What happened to modest appearance?

[Guest Angelgrlsue]

I have noticed for quiet some time that Christian women do not dress very modest in church and out. I attend a LGBT friendly church in my community and practically most of the women there either wear pants, jeans and short tops or t-shirts. What happened to wearing a nice dress or skirt and blouse? I have noticed this is other churches I have attended in the past as well, some very conservative churches at that and not very many women would be wearing a dress or skirt, instead they would wear pants. Yes there are pants that are feminine looking and that is fine if you prefer to wear those, I just prefer skirts and blouses and dresses over pants. For me personally they feel more confortable and feminine, plus I believe this is what God wants me to wear. Somewhere in the bible it says a women shall not wear mens garments and men shall not wear womens garments. I believe in this. It just would be nice to see more women in society dressing more modest. When I was attending an outpatient program awhile ago, I must have influenced some of the women there because at first they would be coming in wearing jeans and a t-shirt, after awhile while I was there I noticed several women that used to wear jeans come in wearing a nice skirt and blouse or even a dress. One woman said she went to the store the other day and bought a skirt just like mine. That felt good that I was influencing some women to dress more modest.

Finding modest clothing in a department store is another story in intself. I recently was in JCpenny last week looking for a top that would be modest, Lol, not there. Everything I noticed was low cut. I asked a sales clerk where the skirts were and she said "oh we just have a few over in the 5th Avenue section". A few? Most of the women's clothes I find in department stores are pants, jeans and low cut tops, or skin tight tops. Made that mistake when I was there. Bought a top that I thought was decent, I even tried it on and bought it an extra size bigger so it would not cling to me, it was one of those long sleeve cotton blouses. Well those of you that know me you know I am visually impaired, so I had to go by feel. If felt ok. After wearing it a couple of days I noticed that it is clinging to me like it was painted on, yuck!! Another top going to the thrift store. I think I am going for button down womens dress shirts for now on. They will go nice with my skirts.

[Guest John Chiv]

Susan,

I did not want you to think that your post was being ignored. Your feelings are very valid and you make some very good observations. I am very traditional and Catholic and I agree with you about the revealing clothes but I don't think a woman has to wear a skirt to be feminine. I cannot respond more due to time and I commend you on your devotion and modesty.

John

[VickySGV]

To some degree, the issue of slacks is simply that they are the most modest, and comfortable. My church (an Episcopal Church parish) is a clothing mix depending on a number of things. Our tradition calls for kneeling during some prayers, and standing for other elements of the service, and slacks are less of a problem for those things. The older women are more comfortable that way, but do wear festive dresses for the major holiday services. The younger women and teens do wear skirts more often and I have been given some great leads on buying nice dresses. I am happy to say that our young ladies do dress in modest, but happy colored outfits that will only fit on a teenager. Of course, we have another way to keep the girls modest, we allow them to be altar servers, and on days they do that, they wear an ankle length cassock. My parish is reasonably "high church" and we do have a little dressier tradition than some, but for the times I have been a lector or intercessor, I have worn a nice suit with slacks and a high cut blouse. Our priest has the general view though that it is better to show up however you are, than to not show up. I might add that she sometimes wears slacks under her vestments.

[Guest harvester52]

I am also very traditional and Catholic (independent), and while I don't like to see cleavage and midriffs while I'm saying Mass, I don't think it's necessary for a woman to wear a skirt to church. Like in Vicky's church, there's a lot of kneeling, standing, sitting routine throughout the Mass, and slacks are more modest and comfortable for such.

There's another side to it, though. Being a priest, I can understand the ease of wearing a suit versus a full set of vestments. I can kneel much easier in a suit than I can in a cassock, alb, stole and chasuble. However, I don't wear a suit when I celebrate Mass. In my beliefs, church is a sacred time, and we as the Faithful need to treat it as such, be it as a priest in full liturgical vestments, or as a woman in a long skirt. I agree with a lot of what Susan said. It is disrespectful to approach our Heavenly Father in clothing designed for sex appeal.

That said, I would never deny a Child of God membership to my congregation on the basis of the clothing they wear. I would never deny them the Eucharist because I as a simple human didn't see their clothing fit for receiving the Lord. Judge not lest ye be judged. Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone. Love they neighbor as thyself.

Pax,

BC