Modesty seems to be a word that only a few people actually obtain nowadays, girls especially. I like to consider myself a modest person, but I can not dress modestly when stores do not offer said clothing.
Stores today offer clothing that is rather revealing in every crevice, crease, and angle. Clothes that fall under these categories are shorts, crop tops, skin tight dresses, low cut shirts, transparent clothing, and even Prom and Homecoming dresses. And don't even get me started on swimsuits. Although wearing such clothing is one's own choice, to me it is distracting. Not because girls are "sexual objects" because by all means, we are not. But, because it is distracting in the way that one has to pull and tug at their clothing in order to fall under a school dress code, a work dress code, their parents dress code, or even because they do not want certain parts of their body to be exposed. To me, if one has to struggle so much to follow such rules, it is just not worth the hassle.
Another thing that I have noticed about the trend of immodesty, is that this fashion trend is working its way through little girls clothes as well. Summer is coming up and that means swimsuit season is around the corner. I was walking through the little girls section at JCPenney's the other day looking for clothes for my niece, when I noticed that they were selling bikinis for little girls. To me, that is not okay. Not only that, but they were also selling crop tops, booty shorts, and skin tight Sunday dresses for little girls. I was shocked.
It seems that the more girls are exposed to such fashion trends, the more they wish to dress in such a way. An example of this is at the High School from my home town. The Junior High is consolidated with the High School. The High School girls at this school wear lower cut shirts, skin tight clothing, and short shorts. Even the cheerleading and dance team uniforms are way too short. As the days have gone by, the more and more the Junior High girls are being exposed to such trends, they believe that it is okay for them to wear such articles of clothing. This causes phone calls to parents, discipline notices, and even being sent home to change. The majority would say that this is because there are different standards and different sets of rules put into place for each age group because of their age. However, the main concern here shouldn't be age, it should be because our bodies are our temples and we need to learn to respect them. But, more on that later.
Every year, it seems that clothes are becoming much shorter, much tighter, more transparent, and more low cut. Therefore, it is very difficult for a person who dresses modestly to find clothes for themselves. This angers me because I feel uncomfortable wearing such clothing. Not only because it is uncomfortable to wear, but because I feel like I am being exposed.
I feel ashamed and even embarrassed when I am wearing immodest clothing. This may not be a big deal to the majority, but to the minority it is. Wearing immodest clothing makes me feel like I am disrespecting my body and makes me feel offended. Not because people may say things, but because I am offending myself. I am telling myself that it is okay to show off my body to the world when that is not what my body was made for.
As I said earlier, our bodies are our temples and we should treat them as such. Our bodies are beautiful and we should treat this beauty and fantastic thing with dignity. Now, I am not saying that girls should cover up from head to toe in order to preserve their bodies, but we should at least know where to draw the line as to what is modest and what is not modest. Dressing modestly does not hide a person's body, but it signifies how seriously they take their body.
I understand that dressing modestly or immodestly varies from one person to another and that how one dresses should be up to them because after all, it is their body and they should have the right to dress how they want, but modesty shouldn't just be a fashion trend. It should be a way of life. Dressing modestly exposes to the world that women are more than just an object. Every season, women should take the opportunity to expose the world to this larger issue. I know I will and I hope that many will too.
