A Catholic Millennial Woman on Modesty
“Either we must speak as we dress, or dress as we speak. Why do we profess one thing and display another? The tongue talks of chastity, but the whole body reveals impurity.” (Saint Jerome)
As a young adult Catholic woman I would like to share my take on modesty, not to cast judgment on other women or to spark a religious debate, but to speak to my sisters in Christ about our feminine beauty; that which enhances our human dignity as designed by our Creator.
Modesty is that which in our way of dress, speech, and actions does not bring negative attention to ourselves, and this has been the practice of modesty throughout the world. There are different standards of modesty, which depends on the culture that we find ourselves in within a society, and the culture has also changed over time along with the standards of modesty. But we are called as daughters of the King to dress and behave in such a way that His glory shines through us, so that we can be a witness of Christ in the world. We do not want to bring lustful attention to ourselves, which does not give us the respect that we deserve as a human person.
However, we should not look down upon other women who may not demonstrate modesty according to our definition of modesty. Behind every woman there is a story, and we cannot judge the modesty within her heart. There was a female student once in one of my high school science classes who wore very tight clothes, and her fashion style was mocked by her peers for dressing inappropriately. Due to confidentiality they could not know the reason she dressed in such a way, which was that she came from a poverty stricken family, and could only get the clothes that were available at the Salvation Army, which often did not come in her size.
We all know the old saying, "Do not judge a book by it's cover." This kind of judgment is not an act of love, but one of spiritual pride. Modesty in dress means nothing if we have an immodest heart; that which looks down upon our fellow sisters in Christ.
Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
It is often difficult to find an outfit that displays our feminine beauty and brings reverence to the Lord. A shopping experience to find modest clothing can become filled with frustration and can take hours still leaving us empty handed. I have found online shopping to be more successful, and have discovered fashionable clothing that is not too expensive, and is more of a simple style of dress; not elaborate and gaudy calling for all eyes to be on me.
I choose to dress in a way that does not turn myself into an "idol," that which can shift away focus from the things of Heaven. Our eyes should always gaze towards the Son. We can dress in such a way that makes the statement, "I am a beloved daughter of Christ."
Below is a list of online stores that sell modest clothing, and that I have personally bought from myself:
If you know of any other clothing stores that sell modest clothing please feel free to share in the comments section.
The links are great, Christiana! Thank you so much for the wonderful article, and also for providing resources. Now I'm off to do some online shopping!
This is a much needed article. Thanks for the links as well, and I will share this with some friends for sure.