"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety..." 1 Timothy 2:9 KJV
What is modest clothing in this day and age for Christians? First, let me define 'modest' and 'modesty'. In my Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1995), it has several definitions for modest, but a few are "...neither bold nor self-assertive [assertive - disposed to or characterized by bold or confident assertion. assertion - declaration]: tending toward diffidence [reserved, shy]...observing the proprieties of dress and behavior: decent... unpretentious [free from ostentation (excessive display), elegance, or affectation ( the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt, speech or conduct not natural to oneself, artificiality)]. synonyms with shy, chaste.' For modesty, "freedom from conceit or vanity, propriety [proper, appropriateness] in dress, speech, or conduct."
Whew! Now we know exactly what modesty means. Ever notice when you look up just one word in the dictionary you end up looking all over the place? Anyway, notice that modesty pretty much means not bold, not excessively displaying, decent, shy. Now look at your cloths. Are they bold? You know, I've always found it interesting that one ladies' magazine is called "Vanity Fair". If you've ever read "Pilgrim's Progress" you know what I mean. But back to modest clothing. We pretty much take it for granted that modest clothing means clothing that doesn't show too much. But how much is "too much"?
"And be not conformed to this world..." Romans 12:2. You probably agree with me that America is wicked. You might differ with me on how much so, but that's not the point. But how much more modest are you than most of America? Maybe (hopefully) you don't wear bikinis, but how about slick swimsuits? Maybe you don't wear mini-mini-skirts, but how about shorts that are just as short? Would you walk around town in just your underwear? Bikinis are just that, just made in a different fabric. How about walking around town in a skimpy slip? Short and tank tops reveal just as much, and there's many dress just like slips. Perhaps you say I'm being judgmental, too harsh. But I have a cause to plea. "Let...no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way." Romans 14:13. That's whose cause I am taking up - our brothers in Christ. We dress to be attractive - to who? Boys of course. Is that why we dress skimpy too? "It is the sight of the form of a woman's body which will arouse a man's passions. What a man's touch is to a woman, the sight of a woman is to a man." (from an article on modesty written by a man) "But I [Jesus] say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."Matthew 5:28. And it is so very easy for men, yes, Christian, godly men, to lust after a woman who is not dressed modestly. Men, nearly every man is weak in this area. " We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves." Romans 15:1. So, how may we help them? By dressing modestly.
Rather than laying down the rules for modest clothing, I am going to go over the things that I believe make clothing immodest.
Short dresses, mini-skirts, and shorts show, well, legs. And thighs. Isaiah 47:1-3. The area between the waist and the knee is extremely tempting to man. And when you sit, up goes that mini-skirt! As you bend over, in the back, up goes that skirt again! And how much is revealed getting in and out of cars? And as you lie on the sofa ~ draw one knee up, and... There was one time, a long time ago, I was talking to some girls. One was sitting and I was standing in front of her. She was wearing shorts, and had her knees drawn up and slightly split. I could see right to her underwear!
Necklines. How low is too low? How low can I get before it's disqualified? Well, is your neckline a neck line or a chest or shoulder line? And even loose necks can prove a temptation ~ just bend over. See your breast? The breast are stated to be the most alluring part of a woman's body to a man. And how about button-ups? How many buttons do you leave undone? Sure, the neck might be tight if you had all them done up, but it's not going to get any looser undoing two buttons instead of just one! And if you have two or three buttons undone, it does look seductive!
Tank tops and Sleeveless. The areas there that are shown - underarms, parts of chest and back there, also are tantalizing! And when your arms are in different positions, your breast might even get exposed!
Tight clothing. "Dress which explicitly reveals your form is as bad as that which reveals your nakedness." (from the same article on modesty. It was in "Patriarch' Sept/Oct '96) Women have curves, and boy, do men like those curves! It is the shape, the form, the curves that men like, even if clothed.
Swimsuits. Need I say anything? What my family did was wear shorts and/or shirts over the swimsuit. Now that I don't mind being stared at, I wear a shirt and a long culotte (and have no problems swimming) with the swimsuit on underneath, but sight unseen.
See-through. Refer to tight clothing. Just step next to a window, my dear!
Pants. You knew I'd bring it up, didn't you? But I won't say much on this. It took me a while before I finally decided to quit pants. I had been going through a lot of inner changes, adjusting my outlook on things, and skirts came naturally for me. Some months later, I was tempted to wear pants for an activity. I believe God slammed the door in my face, and I've been wearing skirts (or modest culottes) ever since. "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." Deuteronomy 22:5. But I don't wear men's pants! No, but just a few decades ago, pants were men's! And, besides, how come women's pants are always tighter than men's, showing every curve?
"There is nothing on the outside, but what something on the inside put it on." (unknown) A modest outward appearance doesn't mean much without inward godliness. Please don't think I'm dictating what to wear and not wear. Seek God, read His Word, ask your Dad (and your older brothers, too!). Then follow your convictions, not mine. "Whose [women] adorning let it not be that outward adorning or plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."1 Peter 3:3 Note: this is the opinion of a reader.
