As an apostolic pentecostal woman modesty is very important to me. How I dress, speak, or present myself to the public as well as in private, matter. I always strive to convey a christ-like image. Modesty is also important to my husband. He is especially particular about gym attire. He prefers me to not have a lot of skin showing and he also prefers that I don’t wear form fitting clothing. As his wife, I respect his thoughts and opinions. Also, I actually enjoy wearing dresses and looking like a woman of God as described in the Bible.
The Bible says in 1 Timothy 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”
I spent some time interviewing men around me (work, Facebook, etc) to get their perspectives. The answers were interesting to hear:
J: “To me modesty means a woman not wearing revealing clothing. Also though, it’s none of my business if you’re modest or not. It’s my responsibility as a man to keep myself in check.”
It’s my responsibility as a man to keep myself in check. I love that!
D: “Modesty is a different concept to different people. Thinking about how people see you. Do you look like you belong on a street corner?
That is an interesting ponder point; being concerned about whether or not you look like you belong on a street corner. In this day and age young ladies wearing revealing clothing is basically the norm. They don’t even think twice about it. Simply strolling through the girls section in a clothing store tells quite the story! I don’t know about you but if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want to see her in tiny shorts and itty bitty tank tops. Unfortunately those are the items being marketed to girls as young as 7.
JA: There’s no need to be so rigid, but it has gotten out of hand in the black church with young women being more and more provocative though. There’s a time and a place to be sexy, but the house of God is not the place.
Merriam-Webster defines ‘sexy’ in two ways: Erotic or Appealing. The extended definition for appealing is attractive or interesting. I think that, that is the ultimate goal for women who choose to dress in revealing clothing. They want to be seen as attractive and interesting. Years of conditioning from the media has shown them that the way to catch that mans attention is to have your chest and legs showing. Trust me when I say this Sis: that man in church definitely noticed you. He’s still a man. He just may not be thinking what you expect him to be thinking.
Sr: “The world has become too loose and women are too revealing. It started with the bare midriff and then escalated to cleavage bearing tops. We are going the wrong way.
‘We are going the wrong way’. That’s a great way to put it. We don’t even have to go back as far as bible days to see modest women. Housewives of the fifties and sixties were still dressing modestly. Dresses and skirts that reached the knees and tops that covered the top with a cardigan that reached 3/4 way down the arm were not only common but popular.
BJ: “Modesty is about knowing your worth and nothing is more impressive than someone who knows their worth.
One of my favorite quotes is ‘Know your worth, and then add tax’. I’m not sure who said it first. It basically just means that you need to over value yourself sometimes. You are worth more than revealing tops and form fitting pants. You are worth more than the vulgar language that crosses your lips. You are worth more than putting down another woman to make yourself seem better. YOU. ARE. WORTH. MORE.
It is said and proven that trends circle back and become popular again once they have gone out of fashion. Let’s hope that the same can be said of modesty.
The Apostolic Housewife 