Modesty (Rant).

Okay, this is a lot.  If you might get offended, just don't read it.  I'm not forcing opinions on anyone or speaking to anyone in particular, I just wanted to write about this topic because I feel very convicted about it.



I hear a lot of controversy about what girls/women should be wearing.  And while I don't have a list of what to wear and what not to wear, what to show and what not to show, I do have a different perspective on this than most people.
There's a LOT of complaining from girls about dress codes.  Period.  Whether it be at school, or camp, or a church deal, or a dance, or whatever.  I hear it.  All the time.  This post isn't some vain attempt to stop the world from complaining about dress codes, again, it's just my opinion.  Anyway, a lot of what I hear is critism about how stupid the codes are, yadda yadda, because boys shouldn't get so distracted with girls' bodies in the first place.  They shouldn't be looking, right?  Bullcrap.  Listen ladies, I believe that boys should train their eyes to not stare lustfully at women, but that doesn't mean we should walk around showing off our skin.  When we end up showing too much, they will get distracted.  As frustrating as it may be, that is how they are wired.  We can't just tell them to close their eyes.

I get that a lot of guys need to pull their act together, but don't you think that it would be helpful if women just didn't put on something so revealing in the first place?  I feel like girls always talk about how men NEED to stop objectifying women -- which, believe me, they do -- but our clothes honestly don't support that at all.  Help them out, alright?  If you think what you're about to put on would make someone trip up, don't do it.  It's not that hard.

Another thing I come across is how "school shouldn't teach girls to be ashamed of their bodies."
Okay.
Shut up.
Look, I don't know the school's intentions, but it probably isn't to make you embarrassed about your body.  The motive may not be the best, whatever it is, but why the heck are we disagreeing with dress codes?  I thought we were tired of being objectified?  I heard somewhere that modesty isn't about how you hide your beauty, it's about how you handle it.  If the only way you can be confident about your body is to show it off to the whole world, we have another problem entirely.  Don't be ridiculous.

(Now, I have a few rather tall gal friends who get really frustrated with dress codes.  That's fine, I understand that, but what I'm speaking to now has nothing to do with that.)

I've had people ask me about my "modest" or "homeschooled" clothing choices, lol.  Do people need reasons for what I wear?  Okay.  Here they are:
1.  "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?  You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.  So you must honor God with your body."  -- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
That right there should be enough, but I'll go into detail, since I'm sure I've stepped on enough toes already. :P  People always say, "It's my body, I'll do what I want with it."  But for me, that isn't true at all, because before my body belongs to me or anyone else, it belongs to God.  This body was created by Him, and He, being my Father, loves and honors it dearly.  This is where His Holy Spirit resides, I am NOT about to disrespect it, or let anyone else disrespect it, capiche?  God has paid for it and made it holy, I'm not going to just go showing it off.
2.  Before I belong to anyone else, I belong to my future husband.  God has made this form for him as well.  I truly believe that letting just anyone see too much of it would be disrespecting my future man, too.
3.  I also belong to me.  Going 'round letting everyone see a lot of me is really disrespecting myself, okay?  I am not some common piece of whatever that anyone can look at; I am special.  I am a treasure.  The way we dress affects how people speak to us.  If we don't respect ourselves, others certainly won't.  I am unique and will not be objectified, much less objectify myself.  Kay?  Kay.
4.  Finally, I love my guy friends too much to trip them up like that.  Their focus needs to be on more than anything I might show off.  It needs to be on God, school, friends, intelligent conversations, and whatever else.  Not me.
If we wear showy clothes for attention, do you see how selfish that is?  Our guy friends, hopefully, are trying not to be distracted by girls' bodies, and when we wear revealing clothing, that's kinda rude.

While I personally think that modest girls (and guys) are more attractive, I have to point out that I dislike the phrase "modest is hottest."  I agree with it, but it's still putting the focus of wearing modest clothing on impressing other people.  Because, who doesn't wanna be hot, right?  Our motivation shouldn't be what others think of us as much as it should be honoring God.

-- I'm not dissing fashion or makeup or whatever.  If you wanna dress cute, go for it.  If you love makeup, go for it.  This isn't about that. --

I've talked a lot about "distracting guys."  All of what I said is true, but again, not distracting guys shouldn't be your main reason for covering your body.  We are not responsible for others' thoughts, and we are not primarily sexual objects in need of covering.  Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit.  Although, modesty is still courtesy to guys, don't get me wrong.  Also, here's a secret: covering our bodies reveals our dignity.

Yeah, I have strong opinions about this.  But here's a note:  I do not judge girls for what they are wearing.  I will never condemn you for your clothing, no matter what I think about it.  I believe that the inside is far, far more important than the outside.  I'm just saying that, while I won't think badly about you for what you put on this morning,  what you wear does tell people something about your heart.







(Lol, I feel like I'm writing one of those Christian girl devotional books, but I wanted to say something.)