As the liberal "egalitarians" and prohomosexual apologists argue.
Invoking burkas and arguing we cannot define what modesty is makes a mockery of the Word of God that commanded it. And yes, we men in muscle shirts can be guilty also. But a (normal) man is wired to be sexually attracted to shapely legs, breasts, and even bare shoulders, and while we appreciate beauty, it is a distraction. And in defining modesty, i am sure, and research shows, Jewish dress covered such in the 1st century, as they do today, tastefully and often beautifully, without wearing a burka.
Halacha regarding modesty and community customs dictate the dress code for women. This "code" is practiced primarily by Orthodox Jews. Typically, women are expected to wear sleeves extending at least to the elbow, blouses or dresses with necklines that do not expose any cleavage and skirts long enough to cover the knees when seated.
Pants or slacks may be allowed in certain instances. For example, in many religious kibbutzim the women wear pants out of habit, for the simple reason that they work in agricultural areas or perform other activities where a skirt would be less modest . This is the exception; however, when not performing these activities, skirts are worn. - http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Women_in_Judaism_Dress.html
And the principle of veiling is seen in that even God veils Himself, and reveals Himself more fully only to those who seek Him and enter into His covenant.
A good basic rule is to dress so that the first thing a man looks at is your face. Those who dress otherwise will get more attention, but the kind of bait you use largely determines the kind of fish you catch, even as admirers.
This should get some comments.
“As the liberal “egalitarians” and prohomosexual apologists argue.”
That’s not an argument, that’s just a reactionary statement. You do so without addressing issues like long hair for men, or what qualifies as “long” for men or “short” for women. So although you reject my argument of cultural norms on it’s face, you do so without much enthusiasm.
Then you expose the wearing of pants by women for “agricultural reasons”.
So the excuses that appeal to you are ok, but the excuses of others are not.
“Then you expose the wearing of pants by women for “agricultural reasons”.”
“expose” should be “exuse”.
Well stated and a good rule of thumb.
You are a man of all seasons:) I remember sitting in Saturday evening mass listening to my mother comment on how the young women dressed. I remember hearing stuff like “if she leans over anymore she is going to fall out of that blouse. So your point is valid.
I’ll add this to the mix...
Sex is for a married man and woman.
No woman(or man) should be taking what is for their spouse and flaunting it for other members of the opposite sex to speculate on or lust after.
The only person who I am free to be sexually suggestive for is my husband. It is irresponsible on my part to present myself in a way that entices any other man to think that way of me.
Now, of course I realize that even in a burka, some men will think that way because that’s just the way they are, but just because some men are that way, does not justify a woman from dressing to cause lust and then blaming the man for lusting.
If a man is going to think that way about me, it’s NOT going to be because I did anything to encourage it. It will remain HIS responsibility, not mine.
Any woman who dresses inappropriately bears some responsibility for the man’s reaction. She’s doing it to elicit a reaction so that makes her culpable.
Having worked many years in the personnel field, I can tell you the young ladies today do not have any concept of “modesty”.
My best example happened in my church. The church didn’t supply robes for their choir, and I was forced to witness a very embarrassing display. One of the choir members (who was very generously endowed), did not wear a bra. To add to the spectacle, she was wearing a satin blouse. Anybody with an ounce of intelligence can figure out what happened.
The saddest part was the two young men who were sitting a short way down the pew from me. They giggled and tee-hee’d through the whole church program because they were so distracted by her movements. Obviously, they were not able to recieve anything from the service .. which should cause a lot of people to be concerned .. what if this service was where they would accept the invitation to receive Christ ..?? What if this was the final opportunity for one or both of them to ask God for forgiveness for some past act of sinfulness ..??
This was why I went to the Choir director and complained very loudly .. either supply robes to keep the distraction to a minimum, or require all members (especially females) to wear a suit type of jacket. It took the church a few services, but they finally required the jackets.
I took my grandchild aside over the same reason (but not the same service); she was wearing a braless tank top to church. What you wear around home doesn’t matter to me .. but when you step out in public, you should have more respect for yourself than to look like a prostitute on a stroll; unless of course, that is your goal.