THE LIES OF IMMODESTY

As human beings, we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We have dignity based on who we are in the eyes of our Creator. We are created to serve and love God which leads to our salvation. We are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, our bodies are sacred. As such, it's important for us to glorify our Lord through our bodies, even through our clothing. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Our main issue is the ongoing global mindset of people around the world, most especially the females who adhere to the ideology that they are empowered women when their bodies are exposed. They thought that empowerment, freedom, or emancipation consist of being free to wear whatever it is that would flaunt their bodily assets as if it is an achievement. On the other hand, they think that those who dress modestly are labeled as enslaved. How true is this? 

1 Timothy 2:9-10

also that women should adorn themselves modestly and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly attire but by good deeds, as befits women who profess religion.

Jesus Christ proclaimed, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8)." Purity of heart is necessary for us to see the presence of God in our lives when we unite our wills with the Divine will. It allows us to see that our Lord dwells in our bodies and to see how our actions should reflect our dignity as people created in His image. This means that modesty is necessary for a person to be truly pure. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor of the Church, said, "How beautiful then is modesty and what a gem among virtues it is [1]." And yet, in our society today, many people no longer uphold to the virtue of modesty by promoting fashion that exposes their bodies. They rejoice in this and think of this as a good thing, but what is truly behind this? Behind the glitz and glamor of numerous photos of almost nudes in the social media, what is behind them?

 

First, they may be seeking affirmation from the people on the internet. The girls obviously get the most likes, the most attention, the best comments if they expose their bodies to what the public would like. They hide it under the guise of empowerment, but the truth is in order to keep up with the fashion, they constantly need to search and adhere to the standards that other people set. Where is the true freedom in this? Therefore, what happens is that their own bodies become a capital like an investment including its ornaments and apparel in order to get affirmation from the social media. Unfortunately, some people do not see that their actions and fashion are motivated by vanity, which we should reject. What is vanity? 

"VANITY

Or vainglory, an inordinate desire to manifest one's own excellence. It differs from pride, which is the uncontrolled desire for self-esteem, in that vanity primarily seeks to show others what a person has or has achieved. A vain person looks for praise from others and may go to great lengths to obtain it. More commonly, vanity is associated with an exaggerated importance attached to multiple details, especially external appearances, which in no way contain the value attributed to them. It is ostentation in fashion, wealth, or power regarded as an occasion of empty pride [2]."

Yet, deep within the minds of women who are guilty of vanity, they crave for this because of deep seated lack of love. This true love of self is rooted in Christ where there is no need to do all of these deeds to the point of exchanging our dignity for affirmation and attention of people. St. Bernadette is a good example of a saint and a woman who found her true happiness and true freedom in our Savior. St. Bernadette Soubirous said,

“Jesus does not want us to be attached to possessions, to human honors, to creatures. He asks humility. But His love and His generosity make this detachment less difficult and less cruel to our nature. Nothing else matters to me anymore, nothing has any value for me but Jesus, no place, no thing, no person, no idea, no feeling, no honor, no suffering, nothing that can turn me away from Jesus. For me, Jesus Himself is my honor, my delight, my heart, my spirit, He whom I love, what I love, my home Heaven here on earth. Jesus is my treasure and my love and Jesus crucified is my only happiness [3]."

Second, it ignores the fact that women who dress immodestly give pleasure to men who like to look at them lustfully. It's true that there are men who give in to temptations because of their own sinful tendencies and inclinations. At the same time, there are also women who also give the reasons to tempt and seduce them by their eyes and thoughts. Let's look at the words of Jesus Christ and St. Paul in the Scriptures. 

Matthew 5:27-28

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 

Matthew 18:5-7

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the man by whom the temptation comes!

Romans 14:13

Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

It's true that both men and women should avoid looking at other people with lust. However, we should also be reminded that it's wrong to scandalize other people for them to commit a sin when we become the cause of their temptations. Instead of judging or blaming the persons, St. Paul recommended us to avoid becoming a stumbling block for our neighbors. Yes, it is contrary to the belief of many that even if women expose their bodies completely to men, it’s entirely the men’s fault for looking at them lustfully. This is outright blaming, but the truth is that the fault is shared by both. 

Third, why do celebrities, who are trendsetters, do this? They claim entertainment as their source of money, a livelihood for them or even more. This is the reason why their looks become their asset through which they get their money from. The more famous they are, the more money they get. Sadly, the way to become famous is to succumb to this subliminal competition of nudity and sexual symbols. They become a new measurement of success even without thinking of its morality, of our dignity as a human person, and lastly above all, of God. In this culture, there’s only the money, the public, and the fashion to think of. But then, the public also follows because they are now filled with lies in what they see everywhere. They are unknowingly selling their human dignity in exchange for keeping up with the trends, a false feeling of good for the self. The virtue of modesty is meant for us to be protected from these wrong ideologies. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches,

2523 There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies.

If in such cases of widespread immodest trends that have become part of daily wardrobe even for such people with no intentions, a change of clothing must still happen. The tragic effects of immodesty and the irreverence that it brings to the Lord in His sanctuary is not diminished even if there was no intention. The knowledge of these truths must be spread to others so that we may also be true again to our human dignity and to the authentic female empowerment that the Lord offers even without the need of exposing our bodies as mentioned. By succumbing to the lifestyle of wearing immodest clothes as part of our daily lives, it also means that we do not know how valuable our bodies are. Our Body is the Temple of God which means it is sacred. We should not conform to the culture, but we should offer whole selves to our Lord in every action we do.

Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The true good feeling for the self is not dependent on keeping up with the trends and fashion in clothing – even if you may be one with the world in this aspect. What is empty inside must be filled first, and it could never be empowering if we need to give up something that is valuable in truth, in exchange to get what we want by doing these discounted things. Only God can do this, but if we fill them up with other things, they are put above God and they become idols or what we call as false gods. However, when we truly get to meet God and to know Him here on Earth, then surely, we’ll know how vain these things are. It’ll be easier to leave them. While we are so attached to the world, truth may be so hard to grasp and see.

Modesty is a virtue that protects our dignity as human persons. With a pure heart, we are able to see the will of God for our lives and how we can use our bodies and clothing to give glory to Him. Our society and culture need to be purified by God's truth, grace, and love. And yet, this change begins with ourselves. Let us pray that more people will persevere in acquiring the virtue of modesty and reject the lies of immodesty. Following Christ is what will bring us true freedom from the vanities, lust, objectification, and other errors that are present in this world. 

References:

[1] Popes, Saints and Devout Souls

on Modesty and Purity:

https://saintsworks.net/Modesty%20and%20Purity%20-%20Quotations%20Pertaining%20to%20Modesty%20and%20Purity.html

[2] Catholic Dictionary on Vanity: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=37036

[3] Quotes of the Saints on Detachment:

https://www.beautysoancient.com/catholic-quotes-on-attachment-detachment/

[4] Catechism of the Catholic Church on Modesty:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2523.htm