Femininity & Modesty
Not Ashamed
By Tracy Gorman
Aug 25, 2003 - 10:24:00 AM

There is something romantic about it--the flowing skirts and elegant blouses that make most of the clothing we see around us look like the drab rags of medieval serfs. Most of us women, whether we admit it or not, feel that particular flutter in our bosoms when we imagine looking so regal. More specifically, we like to imagine looking that way not just when there is a fancy event to attend, but every day. That is a delightful dream, we quickly conclude; but we would stand out like a perfectly manicured thumb on a banged-up hand!

We compare ourselves to those around us and are loath to separate ourselves from the status quo. Baggy to the point of being bag-like is where most people who have fled the tight-as-skin fashions go. My sisters, let us remember that we are daughters of the King! We are to be dressed in fine linen, shod with grace, and crowned with humility.

Most of us know that the Bible prohibits us from dressing like prostitutes. However, the Bible does not tell us we must dress slovenly, either. True, wearing our shirts untucked to cover ourselves while wearing pants might protect our modesty, but it also looks undisputedly sloppy.

Hopefully, no father who loves his daughter wants her to go out into the world dressed like she belongs in the gutter--professionally or financially. Do we believe God is less concerned than an earthly father? If we suddenly found ourselves standing before the throne of our God, would we be dressed for the occasion? We are, after all, constantly standing before our Father as we walk through this world, for He has promised never to leave us or forsake us.

Christ is with us when we talk to the salesman in the store. He is with us as we walk across our college campus. He is with us as we interact with the stranger in the parking lot. He is with us as we smile at people we pass in the hall. He is with us, but the people around us can only see us. If they are to see the Savior, it must be through us--in the way we act and in the way we present ourselves.

This does not mean we must literally look like Barbie-doll princesses: perfect complexion, exquisitely accessorized dress, and the like. By no means should we dress beyond our means, but neither should we dress as if we have no means. True, as servants of the Most High, we are asked to serve His children. Keep in mind that in the really old days, the Queen’s ladies in waiting were dressed almost as royally as she. As long as we are able and willing to bend down and help someone pick up some dropped books or give a child a needed hug, we need not worry about being overdressed for our role in life.

Can we be godly, even if we do not dress femininely? Of course, but it will be a lot harder for those around us to know. Can we be feminine and anything but godly? Again the answer is yes, but that does not mean that we should not do our best to appear as the ladies we are.

Dress is important; people react to first impressions. For example, you are walking down the street and see a group of young men ahead of you. They are dressed in baggy pants, shirts that look more like a collection of haphazardly pieced rags, numerous piercing in various parts of their bodies, and hair of the most interesting colors plastered into unusual shapes. You would probably avoid them. What if you saw the same sized group of well-groomed young men wearing tailored slacks, polo shirts and neatly shined dress shoes? You probably would not hesitate to ask some of them for help, say, to change a tire.

Let us consider ourselves. If we look like a painted monstrosity, wearing clothing that would have made a hooker fifty years ago blush, what child is going to ask us for help? What person in their right mind would ask us what makes the light shine behind our eyes? What person lost in the pain of their own brokeness before God will even think to ask us to share the way to salvation or for prayer and comfort?

For us single and college-age women, do we really want to attract a guy through the display or our bodies, knowing that when someone else comes along who is more endowed than we, she will also attract his eye?

If, on the other hand, we present ourselves to the world as God’s daughters, dressed in becoming, feminine modesty, we tell those around us several things. First, we tell other women that we are not ashamed to be ladies, and that they don’t have to be ashamed, either. We tell them that we are not a threat; we do not seek to dominate or force anything on them. We tell them that we are dedicated to purity and virtue. We also tell them that we are there as the willing servants of the Most High God.

Again, if we attract a guy though our obvious dedication to moral excellence, wouldn’t he be more likely believe along those same lines as well? Is it not be better for a man to be attracted to us because of who we are and not our physical appearance, which fades over time?

Let us strive to live and dress as daughters of the King, demonstrating the beauties of Christ through our demeanor in every way!