.

[faroukfarouk]

I think its important to wear clothing that is well-fitting, flattering, and complements your lifestyle. ...
Given your stature a skirt length slightly above the knee is fine.

Reputable wardrobe consultants may now stipulate the following, FYI:

"Skirt Length for Office
For the office, your skirt length must not be below your knees."
What Is The Perfect Skirt Or Dress Length? – Fair Reporters

Hyper-conservative religious people can wear what they themselves want, but they cannot give today's young ppl a hard time because of things like now reasonable hemlines, earrings, or whatever it may be.

 

[bèlla]

.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I agree with Dave-W concerning that it had to do with flaunting wealth. Much like much of western culture, the divide between the rich and poor in 1st century Greco-Roman culture was huge, and they were very class structured. When those from both the rich and poor classes converted to Christianity, it presented an even greater problem because suddenly these extremely wealthy people were being informed by Paul and others that the slaves (as one example) were equal to them, but yet many of the wealthy Christians were going on about their lives just as before and holding extravagant meals and banquets even to the point of defiling the meaning of the Lord's Supper as they were treating it just the same as any pagan gathering and when the poorer converts arrived later due to having been working all day, there typically wasn't even any food left for them to share.

There was also the matter of the professional prostitutes dressing a certain way.

So these were the types of issue Paul was dealing with. He had to consider how Christians might set themselves apart from both looking like the professional prostitutes AND promoting the message that ALL are equal in Christ Jesus. So basically, don't encourage people to mistake you for a prostitute and even more importantly, don't go around flaunting all of your wealth just like you did before you converted. People should be able to visibly SEE a transformation in the lives of Christians.

We're dealing with our own issues here in the 21st century that may or may correspond to what Paul was dealing with in the 1st century.

So I think it really all comes down to a matter of right attitude. One could be wearing, for one example, tight leather everywhere and be covered with tattoos and showing some skin because that's what makes them happy, but be far, far more modest in bearing than someone who dresses conservatively with the most expensive designer brands with the labels all in clear view for the purpose of making sure everyone knows how wealthy and superior they are. Of course, a different person could wear the exact same thing and be modest because they aren't doing it for the purpose of competing with their neighbors on climbing the social ladder.

@bekkilyn There are plenty of preachers' wives who might sometimes wear a leather jacket to church; it's no big deal; and like you said on the other thread tattoos are so widespread now. The order with which to look at it is from the inward to the outward: Paul to Ephesians speaks about the true holiness that shines outwards from the "inner man"; it's not about policing arbitrary "rules".

We are going through Colossians at the moment; and this is an apt passage:

"Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not;

22 Which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men?

23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." (Colossians 2.20.23)

 

[Alistair_Wonderland]

Hi. I'm a single virgin dude, so when it comes to modesty of dress and what tempts guys, I'm more than qualified to answer.

Modesty is in the mind, not the clothing. C.s. Lewis actually commented on the matter, saying that a fully-clothed woman in Britain and a near-naked woman on some tribal island could be equally modest, or equally lewd, depending upon how they carried themselves.

Keep in mind, the body is only as shameful as you make it; if you are showing off to attract lewd thots... I mean thoughts... then you are portraying yourself lewdly and in a shameful manner, whatever you are wearing. But on the other hand, treating the body, which is made in the image of God (albeit a bit flawed, thanks to sin) as something to be ashamed of is just as disrespectful to God's creation as treating it like some cheap toy is. The question is not if you're showing off or what you're showing off, it's why and how you're showing off. In Africa some women go topless and it's considered modest, while in the Middle East even your most conservative Christians would be considered lewd without a burqa.

You see, as a single guy, I recognize a woman's beauty, and I can assure you that a woman's beauty is a treasure. Maybe you hide your beauty away like a secret treasure, or maybe you display it like a wondrous work of art. Both are beautiful, and both are modest, and both can be shameful if done wrongly.

As for the matter of "dressing to attract", I think there is a significant difference between lust and admiration. Lust is desire to own, coveting something and reducing it to an object for your own selfish pleasure. Hardly something that one should do to a treasure like a woman. (Or man. This goes both ways, you know.) But merely admiring and appreciating the beauty of what God made is in no way wrong; God made all of you, and if you happen to have a cute butt or whatever, He made that too. Modesty isn't about avoiding all forms of sexual attraction, it's about knowing how powerful your attractiveness is, and not abusing that power for selfish desires, but rather using it to praise God. In such a way, I think an artistic nude is completely modest, as it is not intended to be sexual in any way. Remember, God didn't invent clothes, Adam and Eve did when they were filled with sin and became ashamed of what God had made. God gave them clothes not because it was suddenly bad to show their bodies, but as a way to help them in their struggles with shame that they were now feeling.

I could go on a long rant about how lust and admiration are different, and why I think a girl can dress to be attractive and wear whatever she wants so long as she's doing it in a way she's at peace before God with, but my fingers are cold. Also, sorry for not displaying any pictures of what I think modesty looks like, but I think the admins would ban me, because I would choose an image of a woman in a burqa, and an artistic nude. Because modesty runs the gamut between them both, just as sinful thoughts of the body do.

Remember this above all: your beauty is a gift given by God. Respect it, protect it, but don't be afraid to enjoy it and show it. God gave you something truly special. Don't be ungrateful.