Archive for the ‘Modesty’ Category
Modesty Monday – Lacy
Today’s Modest Maiden is – Lacy
Introduction: Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! My name is Lacy, and I am 16 years of age. I live on a small hobby farm in “Virginny” with my dear parents and older brother. I have so enjoyed being able to raise / have so many pets and animals around me growing up, and still now. We’ve had chickens, ducks, rabbits, guinea fowl, turkeys, cats, dogs, and now goats! Well, enough of that now, I don’t suppose you are reading this to hear all about my favorite animals! 
Faith: I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. Our family does not claim any denomination, but within the past several years the Lord led us out of the Independent Baptist church/movement. It is my desire as a Christian young woman to follow, please, and obey my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in all things, dying daily to self and taking up my cross to follow Him.
Married or single? I am unmarried, and a former homeschooler. 
I have been homeschooled all my life, praise God for that! I have just finished up my “book education” in ‘08, and now am trying (though ever so slowly) to learn the skills of a homemaker.
How long have you been dressing modestly? Well, it’s been a couple years.. more than a couple, I guess.. I just can’t remember how long.
Can you share a little about your journey to modest dress? It was certainly a process, but then, what journey isn’t? I began slowly into modesty, first by wearing culottes, which were a great help to me for several years. Then I began wearing skirts more often and found that I greatly preferred skirts to even culottes! After that, I have always worn skirts and dresses. I have one pair of culottes that I keep in case I need them for some outdoor work, and they have come in handy a time or two.
I completely disagree with the myth that there are some things you can’t do in a skirt. Since I live on a farm, I’ve done just about everything I can think of in a skirt, including riding bikes!! 
In 2007, the Lord convicted me through His word to obey the command found in 1 Corinthians 11 for covering the woman’s head whilst praying or prophesying. I now cover my head, with a flowing veil, which in turn covers the majority of my long hair.
My Mom, actually, had started covering a couple months before I did (this wasn’t something we grew up doing), then the Lord convicted my heart to obey Him (and, being a Christian, once given the light to this matter, I really didn’t have any other option but to obey), so I began to make my journey into headcovering!
The Lord is gently leading us further along on the narrow way, a path which many are unwilling to travel because of the hardships a Christian must endure; being an outcast from friends & churches, ignored by family, called names, and even stared at, yet even these things are a small price to pay compared to what our Saviour did for us!
Do you blog? Truth be told, I actually have three blogs which I try to keep up with, though only one is my personal blog, one which I have entitled “A Godly Maiden”. There is where I share about our family, our life here at the farm, and our beliefs. Thy Word Forever is my Scripture graphics project blog, where I post graphics for blogs and computer wallpapers that have Bible verses on them, and Stablishing Hearts is a magazine type thing that my friend and I have started together.
Modesty Monday- Miss Jocelyn
Today’s Modest Maiden is – Miss Jocelyn
Her wonderful blog is A Pondering Heart.
Faith: I’m continually amazed at how Yahweh reveals things when you are truly seeking. It has been such a blessing to be to be able to redefine and reestablish my beliefs again and again through Scripture. I am a Hebrew – I follow Yahweh, the God of Avraham, Yitz’chak, and Ya’akov. I am saved through the sacrifice of his son, Yahushua the Mashiyach, and am led by the Holy Spirit. I seek to live my life exactly as Yahushua did, on the narrow path, by observing Torah, celebrating the Scriptural feasts, holding to the 7th day Shabbat, and honouring the Father in all things.
Married or Single? I am single, currently completing my education, furthering my domestic skills through everyday life, and serving the Father in my community until I can further serve in marriage and motherhood.
How long have you been dressing modestly? We’ve always made sure we were dressed respectfully, but it wasn’t until the last few years that we’ve sought out scriptural femininity and modesty. Yahweh is still showing and guiding us in this area.
Can you share a little about your journey to modest dress? Yahweh used blogging to show me the value of modesty and femininity and allowed me to dig deeper into the Scriptures because of all the differing opinions I saw online.
A great modest dressing resource? In June of 2008 I founded the Feelin’ Feminine site which is designed to encourage, inspire, and challenge ladies to rediscover the treasure of dressing a feminine manner. Though the site focuses mainly on femininity, modesty is also a big part of virtuous womanhood and I’ve tried to make it a resource for these types of topics.
I really haven’t found anywhere else I could recommend to others for modest dress – for either too much worldliness in the fashion or seductive models, though in modest dress. [Ed. note: One of my pet peeves, too!]
I just adore this photo… I’d like you take special note of Miss Jocelyn laying flooring, if you’re one of those people who feels that you just can’t do everything you need to do while wearing a skirt.
The Modesty Test
Today’s Modesty Monday topic is a little “test” you can do to see if an outfit is modest.
Obviously, there are a lot of areas where people’s standards will differ with regards to what is modest – just how long a sleeve, just how low a neckline, etc.
But I like this little guideline because it is so basic.
I have seen such a test in seveal modesty resources – most recently in this terrific little book:
Think of the children’s rhyme
Head
and Shoulders
Knees
and Toes
So now, stand in front of a mirror and…
Put you hands on your HEAD
Does your waist show (front or back)?
Put your hands on your SHOULDERS
Check that your shoulders are covered, and your neckline is not too low.
Look at your KNEES
They should be covered.
Okay, now put your hands on your KNEES
Can you see down the front of your top to your undergarmets, chest, or even *gasp* your belly button? Yikes!
Bend over and touch your TOES
Does your back show?
Pretty good, eh?
Here’s another couple of quick-checks that I think would save women a lot of (presumably) inadvertant immodesty.
- Press your shirt to your breastbone (in the center of your chest). If it springs back out like a tramploine when you let go, it is too tight.
- Button-down shirt? Put your hands at your waist and spread your elbows back like “chicken wings.” Stand sideways and see if you can see into your shirt because it is creating big gaps between the buttons.
I’ll save my further thoughts on guidelines for modest apparel for another day. I think these are pretty universal, while we will soonbe moving into the disputed territories…
Modesty Monday – Cindy of Katie’s Mercantile
Today’s Modest Matron is – Cindy
- I’m 52 years old, and married to a farmer
- We are a conservative Christian family with no denominational affiliation
- I stay at home full time and help my husband on the farm. I also own Katie’s Mercantile, a modest clothing business that I run from our home.
- I have 3 adult children, 2 daughters Rebecca and Katie and 1 son Benjamin. I also have a lovely daughter in law Emily, a big strong farmer son in law Jeremy and a delightful granddaughter Alexis. Our families don’t get smaller as our children grow up they get bigger!!
I guess I was raised dressing modestly not because it was Scriptural but because when I was young girls dressed like girls and boys dressed like boys. I was in High School before NY changed its educations Laws and allowed girls to wear pants to school!
It was when my daughters were growing up that I really began to look at “why” I preferred more modest apparel for them and myself. The scriptures are quite clear that ladies dress modestly but they also address our inward appearance. The most modest outer garment needs a meek and quiet, yielded spirit INSIDE to be pleasing to the Lord.
As I began searching for clothing for myself and my daughters I didn’t find what I wanted in the local stores. Is anyone surprised?? I had always loved to sew, so my daughters and I drew pictures of what we wanted, transferred that to patterns and soon we had a few basic, practical styles that we enjoyed wearing.
Then people began to ask us where we got our clothes and in time Katie’s Mercantile was in business.
Now we have 20 seamstresses who help keep us stocked in those same basic styles and a few more that we have added over the years. We view the Mercantile as a ministry as well as a business. We try and keep our prices affordable and our customer service friendly.
Here’s her lovely – modest – daughter, and the store’s namesake, Katie:
and check out their new FaceBook Page!
I “met” Cindy and Katie when a friend recommended their store and I ordered some wonderful things… Look for a review to follow soon!
Modesty Monday – Rachel
Today’s Modest Matron is Rachel!
I’d like to introduce you to Rachel Davis.
Rachel is the owner of Holy Hillbilly Creations, a wonderful website of handcrafted items – including modest clothing for women, girls… and dolls!
Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic
Married? Single? Kids? I am first and foremost a wife, mother and homemaker. We also homeschool, and both my husband and I are self-employed. We have two beautiful children, a daughter that’s 13, and a son that’s 9 (will be ten in Nov). Wow! Where does the time go?
[As she does with many things, Rachel made her daughter's dress for Easter '08, shown in these photos. Easter '09 was a celebration of survival (see below), and no pictures were taken in the chaos.]
How long have you been dressing modestly? Well, I certainly wasn’t raised that way… the things I wore growing up… hmmm! I guess we started dressing modestly about 3 years ago.
Can you share a little about your journey to modest dress?
It’s honestly been a difficult journey at times. We are often mistaken for Pentecostals, as people like to make assumptions. Modest dress isn’t accepted well around here… so I have gotten a lot of comments on how I’m being prudish, old-fashioned, etc. I have learned to ignore the harsh comments, as my heart tells me God is pleased with our choices.
At the same time, God has also helped me find moderation in modesty. A good example would be when we go to collect firewood for our woodstove… A dress simply does not work well in the woods – baggy sweats or loose jeans work a LOT better. Modesty is in our hearts, and it doesn’t always mean wearing a dress… as long as what we wear doesn’t draw attention to our bodies in the wrong way.
[Ed Note: Although I agree whole-heartedly that modesty is an attitude, I do disagree about skirts' lack of practicality. Our foremothers settled this country in long, full skirts... But that's a post for another day!]
Roller Skating!
Where can we find out more about you?
I have a website that I am slowly getting restocked after losing all my inventory: Holy Hillbilly Creations.
I also have 2 blogs:
Rachel and her family lost their home in a tornado in April. God had them all secured away in the church basement at the time, so nobody was hurt. Go check out her blog for the story of rebuilding from the ground up, and be sure to visit her store – you’ll be blessed, and you can help them out, too!
Modesty Monday Update
Thank you all for your kind and thoughtful responses to last week’s offering of Modesty Monday, featuring the lovely Amanda.
We have several other ladies in the process of completing their Modesty Monday profiles, but we would appreciate your help in finding more!
Who do you know that dresses (and behaves!) modestly? A blogger you know of? A WAHM with a cottage business? A friend from church?
Please pass along our request to anyone you know who would be a good guest for Modesty Monday. They (or you) can email Tiffany at: tiffany (at) tiffanyblitz.com
Thank you!
A Modest Witness – She Said
This is a “Parallel Post”! Be sure to check out what He Said
I had an interesting insight when we took the kids to the Miami SeaQuarium recently.
I am not trying to disrespect or stereotype anyone – quite the contrary, in fact. So please, bear with me…
There were a number of modestly-dressed ladies there who were clearly identifiable as Muslims.
While I do not feel women should wear pants, the point here is that these women stand out in a crowd as being exceedingly modest compared to today’s societal standards. Their commitment to their faith is on display.
And then there were quite a few modestly dressed women who were clearly identifiable as Jews.
Even those who do not cover their hair were easily spotted – especially since they typically had a yarmulke-wearing husband and several long-skirt-wearing daughters in tow.
But where are the Christians?
If I had been asked to pick them out by their witness of modesty, I would have said, “There aren’t any!”
But of course we all know that there were probably hundreds of Christians at the park that day.
And just like the unsaved and wordly women there, they were wearing short shorts, mini skirts, sheer blouses, and tank tops.
Are we not called to be set apart? To be salt and light to the world?
People often talk about how “our walk is our witness,” or “our life is the only Bible some peopel may ever read.” An unsaved person should be able to look at a Christian’s life and “want what they’ve got”… whether for a particular person what strikes them is joy, security, contentment, or any other fruit of our salvation.
So, when I was walking around the SeaQuarium, imagining what an unredeemed person would see… I wondered what those Muslim women “had,” and what those Jewish women “had”.
But nobody was preaching Christ by their walk.
If they had the light of Christ within (and I’m not here to judge the condition of someone’s soul!), they were hiding it under a bushel. Or, in this case, under a bikini top.
I’m not suggesting that we need to follow legalistic rules of “proper Christian dress.” I’m not suggesting that it’s important to be able to distinguish a modest Christian from a modest Jew.
I’m suggesting only that it is important for Christians not to become so conformed to the “acceptable” standard of society that they lose sight of the the big (eternal) picture.
You glorify Christ when you glorify the true beauty of yourself as a child of God, giving all the attention – Glory – to Him.
Not when your apparel draws attention to itself, or to specific parts of your anatomy that may lead an obersever of the opposite gender to think anything-but-holy thoughts.
Let your light shine!
When you see our family at the Zoo one day, you’ll know us for believers. Will we know you?
A Modest Witness – He Said
This is a “Parallel Post”! Be sure to check out what She Said
If you asked me to pick out the Amish or the German Baptists or the Jews walking down the street or in a restaurant, I would probably not have a problem.
But what about the Christians?
I would have to say “probably not”.
I know there is no one thing that really makes a Christian stand out. Our clothing doesn’t need to mark us as different from any other morally centered group, but it should mark us different from the common sluts.
I am really sorry to be so harsh, but the sad truth is that we are accepting more and more each day.
Take a look around you when you are in the store or at a restaurant. We recently went to an amusement park and took time to notice the clothing on the people around us. The women of some religious groups are easy to pick out because of their modest, and obviously so, style of dress.
I know that in our Christian walk we have many things to focus on. I don’t even condemn folks to Hell for stepping out of the boundaries of God’s standards. It is by God’s loving grace that we sinners are getting to Heaven.
I’m just concerned about this sliding standard we (as Christians) have accepted. A thousand years ago women wouldn’t have dressed like they do today. And don’t tell me that times have changed. Even 60 years ago women were more modestly wrapped. For thousands of years women were covering and concealing more.
As for me and my house, we are trying to keep well within standards Biblically mandated by God.
Women should not be revealing more than is proper.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment…instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
- 1 Peter 3:3-4
Our rule in its simplest form is this:
Clothing should not emphasize, reveal, or draw attention to the body’s form.
And guys, that goes for you too.
I’m not looking for everyone to wear a pink shawl down to their knees, but I would like to see a difference between a Christian and the girls and guys in the bars and nightclubs on the weekend. I’m talking about the “meat market” type of place.
Stating it again in plain English:
We might not be able to identify ourselves as Christians by our clothing, but we shouldn’t identify ourselves as sex crazed animals. Our Christian witness is the most important thing we can share. In the things we do and say and the way we live, all things should be for the glory of God.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31
And now I come to the other side of the coin.
Even if you think it is OK to dress a bit worldly, you should never intentionally cause your brother to stumble.
Something I say to my oldest son from time to time is, “is it worth it?”
So maybe you are saved and you want to dress like that because it makes you feel good about yourself. What kind of thoughts are going through other people’s heads about that low cut neckline or those tight jeans?
Is it worth being the cause of others’ sin?
Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God …
- 1 Corinthians 10:32
People might not see that you are obviously a Christian, but they should see an honorable lifestyle. Our daily witness in all things, every day is the true portrait that God gets of us.
If Jesus was your best friend and was with you and watching you all the time day to day, would He want to use you as an example to others?
Because remember, He is with you all day every day.
And you are an example to others about how a Christian lives.
Modesty Monday – Amanda
Welcome to the first Modesty Monday!
This is my new creation – a weekly feature where you will have a chance to “meet” a beautiful lady who dresses modestly.
Over and over again, I’ve heard people say, “I would like to dress more modestly, but this is all that’s out there!”
Having committed to modest dressing, I began to search out options in clothing beyond shopping at Target or Old Navy. In truth, there are choices out there – ready-to-wear, custom sewing, patterns to sew yourself, used / recycled, and the list goes on.
So in this weekly feature hopefully you will find inspiration that there are women out there who take the issue of modesty seriously, and are willing to make the effort to make modest dressing work in modern society.
Today’s Modest Maiden is Amanda!
Her online nickname is SuperAngel, and her blog is The Daily Planet. She’s a 19 year old homeschool graduate with a heart for God… and she’s pretty keen on Superman, too.
Religion: I believe that Christ is the only way to the Father and through Him is Salvation.
Married or Single: I am trying to wait patiently under my father’s roof and protection til the Lord brings my Man of Steel.
How long have you been dressing modestly? We were never allowed to wear immodest clothing, but I did anyway in my early teen years. It wasn’t until about 2006 that I started dressing modestly.
Can you share a little about your journey to modest dress? I was not always modest. It has been a hard journey, but thankfully the Lord has changed my heart and is bringing me to where He wants me.
Can you recommend a great Modesty resource to us? My favorite modest dressing resource is Feelin’ Feminine.
What is your view of the guidelines for modest dressing? Modesty is more than your appearance. You can be covered head to toe and still be immodest by your words, behavior and actions. Modesty starts with your heart. Once your heart is modest, your clothes will be easy to follow suit.
A big Thank You to Amanda for taking the time to visit with us!
Why Dress Modestly?
Modest dress is a big issue for me… But it was a long road getting to this point.
Obviously, there are a lot of aspects of dressing modestly that I will be talking about over time. Let me just begin here by sharing with you a little bit about my journey to this point.
The history:
- When I walked into the church the day I got saved (a 31 year-old single mom), I was wearing skintight jeans, engineer boots, a Dickies mechanic shirt, and a leather motorcycle jacket.
- My favorite outfit for going out to watch my “rock star” friends perform at Hollywood nightclubs was a “school-girl” outfit: plaid micro-mini skirt, black go-go boots, black bra, white blouse tied across my midriff…
- I was a fitness competitor, personal trainer, bikini model, and bit-part actress whose main claim to fame was my six-pack abs.
Yeah, I’m serious.
So when I discuss the issues of the “practicality” of pants over skirts, or what kind of men you attract with your attire, I know whereof I speak.
After I accepted Christ, my attitude began to change. Not all at once, by a long shot.
I wanted to honor God in His house, and began wearing only dresses to church. (When I say a “dress,” I include a skirt and top in that group for this discussion)
As I hungered for knowledge of the Word, and fellowship of other believers, I began to have questions about some of the things I was reading.
For instance…
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; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. – 1 Timothy 2:9-10
I became more and more conscious of the fact that it was impossible to hold an intelligent conversation with a man while wearing something that invited his eyes to look somewhere other than my face – never mind the fact that the men who wanted to talk to me when I was dressed like that weren’t the good Christians, potential husband/father types that I was now looking for.
More modest dressing was the first step. I ditched the minis, the cleavage, the midriff-baring, and the form-fitting. I was quite modest, by all of our society’s standards.
It took several years, and marriage to a wonderful Christian man, to even begin to wonder about the next stage.
What do you do with this verse?
A woman shall not wear an article proper to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s dress; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, your God. – Deuteronomy 22:5
We all agree that men shouldn’t wear dresses. So why is it not obvious that women shouldn’t wear pants?
In a debate that includes dress, hair length, and more, Wolf and I came to the conculsion that if I see someone from across the parking lot, I want to be able to tell immediately what gender they are.
Most people’s reponse to this aspect of the issue is that “society has changed” and “pants are women’s clothing now, too.” I disagree, on several counts. Read on.
Sarah has some great thoughts on feminine dress, posted at Preparing Daughters. In part, she explains,
We have several reasons why I wear dresses only. The main reason is not to defraud men with the way I dress. If a lady wears pants, a man’s eyes are drawn to a part of her body they should not be drawn to. This can cause a man to have impure thoughts. The same thing with tight, revealing tops or low-necked blouses. We have heard some say, “But he is responsible for his thoughts!” Yes, that is true, but it is also our responsibility as a godly woman to dress in a way that would not provoke those thoughts. Would you be willing to deny yourself the “pleasure” of dressing the way you want to help a brother in Christ? “Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (1 Corinthians 8:13). We could paraphrase it and say, “If a certain type of clothing make my brother to offend, I will not dress that way…”
Another reason we wear dresses is to appear distinctly feminine. Compare a girl wearing pants to a girl wearing a dress! Who looks more feminine? Clearly it’s the girl in a dress! We know some like to think that they have cute feminine pants, but pants are still men’s clothing in our day.
I particularly like the questions posed at Mom of 9’s Place (she has full, descriptive answers posted there!), as a summary “checklist” of the above arguments, and more:
* IS IT WORN BY THE OPPOSITE SEX?
* WHAT DOES IT MAKE OTHERS THINK OF ME?
* PREDOMINATELY, WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE DRESS THAT WAY?
* MUST I USE THE ARGUMENTS OF THE WORLD TO JUSTIFY IT?
* WILL IT CAUSE OTHERS TO STUMBLE?
“Will it cause others to stumble”, also mentioned above, is a big, big thing. I suppose that’s a post unto itself just waiting to happen.
And of course, using the arguments of the world to justify our actions is just plain crazy.
“Everyone does it”! Are they serious?
Well gosh.
“Everyone” these days is getting divorced, engaging in pre-marital intimacy, speeding on the freeway, cheating on their taxes… So those are all okay?
What do even the most worldly parents say to kids who use that as an excuse?
If all your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you do it?
How much more so for a people who are supposed to be “set apart,” and to be “salt and light” in the world?
So, in our house, the men dress like men and the women dress like women.
J and I do not even own anything other than modestly-long dresses (including jumpers, skirts, etc.). We don’t wear shirts that have logos or printing across the chest.
Yes, we’re even working on modesty while swimming.
Now I suppose we should have another look at the issue of women covering their hair…
