouldn't be very practical for (like when I ride horses). I always like to say that when you have doubts about whether your outfit is modest you can ask yourself if you would be ashamed to stand before the Lord in the outfit that you're wearing. Thanks for sharing your personal thoughts on modesty. And by the way, your blog is really cute!
ReplyDeleteBlessing,
Tulip
Modesty is something very important to me. Some people believe that being modest is only wearing unrevealing clothes. Modesty is more than that. Modesty is also how you act around others too. Are you acting flirty?
ReplyDeleteLovely post!
♥Godsgirlz1♥
godsgirlz1.wordpress.com
Interesting post :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the jeans, tanks, etc'. I love both ;)
I enjoy wearing skirts, too...although I personally think jeans are more comfortable. (I love my comfort...LOL)
I believe that every girl has to decide for HERSELF what she thinks is truly, quote on quote, "modest" (as you have so gracefully done :); although, there is a HUGE line between what is exceptional and what is just ridiculous.
But you can't judge girls for what they wear either....some have been taught nothing else and just don't know what they're doing. It's not what you wear......it's WHY you're wearing it.
I think that wanting to be attractive is natural...we just have to go about how we achieve it in a truthful and honest way, according to our own judgment.
(Laura)
xo
Heads up! There’s a giveaway going on over at our community for Christian homeschool girls: http://www.altogetherseparate.com/2012/02/one-thousand-gifts-giveaway.html
ReplyDeleteI have worn skirts or dresses (mostly skirts) for as long as I can remember. I believe that it is important to look like a Christian. Especially in a crowd! It is a great conversation starter (although sometimes awkward) Somebody could ask you why you are wearing a skirt, and everything goes from there.
ReplyDeleteIf you're wearing jeans, and a tank top, would somebody think you are a Christian, by just looking at you? I wonder...
Jeans can also be immodest around the back side, too... But mostly, it is not all about dress, its about your convictions.
S