Modesty: A Female-Only Virtue? – Christian Double Standards – Hypocrisy
Link to editorial is below.
I do not generally support Christian “modesty” teachings, not as most Christians tend to teach it and emphasize it, at least.
Females are NOT responsible for the reactions, thoughts, or sexual failings of men. So Christian men, stop putting the burden on women to “dress modestly.”
Christian modesty teachings tend to make women responsible for male actions and thoughts and removes personal accountability and responsibility from males.
Women are not responsible for YOUR dirty thought lives, males.
Christian modesty teaching is another form of objectifying women, but in the opposite direction of secular culture that likes for women to tart it up. Both views render women into their sexual parts and judges them on their looks.
As I have blogged about before, many women are “visually stimulated,” yet I never see Christians telling men to “dress modestly” and “cover up.”
But Christian men find it easier to live in Denial Land, where they assume all women are not interested in sex or the least interested in what men look like.
(Link): Modesty: A Female-Only Virtue? by Katelyn Beaty
Excerpts:
- … Sexual immorality, of course, is a serious matter, Scripture attests, and research abounds on real chemical differences between men’s and women’s brains. Further, a thriving Christian community requires its members to think beyond their own preferences, about how personal decisions impact others.
But, as I watched hoards of my male peers bounding across the lawn wearing nothing but flimsy track shorts—think Juno’s Paulie Bleeker—I wondered if they had received any wisdom or direction about their dress. Is modesty a virtue only for women?
This question arose in a personal way this Easter, which is a days-long celebration at the church I attend. A single friend asked if he could sleep on my roommate’s couch one night to avoid driving 45 minutes home late Saturday and coming back early Sunday.
I obliged, seeing the setup through a logistical lens.
We talked a bit Saturday night before heading to our respective rooms, my conscience undisturbed.
On Sunday morning, I tiptoed past the sleeping friend to the kitchen. He, likely not thinking twice, soon entered the kitchen shirtless, wearing boxer shorts—and he went on to engage me like he might have while wearing khakis and a sport coat. Blushing and baffled by his nonchalance, I had to consciously “bounce my eyes.”
The Greek translation of modesty (kosmios) means roughly “orderly” or “proper,” and the word appears only once in Scripture, in Paul’s first letter to Timothy: “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes …” (2:9). 1 Peter 3:3-4 includes a similar message, that women should adorn themselves with a gentle spirit instead of fancy jewelry and clothing.
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul also addresses head coverings, an important topic given first-century Mideast cultural attitudes about women’s hair (the essence of female beauty, and thus primarily meant for husbands’ viewing; some Christian women cover their heads today).
But these verses suggest that modesty is not just about quelling sexual temptation.
Modesty is also about viewing ourselves humbly and dressing accordingly, refraining from using clothing (or the lack thereof) to draw attention to ourselves and boost self-esteem.
As an (Link): NPR broadcast last week noted, modesty is considered a virtue for both women and men in many religious traditions, including in some Anabaptist, Pentecostal, and Catholic streams of Christianity.
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Related posts this blog:
(Link): Modesty and the Lust of Men from God Is Love Blog
(Link): When We Sacrifice a Girl’s Innocence from NatePyle.com Re: Modesty and Purity Teachings
(Link): Beauty Redefined Site Discusses Modesty: Modest Is Hottest?
(Link): Male Modesty and Male Shaming
(Link): Atlantic: “The case for abandoning the myth that ‘women aren’t visual.’”
(Link): Superman, Man Candy -and- Christian Women Are Visual And Enjoy Looking At Built, Hot, Sexy Men
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