Dear Cora: Modesty

 Note: I will suggest that this is a ladies-only post. Thank you very much! :-)

"I would really enjoy hearing your elaboration on how you view modesty. I am a (16 year old) christian, and I wear both skirts and pants, jeans most of the time.... however, hearing people talk about only wearing skirts and hearing valid, biblical reasons makes me wonder if I should stop wearing pants. haha, that sounds funny. Anyways, I would (really, really) love to hear a bible based view on why to wear pants. Thanks a bunch!!"
~Laurel

Dear Laurel,

 Firstly, I would like to stress this point: If God has called you to abandon wearing jeans and switch to skirts, do not listen to me. My first reason is unique to me and my life situation, and may never apply to you.

Okay? Okay. On with much talk about clothing and stuff.

1. My dad told me to never, ever, ever wear skirts while doing work around the farm. As a fireman/EMT, he has seen too many people die or be seriously injured from wearing loose clothing (like skirts) around machinery. So in order to obey him, I must not wear skirts working around the farm. He also believes I should not wear skirts in any situation where I might get dirty, like, say, cleaning the house or gardening. So... Only pants at home. So I don't have very many skirts at all. When I'm out of my dad's house and in my own, I will probably continue this rule, as... well... my dad raised me to be uber-safety-conscious. :-)

2. I say I wear men's pants. Why not women's?
*Women's jeans (aside from work-jeans and a few brands of regular jeans) are designed to be sexually attractive. From the fancy stitching/patches/etc. to the cut of the legs, to the use of stretchy fabrics that fit like a second skin to the hips, they are meant to make men look at places they should not.
*Women's sweatpants are also made to hug the body, often with words in inappropriate places. Again, sexual attraction.
*Even the slacks I'm required to wear at work get the wrong kind of attention from male customers.
*Women's shorts - ALL of them are too short/tight/revealing.
*Skorts - Don't get me started. It looks like a wrap mini-skirt. So what if there are shorts underneath? No one knows that. They see a flappy, little mini-skirt.
*Men's pants - They don't style for sexual attraction, because most women don't get a high off of seeing men in tight pants. They style for coverage and comfort. I'm willing to take teasing and put-downs to cover my body and ward off the stares of others. I value The Cowboy too much to purposely make myself "used goods" when I marry him.

3. Shirts - I know Laurel didn't ask about shirts, but I'll throw this in just for kicks and giggles.
*I strongly avoid V-necks and wraps (even with a shirt underneath), as they draw the gaze of the beholder down to regions he should not be ogling.
*Words and decorations on the front must be big enough for the beholder to understand without intently studying.
*Necklines: Nothing lower than 1.5" below the collarbone for me, please. I have been known to wear something lower than that (slightly lower, not "Yikes!" lower), but as a general rule? No.
*Quoting Miss Jocelyn Dixon, "Tight enough to show you're a woman, but loose enough to show you're a lady." Nearly every Christian young lady I know looks poured into her shirt. It makes me ill.
*Sleeveless is iffy.
*Shoulderless/strapless are OUT OF THE QUESTION. Period.

4. Bathing suits. Again, Laurel didn't ask, but I'll go ahead.
*There are no modest bathing suits in my book. If I don't feel comfortable wearing something in my grandmother's living room for tea, I will not wear it in public at all. I wear long shorts and a black T-shirt over a bathing suit when I swim (in case the shirt comes un-tucked, you know).

There's all the TMI you could ever want. ;-)