Modesty. Yes. It is a very controvercial topic. Now, you, like many other women, and yes, I'm talking to all of us as females, may think, "I'm not being immodest, I'm being fashionable." Maybe so, but we have to look at a couple of other points as well.
When a shirt is see through guys can see a lot more than we think they can. When a neck line is too low, and we bend over in addition...believe me...it gives them an eyeful. ALL GUYS ARE LIKE THIS GIRLS! I mean, a few weeks ago when I was helping in our AWANA program. I was watching the sparky's (the Kindergarten through 2nd graders) to make sure they wouldn't misbehave. However, one of the little girls bent over to get something under neath her bench, and she didn't have any undies on. Her bottom was showing half way out of her pants. And what did I see? But one of the older boys leaned forward to get a better look!
"Well, it's not my fault if the boy's can't control themselves!" Wrong. It is our fault. No, I'm not letting the guys off the line because they do have a responsability to the Lord to keep themselves pure emotionally, mentally, and physically. However, we cannot just keep shifting the blame to our struggling brother's while we go on a "Well if you got it, flaunt it!" rampage.
Even the way we stand can send a major message to a guy. Our clothing is not the only thing that can make a guy think impure thoughts. If we say something, or do something that would encourage a sexual desire, on purpose, in that young man on purpose...don't blame him.
When have we stopped caring about the guys in our lives? When have we stopped taking into consideration the guy we might marry some day? What if the guy that you are going to marry, unbeknownst to you, walks in to your school, work place, or home, sees you flirting with guys (just for the fun of it) and dressed very provocatively? What do you think would be going through his mind? Now, if he was any decent kind of guy that wanted you for you, and not for your body, his first thoughts would not be "Oh my word! she's so sexy!" If I were a guy, and saw my future wife acting and dressing like that, I'd say, "that's my future wife? Why is she acting like that? I thought she was supposed to be mine."
Joshua Harris once described it like this. He once had a letter reach him from a friend who was about to get married. In the letter to Joshua, she said, "In the dream I was walking down the isle in my church. When I finally reached the front, my dad pulled the veil back from my face, hugged my one last time, and handed me over to David. I looked at him with tears in my eyes and smiled at him. He was such an amazing young man. As we said our vows, one by one, six other young women lined up next to David on his other side and said the vows with me. I turned to David and said, "What is this?" David looked down and then back at me. "These are girls from my past...girls that I've dated, flirted with, and given my heart to." Tears threatened to ppur down my face as I whispered, "But I thought that your heart was mine! I thought that you loved me!" "I do love you Anna," David said as he glanced at the other girls beside him. "I do love you, and my heart is yours...what's left of it."" Then Anna woke up.
People in today's culture have mistaken "lust" for "love". So many times I have heard girls say, "Yeah, we're dating now. He is so sexy!" When did we get drawn away from the "Old-fashioned" times of it was the young man's job to do the calling? Now, all the girl has to do is flirt, call him sexy, have a one night stand, and that's it! Where is the relationship in that? It sounds to me as if you were just using them!
I read this statement in a Newsletter from Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It said, "IS IT DECENT OR INDECENT? The second word, aidous, is based on the GReek term for shame and disgrace. The word is a blend of modesty and humility. When I think about a word picture that personifies this concept, I think of approaching God with eyes that are downcast. It involves a sense of deficiency, inferiority, or unworthiness. It suggests shame, but also corresponding sense of reverence and honor towards rightful authority. It is the opposite of insolence, impudence, disrespect, or audacity. Downcast eyes are the opposite of defiant eyes. So does dressing with your eyes downcast mean that you are self-conscious? No. It means that your clothing tells the truth about the gospel. Your clothing shows the world that Jesus covers your shame and makes you decent. Your clothes cover your nakedness as the clothing of Christ covers your sin. Dressing "with eyes downcast" means that you choose clothes that are decent in His eyes...not clothes that are provocative, seductive, and that honor nakedness. When you dress decently, you recognize that God ordained clothes to cover, and not draw attention to, your naked skin. You cover up out of respect for Him, the gospel, your Christian brothers--and out of respect for who He made you to be. Decency means you agree with the Lord about the true purpose of clothing and set aside your self-interest to dress in a way that exalts Christ...."
I once "interviewed" one of my guy friends for his opinion on this steadily grewing crisis in the world called "Imodesty". He said something that I've never forgotten, because I had always thought it was cute. On Jeans, or on any pants or skirts, if there is wording, lettering, or any exesive design's on the pocket's or near the...*dare I say it?* Butt, it is extremely distracting and draw's the guys gaze down there. I mean, seriously girls...who wants a guy standing behind you at Wal-mart, staring at your butt. I don't care HOW cute your butt might be, you don't need to give guys another reason to stare at it.
Now, this discussion isn't exhaustive, and I've only covered a few things, but seriously girls, before going outside...consider the guys who already struggle with their thoughts and help them by not dressing seductively. Please? We girls get enough attention as it is. Let's stop acting like "giggly school girls" by TRYING to get the boy's attention, and act like mature women who are trying to seek the Lord.