What is modesty?

1. 67

   Lady Guinevereposted 10 years ago

   What is modesty?
   
   A person has asked the question about today's dress and how they dress in modesty.  What exactly is that?  Different cultures have dressed differently for forever and are we to judge others by what they wear?  Does GOD see what we are and how we think and our thoughts or is he a bit centered on how we cloth the body?  What about the men and how they dress?

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2. 41

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   I can see both sides to this issue to a degree.  I can't stand seeing young men with their butts hanging out - it's not only tacky, it's rather unsanitary to have your underwear touching everything.  As for girls, I don't want to see their posterior regions either and some of them don't understand how to wear low rise jeans without mooning people.
   
   I also find it kind of sad that girls clothing is oversexualized at very young ages.  If you want to dress that way, fine, but not at 11 and 12 years old like a lot of them do now.  Why can't kids be kids? Why don't we make boys wear "sexy" clothes.  I think it sends a wrong message to impressionable young girls that sex is what you will primarily be valued for when you are older, not your intelligence, strength etc.
   
   All that aside though, when we are grownups - have at it.  There are things I don't like to look at (as mentioned above) but I recognize our freedom to be who we are trumps my personal taste.  A lot of people men and women, who work hard to have nice bodies, show them off in bikinis at the beach or in skimpier clothing - so what? More power to them, they've earned it lol  
   
   I'm not religious, but I would have to believe if there is a creator who is conscious of humanity and its choices - he's probably much more concerned with the crazy stuff we still do to each other, much more than what we happen to be wearing at the time.

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      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Thnk U for ur respns.  I agree about the age thing.  I also agree with the males that carry smthng in their drwrs.  It is tacky.  I didnt wear "sexy" clothes until I was in Hischl.  Our middles nipples & privates did not show.

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3. 73

   dashingscorpioposted 10 years ago

   In my observation women seem to be extremely concerned with how other (women) dress. Men seldom (put each other down) regarding the clothes they choose to wear. You're not going to hear many men say; "Did you see what he had on?"
   Before any major award show on TV takes place there is usually a "Red Carpet" stroll where women make comments about the gowns female celebrities are wearing.
   People Magazine will often put photos of (female) celebrities side by side that have on similar outfits with the caption that reads: "Who wore it best?"
   I'm not sure if it's a competitive thing or if women simply (enjoy) slamming other women over their clothes,sexual behavior, and lifestyle choices. Most people go through many phases in life.

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      peeplesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      "I'm not sure if it's a competitive thing or if women simply (enjoy) slamming other women over their clothes,sexual behavior, and lifestyle choices" The answer is both!

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   2. 73

      dashingscorpioposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      peeples, You're probably right on both accounts! I suspect some do it as a favorite pastime with their friends. I keep trying to imagine what the world would be like if women (stopped putting each other down) over clothes and sexual behavior.

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4. 0

   Richie Alburoposted 10 years ago

   It was written that we don't have to judge in outward appearance, It is a person thoughts that makes a person looks bad, and what wrong we see in them were reflections of us.

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5. 60

   The Examiner-1posted 10 years ago

   In some cultures, style of dress varies. Certain people dress the way that they feel and do not care how others see them. While other people (of the same culture) wonder how they should dress because they wonder what others might think of them.
   Other cultures dress as has been done in tradition for years because they feel that they cannot change it.

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6. 93

   peeplesposted 10 years ago

   Modesty is a matter of opinion. It's used more now as a word that provides a way of placing judgment on other people for not being the exact way the other wants them to be. If there is a god I think it would be more worried about how poorly we treat each other (murder, rape, the stuff that actually matters). As for the person who posed the other question, I'm not sure she is all there mentally. She actually resulted to what was basically name calling, saying everything from whorish to saying women who didn't cover up constantly were babylonian. Finally resulting in saying women dress that was because they are the result of rapists. People like that who obsess so strongly about other people have something wrong in the head!

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7. 60

   Sparkleaposted 10 years ago

   Hi Lady Guinevere:
   One of the dictionaries defines modesty as preventing inadvertent exposure of parts of the body.
   In the Bible I Timothy Chapter 2 advises women to wear modest apparel.
   You make a good point about cultures dressing differently. 
   I've seen photos of people in countries who wear nothing...and have very little.  These people have probably been raised to think nothing of it.
   I personally do not believe God judges ...He has given us the freedom of choice.  The Bible is simply a guide book with excellent advice...often warning the reader of consequence of bad choices.
   I personally believe that if it is in the Bible, it is true...but that is just me.
   I do not believe in flaunting my body...at any age.
   I totally agree with ChristinS ...I also can't stand seeing young men with their butts hanging out...I also loathe seeing a man not wearing a shirt.  I don't know why...maybe it is a childhood thing...my grandfather raised me and he went shirtless most of the summer...and for some reason, it bothered me.
   I believe modesty says a lot about an individual.  I am very perceptive and I read a lot into peoples' behavior...the way they dress...even bumper stickers say a lot about the driver of the car...(my opinion).  To me, modesty is a safe, respectful way to dress.  Undressing in privacy in front of another person is nobody's business. 
   I also applaud ChristinS asking, 'Why can't kids be kids?'  And I agree with her that it is sad that girls clothing is oversexualized at very young ages.
   Case in point:  Children should be taught at a young age to be modest.  It just makes sense to me.  One cannot go wrong by being modest. 
   
   All of the above is merely my opinion.  Blessings, Sparklea

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   1. 67

      Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I just wrote a hub about it and the behaviors of children and dress and you can read it here: http://ladyguinevere.hubpages.com/hub/L … The-Planet

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   parrsterposted 10 years ago

   I believe modesty encompasses dress, but goes far deeper than that (Freedom from vanity, boastfulness, ostentation or showy extravagance; Regard for decency of behaviour, speech and dress. Unassuming. Unpretentious. Unobtrusive. Moderate. Simple.)
   However, as it relates to dress, modesty is an indefinite term with myriad interpretations. Like so many morally enmeshed issues, it's complexity correlates with the diversity of ones society, culture and perceptions.
   That said, though consensus may never be reached as to what is modest attire and what is not, there are still considerations that may help in coming to a practical approach to the subject.
   
   In a broad brush stroke statement it might be said that the closer the link between clothing and sexual titillation (within mainstream society), the more deliberation need be paid to modest dress etiquette.
   Keeping in mind, of course, that as members of a given society, we are all products of ever-changing cultural attitudes linking clothing and sexuality.
   
   Below is a thread of thought regarding modest dress that could be considered mature or well-rounded. It begins with base considerations revolving around us, and moves on to the more significant:
   
   1. What do I think about the way I dress? e.g.: It's comfortable... attractive... sexy... alluring?
   
   2. What would [are] others think[ing] about the way I dress? e.g.: Will they find it attractive... thoughtful... sexually appealing... offensive?
   
   3. Upon what or whom am I modelling my attire and why? e.g.: Friends... media... peer pressure... insecurity... faith?
   
   4. Does my attire reinforce the message I most want communicated about me? e.g.: Does this choice align with my message... someone else's message... the wrong message?

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      manatita44posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent and well thought out answer.

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9. 0

   Natasha Stevensposted 10 years ago

   A few years ago, a religious website tried to answer this with a massive poll.  They got girls to ask "is XYZ modest" and made a huge survey that guys then answered.  They showed off the data with lots of graphs and it was amazing but for all the wrong reasons.
   
   Apparently, even in this basically homogenous audience that were all supposedly working from the same book, everything and nothing was modest.  Even fishnet stockings had 5% of dudes saying these were fine, and even sweatshirts had more than 5% saying, woah, too sexy.  There was no consensus: stripper heels, glitter makeup, messenger bags, reclining, all of them had some people who were fine with it and others who couldn't handle the sexy. 
   
   Then the girls who used the site asked the obvious question, namely, how is this at all helpful?  You seem to have proven the opposite of you point.  And a bunch of dudes wrote articles explaining why this was actually very helpful and lalala can not hear you.  The hilarious bit was all of these articles had a link to an ad for the site's t-shirts, which was a short story about a guy picking up a girl in a laundromat because her religious-site-branded tshirt made her boobs look hot.

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10. 81

    elayne001posted 10 years ago

    I wrote a hub about it before:
    
    http://elayne001.hubpages.com/hub/Not-S … ut-Modesty

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    1. 67

       Lady Guinevereposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thank You and am going to go read it right now.

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11. 61

    Ilona1posted 10 years ago

    In its simplest form modesty is the opposite of flaunting. It begins with an attitude of humility. Too often we merely think in terms of our appearance, but modesty actually is more of an inward attribute that has an outward manifestation.

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