Modesty

It's that time again.  That time when a collective, silent scream emerges from every teacher's ready-for-Thanksgiving Break-weary mind.  Halloween.  Classroom management tactics are put to the test as the count-down to Halloween begins (usually around the same time WalMart starts advertising for it).  Children find it hard to focus on lessons unless those lessons are directly related to how much candy they'll get or who'll have the best costume this year.  And it doesn't end at Halloween either.  The day after Halloween is much, much worse.  Students are either on a sugar high (and passing candy to each other like it's cocaine) or on a crash that leaves them asking to see the nurse every five minutes.

I get it, though.  Halloween is fun.  It's a nice escape from reality when we're entitled to wear a costume, act like someone else, and be a little silly.  (I guess Comic Con is pretty much the same... but I digress....)  This year, I'm going to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  As I try on my nearly-finished costume, I can't help but want to start singing about how boring my provincial life is.....  Candy is always a plus.  I even like those peanut butter chewy candy things that my siblings hated.

Here's what I think is awful about Halloween, though, and it's definitely a problem us girls need to address.  Modesty.  There's something goofy about Halloween that would turn an otherwise wholesome girl into a whorish play boy bunny.  (I don't capitalize it, because it doesn't deserve to be.)  I don't care if it's Halloween or Mardi Gras or a cruise vacation:  We need to stand our ground, stick to our modesty, regardless of the occasion.  In the words of Jeffrey R. Holland, "We never check our religion at the door."  Even a person who isn't religious can find purpose in dressing modestly at all times. 

I'm not saying everyone has to dress like an Amish person (not that there's anything wrong with that).  Nor am I saying that a woman's body is shameful.  (Please, friends, you're talking to a girl who used to work at Victoria's Secret.)  What I am saying is that the way we dress says a whole lot about how we perceive ourselves.

Honestly, I don't understand the temptation to dress immodestly.  Growing up, I had a little (very little) purple tube top thing....  I hated that thing.  I tried it on once, and-- could you believe it-- it showed my belly-button!  Heaven forbid!  I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old, and I felt uncomfortable showing my tummy to anyone.  No one had taught me to be that way, I just was.  I think most children--after getting over the running around the house naked stage-- understand that it's inappropriate to show too much of ourselves (if you know what I'm saying).

To this day, I would never consider wearing something revealing, and it's not because I don't think I could pull it off.  (You better believe I could rock that Wonder Woman costume.)  I don't do it because I know I could, but in so doing, I would destroy every effort I've made to be taken seriously as a thoughtful, meaningful person.  Does dressing immodestly get a woman attention?  Absolutely.  Can it give her the upper-hand in her interactions with men?  I suppose it depends on what she's trying to get at....  Seriously, girls, if you have to sink to such vile tactics to seek attention and approval, perhaps you need to take a long look at your self-esteem.  No truly confidant woman (or girl) would ever need to seek attention or approval from anyone, because she already achieved approval from herself.  Love yourself.  Leave that nasty nurse costume in the store (where it belongs).

It all boils down to respect.  Do I respect myself enough to be appreciated for who I am and not what I look like?  Do I respect my body enough to present it to the world in a way that doesn't diminish its value?  Do I respect men enough to help them maintain virtuous conduct in their interactions with me?  Do I respect the children in my life enough to set an example of modesty for them to follow?  Do I respect God enough to portray my body in a way that is pleasing to Him?

When I look at the great women of this world, I can't think of one who would allow herself to be objectified.  Not on Halloween.  Not in a bathing suit.  Not ever.  Modesty isn't old-fashioned.  It's a necessity for girls who wish to be truly happy.

Because modesty is so important to me, I love to help others find places to shop for modest clothes.  Check out a few of my favorite sites:

http://www.downeastbasics.com/

http://www.mikarose.com/

http://junieblake.com/bottoms.html