Modesty on the Rise
by Suzanne Hadley on 07/18/2007 at 2:15 PM
Modesty is on the rise according to an article in Newsweek. The article examines proponents of the "modesty movement," such as Pure Fashion, a modeling and etiquette program for teen girls. "Happiness is...living a life of virtue," the Web site, associated with the Roman Catholic church, proclaims. Its goal? "To show the public it is possible to be cute, stylish and modest."
Web sites and organizations promoting modesty are gaining popularity:
They cater to what writer Wendy Shalit claims is a growing movement of "girls gone mild"—teens and young women who are rejecting promiscuous "bad girl" roles embodied by Britney Spears, Bratz Dolls and the nameless, shirtless thousands in "Girls Gone Wild" videos. Instead, these girls cover up, insist on enforced curfews on college campuses, bring their moms on their dates and pledge to stay virgins until married.
Shalit who wrote A Return to Modesty and Girls Gone Mild, is an Orthodox Jew and points out that faith is a motivating factor for many of these girls. She also notes the affect of mothers on their daughters' behavior and modesty.
She blames the usual suspects: media, misguided feminist professors, overly permissive parents. Sharman also points a finger at Moms Gone Wild. "It used to be that moms would control the way their daughters dressed. But now we have this 'Desperate Housewives' culture, and the moms are as influenced by the media as the kids," she says. "They've lost the sense of encouraging their daughters to be ladylike."
One of the best things about the modesty movement is the ownership the girls themselves are taking. According to the article, a group of high school girls in Pennsylvania recently "girlcotted" Abercrombie & Fitch for selling t-shirts with suggestive slogans. It is refreshing to see young women craving an alternative to the provocative clothing offerings of an over-sexed culture.
For a Christian perspective on this topic, check out the Modesty Survey offered at the Rebelution.
1. v@v said the following at 2:31 PM on Jul 18
Absolutely, ladies, lets take this modesty thing and run. Gents -- keep supporting your modest sisters and practice the same! I'm on a rant, something I read on MSN absolutely disgusted me today (on the home page: an article with male/female perspectives on whether to sleep together or not on the first date)-- I sometimes forget, sadly, this is the way people in the world think. There was a time, I suppose, when modesty wasn't just a Christian thing, but a universal thing .... where did it all go?
2. Michele said the following at 2:55 PM on Jul 18
Wendy Shalit's "A Return to Modesty" was a singularly brilliant book making the case for modesty. I enjoyed it immensely and would love to see it show up in women's studies courses at universities, or in independent book clubs. I suspect the same is true about "Girls Gone Mild." I heard Ms. Shalit interviewed about this phenomenon and her books on the Laura Ingraham Show last week, and I think she's got great insight into the topic.
Hurray for the modesty revolution! I wrote about the need for society to take the focus off women's bodies while I was in college, and though not much time has passed, the need is ever greater.
3. Kevin said the following at 2:58 PM on Jul 18
That is great to hear. And it is noticeable somewhat. Too bad popular guy's dress is going in the opposite direction. Wearing the tight/little sister's low-rise jeans much?
4. Kellie said the following at 10:22 AM on Jul 19
Regarding the modesty survey...I'm not quite sure what to do with the information. For example over 16% of responses thought that women and girls should always wear loose dresses or jumpers. Would I be making that 16% "stumble" by wearing jeans and t-shirts? Is it okay to throw them out as it's not the majority? Should I really be basing my clothing choices on a survey anyways?
5. Suzanne said the following at 12:52 PM on Jul 19
Kellie,
It's just something to consider. I think the best thing to do is be educated on how your clothing choices affect your Christian brothers and attempt to dress in a way that does not attract attention to the wrong things.
6. Just Thankful For His Love and Grace said the following at 6:01 PM on Jul 19
I've got a question:
as much as I enjoy surveys of the "male" population, I think it's important to deal with motives more than miniskirts. If you don't deal with a woman's deepest fears and insecurities and false ideas about her worth as a woman, then it will be another legalistic practice with no character change.
I also think that it's important to be encouraging and supportive even when people don't immediately change their ways. I am not endorsing looking the other way or correcting them IN LOVE. I'm just saying that it seems like Christians are more patient with strangers than they are with their brothers and sisters in the faith....why is that?
7. Ariana said the following at 9:50 PM on Jul 19
That Pure Fashion site was really nice. Perhaps it's just the former fashion designer in me, but the clothes really were very cute while still being completely modest (and without "looking" modest, i.e., homely).
And the interesting thing was that the clothes that those girls were wearing showed a lot more creativity and style than trendy ones do. If you notice, a lot of the skimpier, trendy clothes mostly all look alike (the flouncy mini-skirts, the halter tops, the short dresses). But the clothes on the Pure Fashion site showed a lot more variety and were just more appealing to me from a style perspective, without a thought to the fact that they also covered the girls up. I guess that means that they accomplished their goal. I'll have to spend some more time there...
8. JRW said the following at 12:17 PM on Jul 20
Have you ever noticed that a girl with modest, flattering, feminine apparel/hair/makeup is actually more attractive than a girl in a bikini with wild hair? There's something about turning attention to her face, with the rest of her body only complimenting that, that makes her beauty more full and complete and wholesome. For a Christian, her countenance is where she most effectively expresses the love and light of Christ shining out from her heart through her eyes and smile. And I have witnessed, time and time again, that when a girl has let the Lord make her inner person beautiful, it somehow brightens her countenance and makes her whole appearance more beautiful!
9. J-Twinkle said the following at 2:04 PM on Jul 20
I checked out the Pure Fashion site...I loved the fashion, but I would have loved to see more diversity among the models.
10. Amina (Athena)Loucas said the following at 5:18 PM on Jul 20
I agree with JWR comment. When a woman/man has the beauty of God within, they will be more attractive. But bear in mind that only a Godly person will find a Godly and modest appearel beautiful. To an Ungodly person,the Godly and modest man/woman is prude, insignificant, old fashioned etc etc.
I give support to those who make the GOOd and Godly choice to dress with modesty in mind. Making a choice to please God(regardless of our religion), and not man,bring true freedom.
11. Andrienne said the following at 12:42 PM on Jul 23
"Wearing the tight/little sister's low-rise jeans much?"
On a guy? That's disgusting!
12. Naomi said the following at 8:36 PM on Jul 23
I really appreciate the site and applaud its cause. However, as a Christian, we are taught to always do things on the basis of the Word. I'm sorry... but I just don't see that in the site!!
Sure, the values reflected are of 'modesty' but on whose standards are those? In Paul's (the apostle) time, women shouldn't cut their hair at all! Now, our subject is tank tops and open-toed sandals.
Let us not forget what Jesus said, "Every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Luke 13:10)
THE HEART!! That is the very important issue here!! I thought we as Christians shouldn't be bound by rules or the Law! We do what we do because we are saved by grace and our heart just applauds everything that is "Pure, noble, pleasing."
Finally, one of the "rules" in this site is that "Tank tops should always be worn with a jacket."
Umm... I live in a very tropical country at 37 degrees everyday. I went to Canada, one of the coldest countries in the world, and their summer does not compare to ours. Yet, I feel suffocated and hot there in my tank top. What more in my own country?
I hope we don't let any site dictate what is sinful and what is immodest. I hope we don't go back to following rules.
I hope we remember Scripture itself as the basis of everything, including the way we dress.
13. Sarah said the following at 10:53 AM on Jun 17
There are so many more resources now then there were a few years ago. Check out these websites all with a focus on modest fashions.
www.themodestmaven.wordpress.com
modesty blog
www.elizamagazine.com
modest fashion magazine
www.themodestlist.com
more modest clothing companies