Skip to main content

The Other Extreme of Modesty


model of sister-missionary wear on lds.org
Some girls take modesty to the extreme and wear circus tents as clothes. Although that is not necessarily bad, they don’t look their best and take pride (the good kind) in the glorious gift of their bodies. Do you make these mistakes as you try to look modest?

Dressing like a Nun
It is a fact that humans are visual creatures. In the Church we tend to focus on how that can be a bad quality, especially for men. But there is opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11), meaning the quality is good too. We are supposed to appreciate beauty, and hiding it under a tent will make it harder for you to attract a guy, even a righteous one. A man wants to be attracted to his wife, and a woman wants to know her husband finds her beautiful. You can show your beauty and still be modest.

Dressing like a Man
My patriarchal blessing specifically advises me to dress in a feminine manner. It is important that we look and dress like women. That doesn’t mean you have to be trendy or a girly-girl, just that you don’t look like you’re borrowing your brother’s or husband's clothes.

Dressing like a Slob
Many women wear baggy, old, or plain clothes and don’t brush their hair. We are supposed to be well groomed. Take the missionaries for example. They officially represent the Church and therefore look the part: they are required to dress up and keep their appearance professional. Furthermore, our bodies have been compared to temples (1 Corinthians 3:16). Look at the temples we build: they are lovely, spotless, and beautifully landscaped. Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women General President, advised us to “keep the outside of our bodily temples looking clean and beautiful to reflect the sacred and holy nature of what is inside, just as the Church does with its temples.”1 Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles warned, “I believe very casual dress is almost always followed by very casual manners.”2 We should learn from those examples and look our best in clean, bright, classy clothes, accessories, and hairstyles.
  1. Tanner, Susan W. “The Sanctity of the Body,” Ensign, November 2005.
  1. Perry, L. Tom. “Let Him Do It with Simplicity,” Ensign, November 2008.
Challenge: Don't fall for these modesty extremes. Remember, modesty is related to the word moderate. Find a balance to look your best.
Labels:

Comments

DAD said…
you dress modestly but you do look very nice
July 28, 2013 at 3:03 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New URL Coming Soon To Avoid Using "Mormon"

photo by ilker In light of President Nelson's talk in October 2018 general conference , I will be changing the title and address of this blog very soon to eliminate the use of the word "Mormon." Because I won't be buying a domain name, I don't know what the new URL and blog name will be yet. I'm not very literate in the website world, so please bear with me as I roll out these changes. I'm trying to learn as much as I can quickly to reduce broken links and errors. Thank you, and I hope you keep reading my blog!
Post a Comment
Read more

Little Girls No More

Read this article . And we wonder why girls as young as eleven are losing their virginity and why there are so many sexual predators out there. The company argues the padding is for modesty. On the one hand, that is understandable. My little sister went through puberty very early, and my mom had a hard time finding a little-girl bathing suit that covered my sister completely. On the other hand, if parents are so worried about modesty, why are they letting their little girls wear bikinis, especially if they are starting to blossom at a young age? Why can't little girls just be little girls? They'll have the rest of their lives to be grown women. Childhood lasts only for a brief moment. And once it's over, most everyone wishes at some time or other that they could go back. I apologize this isn't actually a doctrinal post. But this problem of sexualizing our little girls really bothers me. As members of the Church, we must set the example and dress our children modestly fr...
2 comments
Read more

"Be Thou an Example of the Believers" at Home

Today, my husband and I spoke in sacrament meeting. Here is the first part of my talk ( read Part 2  and Part 3 ): “The effect of our words and acts is tremendous in this world. Every moment of life you are changing to a degree the lives of the whole world.” Those are the words of President David O. McKay.* If we have such an astounding influence over the world, we need to be examples of righteousness. As Paul counseled, “Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. . . . Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in so doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). The Lord said, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also” (John 14:12). So to be an example of the believers is to do what the Lord has done so that we can “save [ourselves], and them that hear [us].” We usually apply this principle to missionary work, but it also e...
3 comments
Read more