By Leslie Ludy

Dressing modestly (and fashionably) these days is an art form. Most of us aren’t willing to make the extra effort to overcome the challenges and dress with grace, mystique, and dignity. Add to that our desire to be found appealing to the opposite sex, and we end up with dismally low standards for the way we dress. We know that we’ll get more attention from guys in form-fitting tops, tight pants, and short skirts. And it’s all too tempting to rationalize immodesty because “at least this outfit isn’t as bad as a lot of things I could wear.” We think that as long as we aren’t going topless on the beach, we have an element of modesty. But what is God’s standard?

“I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly”
(1 Tim. 2:9 NASB)

The word modestly literally means “with shame and bashfulness.” In other words, not shamelessly flaunting our bodies, but exuding a sense of careful dignity and guardedness, even in the way we dress. The word discreetly means “to keep hidden.” A woman’s body is for the enjoyment of one man alone - her husband. God asks us to not give other men the privilege of viewing what belongs only to the man we will spend the rest of our life with.

It is easy to assume that true modesty means drab, shapeless, unfeminine clothes that make us extremely unattractive. But God’s pattern doesn’t bring oppression and ugliness - it brings liberty and beauty. Contrary to popular belief, feminine beauty doesn’t have to mean sensuality. It is more than possible to exude the kind of dignity, grace, and true feminine beauty that will captivate a man’s heart - without using sex appeal.