The Matter of Modesty - A Lesson for Young Girls

You are welcome to use this in a class.

















There are several aspects to womanliness. This lesson explains the part about modesty and feminine dressing. Feminine is not the same as femininism. Feminine is the opposite of masculine. A feminine woman looks different than a man, and acts differently. She is softer, more gentle, and submissive. Masculinity means take charge, be brave and strong. The way a man dresses is rougher, with stronger fabrics and a more masculine design. A woman's clothing is supposed to be for the shape of a woman, not the shape of a man. And for that reason, I would like to talk to you about modesty today. It is easy for a preacher to quote the modesty clause in Ist Timothy 2, verses 9 & 10"



1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;



1Ti 2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.







However, it is up to older women to teach the details of modesty. It would be inappropriate for a man to speak of some of the personal reasons for modesty, and that is why I am writing you today. You will hear what Paul wrote about modesty, from the pulpit, but the older women will see some things in it that you might not hear preached in public.











Painting from the early 1900's. Which one is the woman, and which is the man? Do women look like men, today?







I have interspersed paintings of the previous century, so that you can see the difference between men and women's clothing. Do you think the men and the women looked opposite in their dress--that is, the women very soft and feminine and the men strong and masculine? It is obvious that men and women did not always dress alike. In the 1960's designers invented the famous style called unisex. It was meant for both male and female. Its purpose was to blend the sexes. The Bible emphasises the differences between men and women, not the sameness. The Old Testament strictly taught that men and women were not to wear clothing of the opposite sex :



Deu 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.







This was painted in the 18th century. Do you think the womens clothing is different than the man's? What are the differences?







The scripture says that a woman should not wear anything that pertaineth to a man, so the designers of the late 20th century clothing got very clever and just created pants for women and tee shirts for women, in women's sizes to fit women's bodies. Generally, only men wore jeans, so the designers made jeans that fit only a woman's body. Women could wear clothing that pertained to men, such as jeans and tee shirts and mens shirts, and still say, " I am not wearing men's clothing. I am wearing women's clothing! See: it says Misses, size 12!" Do you see how wiley and clever that is? Today you can go to any big box store and find even underwear that looks like men's underwear but only fits a woman. The designers want to blend men and women so that there are no visible differences.







Is there a difference between the appearance of the boy and the girl in this painting found in an old book from te 1800's? What are the basic differences? Do you think you could identify the male and the female from a distance, or would you have to get up really close to figure it out?

You might look at clothing out there on the rack and think, "Hmm, this is the women's wear section, so it must be okay for me to wear it." Think again, because the modern designs are not made for women to look girlish or innocent. In the last two decades, a woman named Laura Ashley, from Wales, designed clothing for women that she said "made women look sweet. " She disliked the fashions of the 1960s when the mini skirts and the hip-hugger pants were promoted. She gave the world an alternative with her pretty little prints and soft feminine styles. In the late 1980's, the modern designers began to undermine her styles by flooding the market with stretch materials that were made into "sexy" clothes for girls and women. No longer were they allowing the pretty Laura Ashley prints and the modest styles of other designers. They were pushing out anything that was sweet and innocent looking. There were other great designers who made beautiful clothing for women, and there needs to be good designers today. Perhaps that is one talent young ladies need to cultivate: to design and make patterns that bring out the sweetness and innocence in women.




Here is a sample of a Laura Ashely Design from 1986. Does the dress make the woman look more like a man, or like a woman? Does the design try to bring out the sexiness in a woman (for example, showing details of her chest or her bottom, like the jeans and tee shirts do today)? What is the advantage of the more flowing skirt, to a woman who is trying to be modest? (What does it hide)



The scriptures say that women should dress in a way that is shamefaced. This is a type of bashfulness, or shyness. It doesnt mean you arent interesting or normal. It means you arent trying to show off your sexuality or your private parts. It means you would be embarrassed if anyone saw any part of your body that would be naked. Sometimes women bend down in their low cut jeans, and you can see everything!! Their nakedeness is exposed. Or, maybe they lean over in their low cut tee shirt and you see cleavage exposed. (You see now why a preacher cannot teach these things. It would embarrass a man to talk about the details that I am describing to you). That is nakedness. What is wrong with showing cleavage, or a bottom, tightly wrapped in jeans? Well, anything from your armpits to your knees is nakedness. In the old Testament, the priests were not allowed to let anyone see their naked thighs. If you wear things that show off your thighs, or anything above the knee, it would have been considered nakedness in the Old Testament. Now you might say "Oh, but we are living under the New Testament and it doesnt say what is naked or what is not." Remember that the New Testament says,



Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.





Lets say that together a couple of times. Now let me ask you a question: What is one purpose of the Old Testament stated in this verse? That's right: it was for our learning.



Here is another Laura Ashley design from the 1980's. Point out the differences between this garment and that of a man's. These differences are what makes it feminine

rather than masculine.







Here is another pattern that was popular just 20 years ago. What sort of mood do you think this kind of dress would make a woman feel? Happy? Relaxed?



I am not saying that everyone should wear Laura Ashley styles. I am simply showing you that alternatives to todays jeans are possible. Let me explain something about the mentality behind the low cut trousers for women today: A few years ago on QVC I heard a designer say, "The new style for women is masculine from the waist down, and feminine from the waist up. The model was showing very straight pants that were low cut, which made her figure look like a boy. The top was very immodest and low cut, showing all her female assets to the hilt. She was "busting out all over" as the old song goes. The designers call sexuality feminine. They design jeans so that girls and women will look like young boys. This will get the attention of the so called alternate lifestyle types who lust after strange flesh. It will not be in your best interest to wear these low cut jeans. The focus of this fashion is deliberately in two places: the cheeks of the buttocks and the crotch of the front area. Do you want people looking at these two places? First of all, can you really minister to someone from there? The eye is drawn to the tightest and most revealing part of the clothing. It is better to draw attention to the face, for it is there that you really shine forth the message of God. It is where your expression is. It is where your voice is. It is where the real you is. It is where you reveal what you think and believe. You can draw attention to the face by lovely hairstyles and makeup, and by wearing clothing closer to the face. This means you have to cover up the bare areas of the chest and the waist. People will automatically look at the bare areas. If your thighs are bare, you rob people of the opportunity to see the real you, for they will not be curious about who you are. They will have an eye full of your thighs and that will create the wrong kind of interest.



This outfit is from Victorian Trading Company catalog. It is just as timely today as it was a long time ago. Made in fresh new prints, it makes a woman feel classic and covered, and yet very sweet, innocent and feminine. With leggings and boots, it can be worn anywhere in cold weather. I remember back in the 1950s that we wore jeans--yes, but they were worn UNDER our skirts, to keep us warm. We would have been EMBARRASSED to be seen in jeans otherwise.







Young peasant girls, painted in the 1800's, in Italy. What are some of the MAJOR differences in their appearance, and a man's? I would say two: their hair, and the long flowing skirts.



I want to tell you a couple more things about jeans and pants. First of all, it is hard to get them loose enough to be truly modest, and if they were, the would be truly ugly. One thing our mothers taught us in the old days was never to leave our rooms without looking at ourselves in the mirror from the back. Jeans do not bring out the best in a woman's figure, for they show every flaw, every extra pound, and every sexual part. Maybe they dont expose the nakedness, but the suggestion is there. Do you know what a suggestion is? It is something that makes the mind think of something else. Sure, you aren't naked in those low cut jeans, but they suggest something beneath them, because they mold to the body as though they were underwear. In fact, what was underwear only 75 years ago, is outerwear today. Designers could not get women to walk around in their underwear, so they made underwear out of outwear fabrics. Bikinies and bathing suits, shorts and tops, which normally looked like underwear, were made in denim and heavy fabrics, then sold as outer wear. It was an easy way to corrupt western women and remove their natural modesty.



Now let me tell you what low cut jeans, or any jeans do for you. First off, they give you a phenomenon called "whale butt." Whale butt occurs because the horizontal line of the jeans, the waistband, goes across the widest part of the rear end. That makes the eyes of the beholder look across this way and that and get the illusion that you have a very broad bottom. Do you want to look fatter? I guess it really is up to you. You all have a choice, but I hope you will choose beauty over fashion.



The other thing that happens when you wear jeans is something called "muffin top." Muffin top is something people secretly snicker at when you dont see them. It means that your bottom has been so squished into those jeans that part of your belly pops out like a muffin that has spilled over in a pan. Then, you have to buy special items of clothing just to cover that. I noticed recently that you can buy a special stretchy tee shirt band that you simply wear on your waist so that you can cover your tummy when you wear low cut jeans. This just adds more layers at the waist line, making girls look more fat and more ridiculous.



Designers are not your friends. They care nothing about what happens to you. Those jeans and sexy tops will attract predators. Not everyone in the world is nice and innocent. Not everyone keeps their hands to themselves. Read my article called http://homeliving.blogspot.com/2009/03/protecting-our-daughters-with.html





pattern from 1990. I am not saying that everyone should dress like this, but just consider the difference between these and today's designs. Laura Ashley wanted women to look sweet. Designers today want women to look sophisticated, business like, or sexy.



Also, read: http://homeliving.blogspot.com/2009/11/modesty-matters.html and the articles here



http://homeliving.blogspot.com/2009/11/modesty-matters.html



and take the modesty quiz here : http://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/roh/today.php?lid=26058



Reading these articles might be something you want to do as research to decide whether or not jeans are modest. I am not saying women should wear dresses, because dresses are not always modest. They should wear MODEST, feminine dresses. If they wear pants, they should wear something that covers their rear end. The bottom is the focus of sexuality today. Pockets sewin on jeans are deliberately decorated with shiny metalalics, to call attention to your buttocks. When you walk, the pockets will go up and down and men (and women) will look at them. Do you want people to focus on this, or on who you really are? When you go home today, look up the articles on these sites and read as many as you can, for they contain a wealth of information that will help you develop your OWN conviction about whether or not jeans are modest.