Why I Chose to Dress More Modestly at 18

Tuesday, January 16, 2018
It's quite obvious from this blog that I try to dress modestly. However, I haven't explained why I do it. Here are a few basic reasons and benefits for why I wear modest clothes.


Show a Man Your God, Not Your Body (Modesty Quote)


God

Imma just say it like it is sooo.... A few years ago, I went through a mini-conversion. By the grace of God, (seriously, it was a miracle) I decided to fully embrace the Traditional Catholic Faith. I chose to accept all of the teachings of the Catholic Church. 

This includes the teachings on purity and modesty. One must avoid sins of impurity and occasion of sins that lead to impurity to maintain their soul in the state of grace. And dressing immodestly causes good men to struggle to maintain their purity. If they do not try to be good men, it causes them to sin against purity. Yeah...that's it. Purity and charity towards our neighbour. 

Modest Clothing
Modest OOTD: Shirt; Ralph Lauren, Skirt; Urban Planet, Shoes; Target


I wish I could say "I dress modestly because it empowers me as a woman!". Truthfully, I dress modestly to follow the Will of God and so that I can go to Heaven. Heaven is certainly my ultimate goal. 

I'm obviously not perfect, so I do struggle to follow the Will of God. I even struggle to dress perfectly modest (since I don't like looking like a grandma). I'm still trying though. 



I Used to Wear Immodest Clothing

This blog post probably won't convince you of anything, but back then nothing convinced me either. When I was a teenager, I wore immodest clothes; yoga pants, short skirts, tight shirts, (not tank tops though because I have chubby arms lol), etc... Did I know I was doing wrong? Yes.

I would wear modest clothing for mass because that's what everyone at church did. As soon as I would get home or go to a restaurant after mass, I would change into my skinny jeans. I knew that the people who desired to please God dressed modestly. Plus my dad wanted me to wear the modest clothes.


SSPX Chapel: Traditional Catholic

So why did I wear immodest clothes? Simple, for attention and to fit in. I would go out of my way to wear clothing that was uncomfortable and revealing just to look attractive. 

I find that not many girls are willing to admit to this, but I would wear immodest clothes to feel pretty and get attention from guys. Did it work? In a way, yes. I attracted lots of creepy creepers. 

I saw a big change in the type of men that I would attract when I would dress immodestly compared to when I wear modest clothes. Just think of attracting a druggie that yells "Do you have a boyfriend?" from 15 ft away vs. attracting a handsome young man who looks into your eyes and smiles at every word you say (he was cute, I should've asked for his name...)



Respect

So another main reason for dressing modestly is the respect I receive from others and the respect I give myself.

Ever since I have started wearing less revealing clothing, I have gotten less creepy comments. People see me more as a person than as an object. And yes, creepy catcalls have practically disappeared. I barely get disrespected anymore. This is a pretty big claim, I know. But I can feel a significant difference.

Instead of attracting people by the trendy clothes I wear or by how much of my body I show off, I now capture people by my personality. Actually, not just by my personality, but also by my character. People are able to see that there is more depth to me and I value my dignity.



Following the Will of God

How do I know dressing modestly is the Will of God? Well, God has given us a perfect example. The Mother of God. In all of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, She is seen wearing a head covering and a floor length dress.  

Our Lady of Fatima


Obviously, we are not expected to dress entirely like that but we are expected to maintain our dignity and refrain from being an occasion of sin. Our Lady of Fatima has warned us in 1917 that “Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much.”





If you would like to learn more about why we should dress more modestly for God, check out this Modesty in Dress pamphlet by The Fatima Center. 

Also, a good Catholic book on dressing modestly is Dressing with Dignity by fellow Catholic, Colleen Hammond. 








Is it difficult?

I don't wanna scare you, but I will say changing your whole wardrobe to dress modestly is not easy. There are many challenges that will arise when trying to become modest. For example, it will be hard to buy cute clothes that are modest, to find modest pieces at the mall, to explain how you are not Pentecostal, to not look like a grandma, etc...

People around you will notice that you are dressing differently, especially if you have two sisters doing the same. Keep in mind to stick to what you believe and that the opinions of others are worth nothing in comparison to God's opinion.

With time and by the grace of God all of this will come easily. Just remember to pray, never give up and to challenge yourself. There are many blogs and shops that specialize in modesty. Hey! that's why I'm here.

It is possible to still look attractive and remain modest. In fact, I have a guy friend (he really loves God, I mean he prays the rosary three times a day) that told me that he really appreciates being able to speak to a woman comfortably without any temptations in the way.




And these, my fellow friends, are some of the reasons I dress modestly. Let me know what your opinions are on this subject in the comments down below. I feel like I will make another post on this subject because there is so much more I can say.


- Beverly 💗

4 comments:

  1. Awesome. God BLESS you. It is honestly such a grace to make the decision to dress modestly! And to not wear pants! Especially today.. there are some really nasty venomous (Catholic!) women out there who eat up the chance to make fun of women who don't wear pants.

    I was very blessed, my family (the women that is...lol) wore skirts only, because of a religious group we were with. Now, no longer attending the group (they went a bit nuts unfortunately...) my mother, sister and I asked ourselves, "Well? Why aren't we wearing pants NOW?" and we decided to do it for many reasons. All of your reasons actually haha :)
    Plus we read another book, "Immodesty, Satans Virtue" by Rita Davidson. And we couldn't help but notice the vile hatred Satan has for women who just wore SKIRTS! My goodness..
    Personally, what I found online didn't agree with me (lol), they all seemed to counteract each other, and then no one seemed to listen to the groups that were actually right in the first place about modesty. SO I decided to make a website that had all the information right there in one place, with added posts and tips that cleared up any little areas (like, some people think Makeup is immodest... yikes! Cleared that one up right away!). Anyways, God is SO good.... I found soooo much great information that I had never found before I started the website! I was so glad to be able to give others the chance I had, to read the good information and make their decisions! My website is www.catholic-modesty.com if you are interested! And if its alright with you I would love to repost some of your lovely articles as well!

    Ahhh.... *happy sigh*
    Anyway...
    Sorry I am seriously spamming you today! haha!

    God bless <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jacinta, I've heard of your website before. :) It has a lot of quality information. It's great! You can totally repost my articles!

      God bless

      Delete
  2. It depends what one describes modesty ; keep away from wearing skimpy clothes? Are women wearing trousers or two piece bathing costumes considered immodest?

    I do not think so but while some clothes may be considered normal for wearing in the street it is different what sort of clothes one wears when entering a house of prayer. For a long time Catholic women were obliged to wear a headscarf to enter a church but not anymore.

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  3. Hello Beverly, thanks for sharing this post, lots of good information you have provided us in this post, I have something for you I hope this would inspire you some new ideas to write more awesome content on modest clothing and modest Dresses, thank you for sharing this useful content with us. Have a great day dear.

    ReplyDelete

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