Modest Women?

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  • WhittRak
    WhittRak Posts: 572 Member
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    I'm curious - why are pants not modest?? Last I checked, they cover everything... unless I'm doing it wrong... which is entirely possible.

    Oh no's..me too!!!
  • maxmariesfo
    maxmariesfo Posts: 173 Member
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    I went to Catholic school my whole life- including college. I find myself to be modest in dress. I will wear tank tops but I don't like them low-I only wear skirts that are longer then my fingertips (another Catholic School thing) I don't wear bikini's I am uncomfortable in them. I am not comfortable in tight clothes so I don't wear them... I guess I just want to be comfortable :laugh:
    I attended Catholic schools, also and I dress modestly. I guess you and I are the exception. :laugh:

    Catholic here, attended Catholic school. Lapsed for a time, then came back! Now professed as a Franciscan. So that makes three of us. Modest dresser. Like comfort.
  • Luckldy31
    Luckldy31 Posts: 34 Member
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    My best friend's motto is "Modest is hottest!"

    This post made me think of that... but I also try to dress modestly, but sometimes clothes in my size seem to accentuate my seemingly only good quality... sad.
  • Begood03
    Begood03 Posts: 1,261 Member
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    I own clothes that are considered modest, and some that are definitely not. It just depends on where I'm going and who I'm going to be with.

    That being said, I live in Florida where it's hot most of the year.

    ... and I like to go to nudist resorts on Sundays sometimes where everyone runs around naked. It's a blast.
    You must be near Land o Lakes.
  • monkeydoodle
    monkeydoodle Posts: 44 Member
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    I also dress this way for religious reasons. I feel like the body is the temple of God and is not for everyone to be looking at.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I'm a Christian, too, and my thoughts on what men think of how I'm dressed are pretty simple: my responsibility for their behavior begins and ends with MY intent, not theirs. If my intent is to feel good about myself and not to distract a married man from his wife, then I'm not doing anything wrong.

    I do believe in the concept of men being naturally visually stimulated and that I have some responsibility to regulate my clothing choices because of that, but that's a respect issue for me, not an "I'm responsible for their behavior" issue. Some men take it beyond being visually drawn to an attractive woman. Some men are just perverts; if you have boobs, they're picturing you naked, even if you're dressed like Anne Hutchinson.

    The Bible also teaches that men are to be the spiritual leaders. If I have to dress like a Puritan to keep a man from straying from his wife, then he's a poor representative of a spiritual leader, and that's his fault, not mine.
  • galegetsthin
    galegetsthin Posts: 1,352 Member
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    Very interesting.

    I find it particularly interesting that so many people feel women who dress modestly must be uncomfortable in their body.

    EVEN IF I WAS FIT AND TONED - I probably wouldn't wear pants, short skirts, tank tops, or extremely tight clothing.

    I want to look attractive but not attracting. I'm done being a sex object for anyone but my husband. ( And i was... oohhh how I was... ) I still dress differently for my husband than I do while I am out by myself - fitted clothes, shorter skirts, etc etc. Honestly, he'd prefer i dressed like a prostitute, right up until someone else oggled me and THAT made me uncomfortable.

    So many people feel that way because it is so often true. I was VERY modest at a higher weight, because I didn't want to be noticed or ridiculed. I've lost some weight and an ex-husband, and now, I am not so modest, some days. There are days when I wake up and feel like a cow, and I am not wearing anything sexy that day. And I don't to work. I mean, I don't run around in tube tops and denim underwear........ but I will wear stuff that modest people think is too tight, or dresses that are too short. And when I get where I want to be, you will be hard pressed to get me dressed at all. If I feel like I am doing it for me. It makes ME feel sexy. I dont care one way or the other if someone else looks and *wishes*, because the man next to me is the lucky b@stard who gets the whole package. He told me one time that when we were in the restaraunt and some guy looked at me, then looked at him and sheepishly turned away, it made him feel really good.
  • Ocarina
    Ocarina Posts: 1,550 Member
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    I'm a "modest" dresser not because I hate revealing clothes but I feel I look better and can enjoy myself more in more modest clothes. I will NOT wear baggy clothes though.... blech. I like clothes that fit great but cover up everything. I'm a person that like to wear something that I don't have to second guess at a last moment to going to the bar, to work, to the symphony or church. Maybe dress up or dress down but never have to worry about offending anyone otherwise. This hasn't not made me practical by any means... you'd think that it would limit the wardrobe but it doesn't! :drinker:

    I really think clothes in general should be there to complement you and help your self esteem. They shouldn't distract from you or give you unnecessary attention UNLESS you really want them to. Obviously this is going to be most prevalent on Halloween or in a play or something.
  • Buddhasmiracle
    Buddhasmiracle Posts: 925 Member
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    I used to dress quite modestly when I was training to go into a field that is male-dominated, and was the sole girl in a class of 50. My reasoning was that I wanted them to think of me as ME and not a sex object. It didn't always work, but it probably helped.

    I still dress quite conservatively for work; my tops are occasionally tight, but if they are, they have high necks. I don't consider pants to be immodest, an I'm happy to wear them... Then again, I live in Vancouver, where the "Lululemon Cameltoe" is high fashion, so my perception of "revealing" pants is probably skewed!

    Outside of work, however, I am comfortable wearing more revealing clothing, especially now that I'm getting happy with how my body looks. The happier I am with it, the more revealing clothes I seem to like!

    I don't generally have a problem with others dressing how they want, unless they're wearing, say, a headband for a top and a string for a bottom and trying to pass it off as formal wear or something. :P

    Ditto (except for living in Vancouver)! I wear work boots with steel or composite tips, and a hard hat and I understand through the guy grapevine that I am still considered a babe.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    I'm a Christian, too, and my thoughts on what men think of how I'm dressed are pretty simple: my responsibility for their behavior begins and ends with MY intent, not theirs. If my intent is to feel good about myself and not to distract a married man from his wife, then I'm not doing anything wrong.

    I do believe in the concept of men being naturally visually stimulated and that I have some responsibility to regulate my clothing choices because of that, but that's a respect issue for me, not an "I'm responsible for their behavior" issue. Some men take it beyond being visually drawn to an attractive woman. Some men are just perverts; if you have boobs, they're picturing you naked, even if you're dressed like Anne Hutchinson.

    The Bible also teaches that men are to be the spiritual leaders. If I have to dress like a Puritan to keep a man from straying from his wife, then he's a poor representative of a spiritual leader, and that's his fault, not mine.

    WORD. I don't dress provocatively to draw the attention of men. I don't even know that I'd say I dress provocatively (although I'm sure more modest women would consider the way I dress to be that way), but I dress how I like to dress. It has nothing to do with anyone but me. I enjoy fashion, if I see something that I like on the runway or in Vogue, I'm on the search for the ready-to-wear version. I am comfortable in my clothing, whether it be a bikini or a long dress.

    I think that the human body is attractive, and I check out attractive men, my boyfriend probably checks out attractive women. It doesn't mean either of us want to sleep with anybody else, we just notice good looking people. I think that's pretty normal.

    But hey, whatever works for YOU, that's cool. Don't knock somebody else's choice in clothing because it differs from yours, we don't all believe the same things, ya know.
  • PlunderBunneh
    PlunderBunneh Posts: 1,705 Member
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    I wouldn't call myself a modest dresser, but I had to add in on this one.
    I actually find myself wearing higher cut shirts now that I'm more comfortable about my waist. All these lovely hour glass curves are coming out, and my pants are fitting better with much much less muffin top action. So I don't feel the need to distract the world with my amazing tatas of doom by wearing low cut shirts. I'm very comfortable wearing a t-shirt that is fitted enough to show off shape, but never skin tight.
    I don't make a habit of dressing specifically to be visually stimulating to men (other than what I wear around the house for husband after kids are in bed...lols). However, I don't ever feel guilty if I do get a double glance. I don't understand that train of thought, that it is my duty to be as uninteresting as possible to keep a man from committing adultery in his mind.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
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    I dress modestly because I'm a Christian. My dresses and skirts are below knee or calf length. I'm very careful about not showing any cleavage and I do wear jeans but they're not skin tight jeans.
  • krist3ng
    krist3ng Posts: 259 Member
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    I never considered myself a super-modest dresser, and then at my extremely Christian friend's hen party (we were supposed to get her panties), everyone else got her see-through panties and thongs and stuff and I got her, well, I guess they're granny panties. To much laughter.

    I don't dress revealingly, but due to my body shape (hourglass) I need to wear things that cinch a bit at the waist. I have a few shirts that might be a bit low cut (or is that my bad posture?).

    However, with short skirts: I don't think there's anything daring or overly sexual about a mini skirt. I don't own any skirts that go past my knees. I do wear leggings or stockings with skirts though.
  • el_crtss
    el_crtss Posts: 13
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    "A woman's clothes should be tight enough to show that she's a woman, but loose enough to prove she's a lady" Chanel.

    I love this.

    ^^^^^Agree totally!!
  • tig_ol_bitties
    tig_ol_bitties Posts: 561 Member
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    So, to the people who say they dress modestly for religious reasons, would you consider Eve a wh*re? In all seriousness, because I'm actually quite curious. I mean, in all depictions of her she is wearing leaves and her breasts are usually covered by nothing but her hair. What was the point of your "higher power" giving us such amazing bodies if they weren't meant to be shown?
  • Farfourah
    Farfourah Posts: 899 Member
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    So, to the people who say they dress modestly for religious reasons, would you consider Eve a wh*re? In all seriousness, because I'm actually quite curious. I mean, in all depictions of her she is wearing leaves and her breasts are usually covered by nothing but her hair. What was the point of your "higher power" giving us such amazing bodies if they weren't meant to be shown?

    That was before the apple...
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I don't take modesty to the extreme that you do. I generally go by the rule of thumb: "If I wouldn't want my SO's head to turn at some other woman because she was wearing something like this, I probably shouldn't be wearing it in public either." My reasons for modesty do have more to do with biblical convictions rather than insecurity, or mere prudishness, or any other reason. Men are easily turned on by what they see, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for causing someone to lust after me instead of their wife because, according to God's Word, for a man to even have a lustful thought about any woman other than his wife is considered adultery. Look at the story of David and Bathsheba. Their affair started with a single lustful thought in David's mind. That's just my belief/opinion on the matter. You asked, so I answered. I don't expect anyone else to agree with me or even understand my point of view. This isn't meant to stir the pot in any way.

    As a Christian woman, I have this same mindset. Most women, being wired differently, often don't understand the way the male mind thinks. I have heard and read many pleas from Christian men to their Christian sisters concerning dress. They would rather not look at or think about other women's curves other than their wives, but their eyes are naturally drawn to feminine curves. It's bad enough having to battle against temptation in our sex-saturated society, but they shouldn't have to battle against temptation from their sisters as well! We should be on their side helping them! I respect these guys greatly, and I don't want to do anything to cause them to stumble!
    For all the other guys out there who want to ogle and get whatever peek they can, I'd rather not give them that satisfaction. As I've said before on a thread, the only guy who deserves the pleasure of looking at my unclothed body is the guy who fathered my children, rubs my back at night, and gets up early to fix breakfast so I can sleep in. I dress more revealing when it's just him and me. But before we go out in public, I ask him to check my dress.

    I'll bet those of us who label ourselves as modest probably have a wide variation of guidelines we go by. I like stylish, flattering clothes, but I try to dress slightly more conservatively than the women around me. But a big part of it is mindset. If I want to call attention to myself in a sexual way, I can do that no matter what I am wearing. If I don't want that kind of attention, that will show as well.

    I'm sorry but that is so darn pathetic. Not you, but what you said. Because women are dressing a certain way, it's going to make men stray? And they just can't help it? If me showing off some cleavage here and there is going to make a man "stumble" then I say, "Tell these 'men' to grow a pair of balls and learn self control."
    First of all, I would appreciate a little manners, please. "I totally disagree with what you said" is respectful. "That's so darn pathetic" is rude and disrespectful. Does sharing a differing opinion from yours really warrant rudeness and disrespect?

    With that said, no where in my post did I state that the way I dress is "going to make men stray and they can't help it." Nor did I mean to imply it.
    The men that I am speaking of realize that they are responsible for their own thoughts and behaviors. I've heard one say that being confronted with an image of a woman's sexuality (whether in person or in the media) is like being on the computer and having to click the 'X' on the popup window before they have a chance to see it or think about it, if that makes any sense. Even when you install a pop-up blocker, some get through. What I meant to imply is, knowing how hard this battle can be for some of them, I don't want to intentionally place something out there that they are going to have to try to avoid or try not to think about. I have many guy friends, and I like visiting with them. I want them to feel comfortable around me, especially the guys I train with. I don't want to be one of those pesky "popups" that they have to quickly close down.

    Sure you can say "Tell these 'men' to grow a pair of balls and learn self control."
    But I could just as easily say "Many of them are already trying. What's wrong with us meeting them halfway and trying a little ourselves?"

    Also, if you intend to call attention to your body parts that you know arouse men's imaginations, you need to be aware that you are advertising yourself as an object to be used for pleasure (at least mentally) by whomever sees you. The checker at the grocery store, the creepy maintenance guy, your friend's grandfather...
    Try to not be surprised or offended when you are treated that way.

    That's MY opinion. I am not bothered by others sharing their opinions. I have plenty of good friends who have widely different opinions from mine...so I know it can be done respectfully. :wink:
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    So, to the people who say they dress modestly for religious reasons, would you consider Eve a wh*re? In all seriousness, because I'm actually quite curious. I mean, in all depictions of her she is wearing leaves and her breasts are usually covered by nothing but her hair. What was the point of your "higher power" giving us such amazing bodies if they weren't meant to be shown?

    What people choose to do as a religious devotion is really not something for you to get offended about or for you to challenge (as it's not your body or your choice). Could we not turn this into a religious thread? And let people do what makes them happy, even if that means covering up from neck to ankle?
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    What was the point of your "higher power" giving us such amazing bodies if they weren't meant to be shown?
    I don't dress the way I do for religious reasons, necessarily, but I can answer on behalf of why some people do. The problem is not with the body; the problem is with the wicked hearts of people filled with lust and selfishness. We are to modesty cover the body so as to minimize inappropriate “looking.” We unclothe the body when we are confident that the one looking at us is doing so out of love, not lust.
    I realize you are asking your question seriously (or at least I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt), and it sounds like you haven't really read the book of Genesis and you're just going off pics you've seen of Eve. There is a story behind all that.
  • maxmariesfo
    maxmariesfo Posts: 173 Member
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    So, to the people who say they dress modestly for religious reasons, would you consider Eve a wh*re? In all seriousness, because I'm actually quite curious. I mean, in all depictions of her she is wearing leaves and her breasts are usually covered by nothing but her hair. What was the point of your "higher power" giving us such amazing bodies if they weren't meant to be shown?

    The mocking is not necessary.

    Do you understand the meaning of the term? Someone who sells themselves.

    I don't consider anyone in revealing clothes to be so. That is their choice. I should be allowed my choice. Without assumptions as to how I feel.

    You do your thing. And I'll do mine.