Terry at Ornaments of Grace has a nice post about considering our clothing choices, but not in a leagalistic manner.
I laughed out-loud and knew I had to link when I read this:
I AM NOT giving up my jeans without a direct revelation from the Lord.
For the record, my standards might be even “looser” than hers, as I don’t feel a need to wear longer shirts or other clothes that conceal my figure (such as it is). She suggests tunic-length tops as a compromise for pants-wearing folks.
Me, I’m heavily influenced by a memory of my parents (one quoting the other) saying they liked it when a woman looked like a woman. And they weren’t talking about wearing dresses all the time.
I can only echo what I know every balanced person has concluded on this topic: it is about what people see and what you project, but it’s also about what’s in your heart.
Thanks for linking! I enjoyed the article. I left comments in there too. Basically, I’m not giving up my jeans yet either. :P
Yeah, it’s a heart issue. I dress fashionably modest and I act accordingly. I know it’s not all women but sometimes I got the impression that some things are said about skirts, hair, and makeup due to jealously- jealousy of looks or of money (lets face it being a woman is expensive).
I left a comment on the other blog. I think a lot of what makes modesty such an issue is that most women don’t know what to wear so they wear the wrong thing for their body shape. I use the FREE personal shopping service at Macys because I have a very curvaceous figure and I felt frumpy in a lot of things I was wearing because I always had to consider coverage. The shopper has been a great experience! She really did teach me what I can wear. Part of the problem is that I was shopping in the wrong stores. So I have a lot of versality in my wardrobe. More versalitiy than I thought possible.
Bluestocking– It definitely can be expensive (though I never exactly thought of it that way before ;) ).
It’s interesting you mention the curvy figure.
Because that’s me, I feel very personally opposed to that symbol of modesty, the denim jumper.
I only wear stuff that “shows curves,” because otherwise I feel like a chunky slob. And clear back when I was 16 (and maybe acting younger than my age– running around and laughing after church instead of being more staid and “mature”), I was called to task by a near-stranger about my turtle-neck and just-above the knee skirt.
Mortified, I took the information to my mother and she *firmly* assured me that anything I wear will “tempt” someone, and I shouldn’t make it my goal in life to keep everybody happy.
The compromise I came to with myself is that I no longer run (outside of an emergency) unless my skirt is below my knees, and (especially since having babies) make sure I wear the proper “undergarments.”
I basically live in high-quality sports-bras that fit and shape really well.
Having said that, I’ll probably have to do a post now about what I’ve learned about finding the proper bra. For someone with my shape, it was a life(style) saver.
Really, I wish I could fit all the info on a little business-sized card so I can hand it to women at some churches. (I’m not opposed to dancing in church, but I am very uncomfortable with how much some of the women, wobble.)
Check back later, everyone. I’ll make it concise.
Oh don’t get me started on bras. Man have I seen some travesties. I go to an actual bras boutique. The department stores don’t stock my size. In some ways I think Victorias Secret was the worst think to happen to bras.
I like my curvaceous figure now especially since the librarian look came back. Those retro styles that Doria Day and Marilyn Monroe wore really work well for my figure.