Civility in dress; I had a hard time finding a quote that fit this. “Modesty is important because it is that which protects the castle, yet it is also the frame that enhances the picture.”
Why am I on this modesty kick? I know my daughters roll their eyes every time I bring this up, because they hear it so often. But when you have girls, it seems you are constantly having to help them battle the Fashion Attack where dresses, tops, prom gowns, and wedding gowns have gone way too far in the revealing side of our bodies.
So, dear sisters this week’s Civility Lesson is on being civil in body and spirit! When we treat our bodies civilly we dress not just for comfort, but for the comfort of other people’s eyes! If we lead men into temptation because of the way we dress or aren’t dressed, then shame on us! You see, it’s a known fact that guys are guided by what they see. Women are guided by not only what they see but what they feel. It’s that whole “sensitive side” we sometimes wish guys understood better!
And forget arguing about it, it’s just the make up of DNA and genetics at work here and I’m not about to argue with nature. Be it enough to say that guys react more to things they see and women don’t. You can look that up somewhere else.
For now, as women, if we aren’t into sewing our own clothes, we are at the mercy of fashion designers who want to make us all look like ladies of the evening. I have hardware I don’t want anyone but my husband to see. Why would I advertise that to the world? If I want to act civilly to other men I am not going to flaunt myself in low tops or high skirts. Even if you are not married why would you flaunt your hardware to just any guy you are meeting on the street? Prudence would say that was not wise given that statement above about guys and them acting on what they see. You don’t want that.
Plus, there’s the whole living like a Christian thing which states we should not lead others into temptation. In fact, Jesus says those who DO lead others into temptation should have a millstone tied to their necks and be drowned. Yeowch!!! That’s enough to scare me into covering everything up!
While, yes, men should have enough self control and most of them do, to just “not look” at you when you are wearing something way too revealing is that really fair? Why should they have to be the ones to “not look”. We make up laws that say you can’t smoke in certain places because we don’t want smell it or reek of smoke, we make up laws that say you can’t kill each other or drive drunk. Do guys need a law that says, “Hey, don’t dress that way, it’s hard for me to remain a gentleman when you are dressed like that.”
Bringing back a civil society begins with our dress, our manners and how we, as Christians present ourselves to the outside world. Whether it’s in our cars not yelling at bad drivers or not humming in line at the grocery store or not dressing in a way that says we’re something we’re not, has to begin with you and me. If we take back civility in every way, then we become as human beings something much closer to what God intended us to be. It will be easier to love each other and help us all on the road to Heaven.
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