Modesty Fashion Show (Part 2)
In the last blog, I had mentioned how my eight-year-old daughter and I recently attended a Modesty Fashion Show hosted by the Challenge Girls Club. The message of the show was a timely one for me. I had recently been making some efforts to upgrade my personal and professional image. In part, in an effort to be more modest, I had been falling into the pattern of dressing a bit “like I was wearing a gunny sack”.
I heard a great line at the show that highlighted well where I was trying to go with my wardrobe updates. The master of ceremonies for the show shared the saying, “Wear your clothes tight enough so they’ll know you’re a woman and loose enough so they’ll know you’re a lady”.
Ladies, God has created us as women in His image and likeness. The female body is stunning, and God made us beautiful. In particular He created us to be pleasing to the eye of our more visual male counterparts.
After the fall of man, both Adam and Eve responded by covering their bodies. In a fallen world, this covering of our bodies with clothing helps us in a number of ways. It helps some avoid temptations. It can also protect each of us from, perhaps, the not well-intentioned thoughts and actions of others aimed at us and our bodies.
I think for many women this quiet message promoting the need for modesty gets drowned out in a culture that doesn’t support it. Anyone who has tried to find a modest and tasteful prom dress for his or her daughter knows what I am talking about. To dress modestly and with style is not a small feat.
But we can make another error. We can distort the message of what modesty is all about. Modesty falls under the greater umbrella of the virtue of humility. With humility we neither think of ourselves too much nor too little. We also don’t draw too much attention or shrink off in the corner. Sometimes our attempts at modest dress do not dignify the beauty and the shape God has given us. This frumpiness is not attractive to others, and we are called to be God’s light to the world.
It helps to get an objective appraisal of the state of our current dress along with some suggestions on how to be pleasing in the sight of God. Tune into my next blog to learn of some of my fashion faux paus in my move to finding the right balance.
Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip: Ask a friend who will be honest with you about your attire, specifically whether your wardrobe is flattering on you and your figure or not.
