Drawing a Hemline: Sexual Modesty and the Pursuit of Wisdom

Inside Catholic ^ | June 30, 2009 | Benjamin D. Wiker

[Missouri gal]

Dr. Wiker would be gratified by the policy at my university. Employees are prohibited from wearing anything considered revealing, no denim, no shorts, nothing with writing on it, and nothing that you would wear to a casual event like a sports event, with an exception for game days, when team shirts are allowed. Revealing clothing is considered actionable sexual harassment if it exposes curvature of the breasts, or the hem is so high that the wearer's hand, placed at the top of the knee sideways, doesn't reach up to the bottom of the hem. Unfortunately, they don't feel they have legal means to enforce on students, but it makes for a much more professional environment. To be honest, the occasional offender probably appreciates being taken aside and told, privately, to clean up their act.

[frithguild]

I'm afraid she might be very guilty.

You must be brave to judge the evidence. Remember - there is the presumption of innocence...

[Jewbacca]

[frithguild]

Not guilty!

[Sir_Ed]

The Naked Guy from Berkeley that the article talks about was a mentally ill nutcase who killed himself...

Ed

[Salvation]

Virtues, virtues, virtues.

Modesty is one of them.

[MEGoody]

It is so silly for women to dress like sluts and then expect to be taken seriously and considered equals.

[combat_boots]

“Virtues, virtues, virtues.

Modesty is one of them.”

Mystery, though not a virtue per se, is also enticing.

[MEGoody]

I said “if you don’t want people looking at it then don’t hang it out there like a plumber’s butt crack!”

I'll have to remember this line next time some lactating nazi gets upset because someone stares at her when she flops it out to breastfeed her baby.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

for those interested in reading here’s a nice article I found online : “You Are What You Wear” from Judaism Online : http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/modesty

[Marysecretary]

Nice legs!

[Marysecretary]

Exactly.

[dfwgator]

I thought it was all because of Global Warming:

[Jewbacca]

I shaved for the picture.

[Marysecretary]

LOL. Good one.

[FatherofFive]

God knew what he was doing when he created woman.

The "Go forth and multiply" thingy wouldn't have worked as well.

Great legs.

[Inappropriate Laughter]

A man half-dressed in class will appear ridiculous to the women and disgusting to the men, an embarrassment rather than a source of temptation. But a woman immodestly dressed throws the young men into dry-mouthed confusion. If it were any other way, then selling-by-sex industries, from prostitution to advertising, would not be almost completely dominated by the immodesty of women directed to the insatiable sexual appetites of men.

Benjamin D. Wiker 2009

Among women the nudity kills natural modesty; it takes from men their respect for women, and thereby destroys the prerequisite for any genuine culture. It is therefore expected of all police authorities that, in support of the spiritual powers developed through the national movement, they take all police measures to destroy the so-called nude culture.

Hermann Göring: 1933 Nazi edict

[CatInTheBox]

There are always two problems with these ‘call to modesty’ things:

1. Modesty is, to some degree, a social construct. For instance, I’m wearing pants right now (thank goodness). In Victorian England, I would have been considered a shamless hussy for wearing something that so revealed the shape of my lovely legs. Now, I’m just considered a chick in pants, ie. nothing to stare at. While there are some near-universally applicable standards, the actual definition and ‘limits’ of modesty are a bit nebulous.

2. If you’re female and reasonably attractive (or in some places, just female), you’re going to get stared at by the menfolk. No amount of sackcloth or garbage bags will completely disguise that you are A. female, and B. attractive. Unless you decide to wear a burqua, men are going to be sexually attracted to you, and probably not listen to a thing you say. If you wear a burqua, they’ll wonder why you’re walking around in a tablecloth.

I think it would really help the modesty movement’s cause if they stressed ‘appropriateness’ more. They get too carried away with the ‘thou shalt hide thy body from the eyes of men’ angle at the expense of the ‘that minidress is not a good choice for work because you are there to work and not flaunt your stuff’ angle.

[rednesss]

"men are going to be sexually attracted to you, and probably not listen to a thing you say."

Huh, what were you saying?? I dropped my pencil, can you pick it up for me?? :)

[Pyro7480]

Oh give me a break! So anyone who has standards are Nazis?