Saying that modesty is required in order to be saved is legalistic, and regulating others rather than looking into our own hearts is legalistic.
Many of us spend a lot more time telling the men of the church to quit looking and the other women in the church to quit dressing the way they do, and we never evaluate our own closets.
#3 Myth of Modesty: Men don’t care what I wear.
Oh, they do. They care.
Why else would we care so much? Why do we place such value on being told we are pretty or beautiful by a man? Why do we spend half an hour getting ready before a date?
Because men DO care what we wear, and we know it!
Men care so much what we do (or do not) wear, they are very conscious of it at all times.
While the level may differ man to man, the concept remains the same: extra skin, extra form, extra cleavage or extra leg will draw either subconscious or conscious attention from them. They are designed as visual creatures (we have had this taught to us many times over, have we not?), so a visual stimulant catches their eye.
On an innocent level, men simply like pretty things.
My brothers notice when a girl looks put together. My dad has commented on movie actresses who are classy and well-dressed. Mr. M has commented to me that a passing woman’s dress was pretty.
They like pretty things and they like when we wear them.
Because of this, we have a great power. We have the power to draw their eyes toward us for one of two reasons:
- For the appeal of their desire based on revealing enough of our bodies to entice them; or
- To appear attractive in personality as reflected in how we dress.
This leads me to my next point.
