Why is modesty important

Modesty can become a form of female power. In Rey's words, this is "the power to be treated as an equal, to be seen as in control, and to be taken seriously.

It seems the kind of power [women] are searching for is more attainable when they dress modestly. Of course, men of all stripes will continue acting like the ones in the Princeton study, ogling women whether they wear bikinis or burqas. And it will take more than clusters of women donning one-piece swimsuits to counteract things like Porn Star t-shirts for six-year-olds and American Apparel ads the ones supposedly for women , that is.

When it comes to the pervasive sexualization of women and girls in Western culture, change needs to occur at the top levels of corporate leadership and political power.

But it can also begin at the level of personal choice. Many women have an enormous amount of agency in choosing what they wear or don't wear, in a variety of social contexts. Women can conscientiously signal, via symbolic dress, that their sexuality is only a piece of their personhood.

Sure, a one-piece swimsuit will go only so far in stemming the tide of female objectification. But it may be a start. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. Most women do not even realize that all of those photos have spent hours in Photoshop before ever getting to that magazine. Visit Beauty Redefined to see several examples of digitally altered bodies. It will blow your mind. It is no wonder that so many women, and far too many teens and girls are obsessed with how they look.

They want to be beautiful, just like all of those women that they see in the media every day. Part of that desirability, according to the underlying messages from many fashion magazines and media stars, lies in clothing, especially revealing clothing.

Jeffrey R. Holland said it this way:. You are bombarded in movies, television, fashion magazines, and advertisements with the message that looks are everything!

In too many cases too much is being done to the human body to meet just such a fictional to say nothing of superficial standard…In terms of preoccupation with self and a fixation on the physical, this is more than social insanity; it is spiritually destructive, and it accounts for much of the unhappiness women, including young women, face in the modern world….

When all is said and done, this fixation on female bodies often leads to self-objectification. That, as Elder Holland said, is spiritually destructive and results in unhappiness.

According to Lexie Kite, Ph. When we self-objectify , which is the norm today for little girls all the way up to older women, disordered eating and cosmetic surgery procedures increase, we stop raising our hands in class, and we quit pursuits of math and science degrees at greater rates. We experience immense body shame, anxiety and depression, and fixate on our bodies enough that we never get on to the great things we can and should be doing.

Does wearing revealing clothing contribute to this? I believe so, and this study proves it. Researchers discovered that feelings of self-objectification, body shame, body dissatisfaction, and negative mood increased after women wore revealing clothing, as opposed to more modest dress.

This idea is something that we need to address because women are worth infinitely more than the sum of their body parts. Some well-meaning individuals say that women should dress modestly for the sake of the men or boys in their lives. While I understand the reasoning behind that idea you want to help them control their thoughts… , and I have even fallen into the trap of thinking that same thing myself in the past, I now believe that logic, while well-meaning, is incomplete.

I have teenage boys, so I understand that the way young women dress has an impact on them. Believe me…I know. They tell me about how uncomfortable they feel around scantily clad girls. They are still learning how to deal with the same constant flow of images from the media that I already spoke of, in addition to the way in which the young women in their social circles flaunt their bodies by wearing revealing clothing.

As a mother, I appreciate it when young women dress modestly and so do my boys. They, without exception, prefer to be with modestly dressed girls. However, I do not want those young women choosing to dress modestly solely for the sake of my sons any more than I want my daughters to grow up feeling responsible for the thoughts of others.

Namely, I want to talk about why modesty is important. The world has changed a lot in the past few decades. Modesty is as important as ever, and the need for it is greater than ever before. Modesty is important for several reasons, but in the end it is all about love—love for the people around you, love for God, and love for yourself. To a point. Yes, we are accountable for no one but ourselves. But, it is true that our actions can have a great effect on those around us.

If, by wearing revealing clothing I could help one man fall to the sin of lust, it is not worth it. If, by conducting myself in an immodest manner I can help one woman to fall to comparisons and self-inflicted pain, it is not worth it. Through love of those around me, I choose daily the simple act of putting on a little more clothes. I cannot control what sins the people around me fall to. However, if I know of a way to help them, why would I not choose that?

I think, as a society, we need to stop thinking so much about how a thing such as modesty places a burden upon ourselves. Instead, we should be turning our view outwards and thinking, how can I better love the people around me?

How can I better make their burdens a little easier to bear? This one is fairly simple. If you are Christian you know that modesty is something God asks of us. If you are a Christian, I feel it would also be reasonable to conclude that you love God.

Probably a lot. Sometimes, when people love you, they ask you to do things that you may or may not understand. Maybe you ask for an explanation…maybe you even feel conflicted…but if you truly love that person, you do it.

But, if you believe God is who he says he is, you also have to agree that he is always right. And he always wants what is best for us. On the other hand, modesty doesn't require that you hide your form entirely by wearing clothing that makes you look and feel unattractive.

Women in countries who show nothing but their eyes can still have men lusting after them. Is dressing modestly just an outdated cultural standard from the 50s? Turn on the television, go to the movies, or flip through the pages of just about any magazine and it appears that our society has lost the value of modesty.

People dress in clothing and styles that are designed to reveal and to bring considerable attention to their bodies. To suggest that we need to dress with modesty is often looked on as "restraining" or "limiting our freedom. Modesty in dress sends a message of purity and honor.

It puts an emphasis on and values the inner person over outward attractiveness. It says that a person is worth far more than what meets the eye. Modesty is not the same as asexuality, but, unfortunately, our culture requires the myth that the two are related to be thoroughly debunked.

It has been suggested that women who dress modestly do so because they are asexual that is, not attracted to anyone and with no interest in or desire for sex. This idea is absolutely and completely wrong. There is a very small percentage of society that would consider themselves "asexual. Among those who claim to be asexual, there is no way to tell who they are the way they dress certainly does not identify them as asexual.

Sadly, the age we live in, which has an unashamed fixation on sexuality and impacts how women dress, would lead anyone to think that if a woman does not wear revealing clothes, she is part of a small minority of asexual. Women who exercise modesty will be beautiful lovers but only for their faithful, godly husbands. One important fact is that no matter what your size or shape, if you are a woman, then you have the ability to attract and distract a man.

It's a common misconception that modesty is really only important for girls and women who have "good" figures or are obviously attractive. This just isn't true. Men are attracted to the female form, and the particulars are less important. Each body type attracts someone, so the importance of a modest lifestyle is relevant to all women, regardless of shape or size.

If they spread too far apart or gape too much, you'll expose your chest. Pin between the buttons if you need to. Be especially careful with the armholes or straps of sleeveless blouses.

Just the sight of your undergarments can cause a guy to stumble. Even a lightweight black dress can reveal your silhouette in other words, be see-through. Your best bet is to always wear a slip. And if you can't find a slip short enough for your skirt, chances are your skirt is too short! You may think I don't need to mention this obvious fact, but you'd be surprised how often girls fail to sit modestly.

Smooth your skirt down when you sit down or stand up. Choose a seamless or smooth bra whenever possible. And remember, it's almost pointless to wear a bra if the material of your blouse is too thin.

I don't have to tell you what happens when you get cold.