Purity, Modesty, & Femininity

Purity, Modesty, & Femininity

Posted by Lisa

April 20, 2011

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Almost all Christian girls claim “purity” and say that they should act in a “modest & pure way.”  Interestingly enough, very few really act purely. Most girls walk around and talk about the new cute guy on the block, or talk about another girl’s boyfriend and the drama surrounding the relationship.  This is blatantly against
1 Timothy 5:1-2 where it says, “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.” (Emphasis mine)  There are two key points here.  First of all it says that men and women are supposed to treat each other with purity; secondly it says that men and women must treat each other as brothers and sisters.  Yet, when talking about the new cute, hot boy in town or the new drama of the school that is not treating the opposite gender as brothers with purity.

Another thing which girls often do is bring too much attention to themselves in their clothing.  They claim modesty, but wear clothes which show way too much cleavage or are way too tight and revealing in other ways.  Now, I’m not saying all girls have to wear dresses to show femininity and modesty.  There are plenty of ways to wear pants and still be modest and feminine (I wear pants quite a bit!).  But, it is important, whether you are wearing dresses or pants, to do so in a feminine, God-fearing manner – and not in such a way as to attract attention to yourself. 

I’ve seen so many girls claim “modesty” and “purity” yet wear revealing shirts with all-too-low necklines, shorts that barely cover, and shirts that ride up revealing their stomachs.  Many times they also seem to believe that, just because they are on the beach sun-bathing or in a pool swimming, that it is a perfect opportunity to reveal all.  Therefore, these girls where clothing which is no more than the underclothes we wear on a daily basis and would never dare appear in public wearing ONLY those.  But for some reason, because of swimming and sun-bathing, it is allowed and considered cute, fashionable, and still “modest.”  In reality, they are no more modest than the normal underclothes which girls wear, and nothing remotely close should be worn by themselves in public.

While girls might think this is cute and it may attract a worldly, cute guy’s attention, those guys who are pure of heart and believe in modesty and purity, will, and should, blush and look away.  So while it might be satisfying at first to attract a sinful attention, those guys who are truly honorable will turn aside and no longer respect you as a girl.  In so doing, girls attract the wrong attention, and repel the correct attention of a brother in Christ looking at a girl as a sister in Christ whom he can respect.

In Christian circles, it is common to abandon true modesty and purity by simply saying it is “accepted” and “okay” and “everyone does it.”  Just because it is accepted and most Christian girls do it, does not mean it is okay.  It is still just as wrong and sinful.  As a Christian girl you have a decision to make: are you going to be modest and feminine in a godly manner, submitting yourself to a both outer and inward beauty shining by the gentle and quiet inner spirit?  Or are you going to stoop to the modern, worldly status-quo and reveal yourself to the world in an immodest and unfeminine way?