In a society that glorifies glamor and
glitz, women with a commitment to dressing modestly are often viewed
as excessively prudish, behind the times, or worse. This is not
entirely without reason, as many of the options for
modest clothing
for women appear to be taken directly from a history textbook's
chapter on Colonial America.
Other possibilities for women who seek
to dress conservatively are often seen as ridiculous by the general
public, and are perhaps more useful as comedic fodder than as a
contribution to fashion. But is it possible to maintain a commitment
to moral decency in dress without being mistaken for a member of the
Amish community? Although many believe that fashion sense and moral
conviction are incompatible, there is a rapidly growing contingent of
those who seek to maintain a conservative appearance without
sacrificing their sense of style.
Those females who are in search of
modest clothing for women all ask the same question: "Why should
I have to dress like a streetwalker in order for people to respect my
sense of style? Who decided that less is always more, and that baring
my body is necessary for me to be seen as attractive?" While
still a minority among fashion experts, there are more and more women
who are convinced that apparel can both be aesthetically appealing
and morally permissible.
Rather than being objectified
immediately because of scandalous clothing that is too often
considered fashionable, these women want their physical appearance
and the clothes that they wear to take a back seat to their character
and personality. By dressing modestly, they are able to stand on
their unique traits rather than on a physical appearance that's
enhanced by questionable dress.
Although those who insist on
choosing modest clothes for women might suffer persecution at the
hands of fashion experts and an obedient public too easily swayed by
prevailing trends, there is a good chance that the conservative
dressers will ultimately be better off than those who dress as if too
much fabric will give them the plague.
True, the women sporting low-cut tops
and high-cut skirts might draw people too them in the short-term, but
what happens when the get old and wrinkly? No longer able to attract
interest based on their physical appearance, they'll be surpassed by
those who've built relationships on character traits like kindness,
friendliness, and genuine interest in the lives of other people. So
while they may be ostracized by their barely-clad peers, modestly
dressed women can take comfort in the knowledge that their greatest
assets are ones that don't need a halter top to be shown off and instead look great in women's casual tops instead.
