Monday, July 11, 2011

Try This On For Size

Recently, the word "modesty" has been rolling around my head.

The clothes I naturally gravitate towards tend to be relatively conservative in the amount of skin they show. I don't like to wear skirts, dresses, or shorts that go much above my knees and I always wear a cardigan over something that is sleeveless. I'm not into showing lots of cleavage (not that I have much) or wearing super tight clothing. I think wearing leggings as pants (without a long shirt to cover the bum and upper thighs) is too revealing and I'm really not into wearing alluring/provocative/sexy clothing.

 This dress from gap is something I would try on. 
The length isn't too short and it has sleeves. 

I realize this sounds judgmental, but I'm sometimes baffled by how much skin other women choose to show. I swear I see some shorts out there that barely cover more than underwear.

 j. crew's 3' chino shorts show too much leg for me


I wasn't raised in a household that emphasized modest dress and it was never something I really gave much thought to, so I'm surprised to find that I lean to conservative dress. Even though my taste or preference tends to be on the modest side, I'm still not quite sure what my beliefs are on dressing modestly. Is it important? What does it symbolize? Would I give up wearing something I want to wear because it shows more skin? What does it mean if I or someone else dress immodestly?  

What are your thoughts on modesty and clothing?

6 comments:

  1. As a teenager, I could give a crap about modesty...I would wear whatever I wanted, especially if it were low cut, really tight and/or short. Part of that was beause I was a typical {insecure} teenager and part of it was because my mom never told me "no."

    Now I find myself gravitating toward much, much more modest clothing. I will wear sleeveless shirts and a short skirt every once in a while, but nowhere near the level of skankiness I wore when I was younger. I think it's just a part of getting older, maybe?

    Anyway, I went out with my mom the other day and told her that I was afraid that my future daughters would hate me, because I would never let them wear most of the things that I got away with wearing as a teenager. My mom laughed at me.

    But thanks for posting. And that green dress is pretty adorbs.

    xoxo,
    Joelle

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  2. Umm, I couldn't agree more. I am so sick of seeing these girls all over the city, wearing dresses so short that I can see their you-know-whats. Seriously??? COVER IT UP!

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  3. I try to wear clothing that flatters my body. Considering I have ghost white legs and flabby arms... pretty much everything I wear is modest because honestly, no one needs to see those parts of me!

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  4. I don't think I always specifically choose to be a modest dresser, but more choose clothes based on comfort. This generally excludes skanky attire though since I won't be comfortable constantly checking if my skirt is riding up, or to see if I'm accidently flashing someone from a low cut top moving the wrong way, or having issues breathing since my clothes are too tight! Having said that though, I'd also much prefer to be known as a modest dresser than a skanky one.

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  5. I'm pretty similar. It's not really a self-conscious thing (I don't mind running around teaching swim lessons in a bathing suit), it's just a... personal style?

    I'm okay with a little tank top, I'm okay with semi-short shorts, but verrry rarely will I ever pair two skimpy things together. I read somewhere that guys "attraction" maxes out when women show 40% of their skin, anyway. So it sounds like we're doing awesome!

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  6. I'm like April--I wear tank tops without giving it a second thought (where appropriate) but don't like shorts or skirts that show much leg above the bottom of my thigh (just above my knee). I also bought a one-piece bathing suit this year to one, decrease the area I have to slather with sunscreen and two, because I was tired of worrying if things were out of place and falling out :)

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Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Every comment brings a smile to my face!