What a timely topic for the times we live in! I am glad that there are people encouraging women to consider the ramifications (both positive and negative) of how we choose to clothe and present ourselves to the world. I was raised with a great emphasis on vanity and making every effort to present a pleasing appearance, never considering any responsibility for my choices. this is only reinforced by our society's push to view physical beauty as a trait above all others. it wasn't until i got to the college years that i began to understand this complex issue in a different light. we as women wield great power in these choices--and that i have a great deal of influence on how the world views me, and what those choices tell others about my priorities. we as women can use those choices to either advance our hopes and goals, or we can send mixed messages. i have had girls tell me that they don't understand why they are treated a certain way by the guys that they get to know. what i share with them is this that i believe that in a matter of two seconds we either reflect self respect and dignity or insecurity and desperation for attention.
The truth is, the way we show ourselves to the world is a powerful statement about what we expect from ourselves and others. If you dress to generate attention to your body, you must concede that the world we live in will :
#1 react, judge you and draw conclusions about you with information that is primarily drawn by the way you choose to dress and present yourself.
#2 in a matter of a couple seconds decide how it is you want to be treated by others. do you want to be engaging for your words and ideas, the way you care about others, and love and serve those around you? how you love the Lord? or do you want to be seen as a woman looking for the attention drawn from her body?
#3 - how you view yourself. i can't assess everyone's motives, but when i was younger, i enjoyed dressing for the compliments and attention that would come from others. what a great boost to a low self esteem! but i learned that i can have self respect and pride in caring for my appearance, while choosing to dress in a way that would reflect my own intentions--which were to be respected, my testimony would be both heard, and that it would be evident to others that i was not trying to blend in, or be just like every other girl, i.e. "in this world, but not of this world". how can i expect others to see my love for my Savior when my appearance says that i want to be appreciated for an eye-catching appearance?
clearly i believe that is one of the most important ways we, as women of Christ can set ourselves apart from the world. not for the sake of being controversial, not for the sake of being self-righteous, not because we are better than others, not because we are prudes, nor to draw even more attention to ourselves. But because we are daughters of the Lord Almighty and we called to be set apart, to share the good news, to be the "salt of the earth". We are commissioned to carry out a job that we must be prepared to dress for. One of my favorite examples to use with my girls' group is: just how serious would you take diane sawyers telling the news if she was reading the news in a halter top? that response of bewilderment always makes me laugh...
pardon the diatribe! and thank you to the poster for raising the timely topic.