|
 Most Christian women dress the same as other women in society
today. Most do not even realize that the Bible has a lot to say about
what we as Christian women should wear. Up until four years ago, it had
never occurred to me that the Bible even mentioned how we should dress.
I just dressed like everyone else, whether skirts were long or short,
whether jeans were in or out. Then I read an article by a wonderful
Christian woman sharing a few thoughts on this issue. Since then, I
searched the Bible, and spent hours in prayer to determine how the Lord
wanted me to dress. I would like to share a few things that I have
studied. The Bible has instructions for men as well, but as the Bible
says that women are in instruct only other women, this article is
written for women only.
The first time we see clothing mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis. We
are told that Adam and Eve are naked before they sin. (Genesis 2:25) After
they sinned, they knew they were naked, and they sewed clothing for
themselves (Genesis 3:7) After seeing what they were wearing, God made them
coats or long tunics out of skins (Genesis 3:21) We can see that the Lord
was not pleased with the clothing people made for themselves.
The clothing he made for them was also a heavier, more concealing
garment. It is interesting to note that he made them clothing even
though they were the only', two people on the earth.
In Deut. 2:5 Moses does not stop at saying that women should not wear
that which pertaineth to a man. He adds that those that do so are
abomination to the Lord. The Bible describes worshipping idols,
homosexual behavior, witchcraft as well as seven things listed in Prov.
6:6-19 as an abomination.
The Webster's Dictionary defines an abomination as anything hateful and
disgusting.
In Isaiah 3:16-24, we see women who are displeasing to the Lord, as well
as his punishment for their dress and behavior. They are described as
haughty, with wanton eyes, and an affected walk. Proverb 7:10-23
describes a woman who leads a man into sin. She wears the '"attire of an
harlot". She is loud, stubborn (willful, rebellious
and defiant), she is in the streets, and not at home, she has an
impudent (brazen) face, fair speech (persuasive words), and flattering
lips. Her actions are bold and independent; she grabs the man and kisses
him. Verse 27 tells us that her house is the way to hell.
If we look at Proverbs 3 1, we see a description of the Virtuous Woman.
Which of us does not want to be seen as a virtuous woman by God? We get
a few descriptions of her physical appearance. She works with her hands
and she has strong arms. We are not told what her face, hair, and figure
are like. Verse 30 says, Favour (charm and grace) is deceitful and
beauty is vain, but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be
praised." This woman is described as being more valuable than rubies,
and her children and husband praise her for caring for her family,
helping the poor, fearing the Lord. In the New Testament, we find many
women who love and serve the Lord. A few are Mary the mother of Jesus
(Luke 2:28), Elizabeth (Luke 1 :40), Anna (Luke 2:36), Mary and Martha
(Luke 10:38-39), and Tabitha/Dorcus (Acts 9:36). Not one description of
these women gives a physical description.
In I Timothy 2:9-10, Paul gives specific instructions as to how women
should dress. These include "modest clothes, with shamefacedness and
sobriety. not with braided hair or gold, or pearls or costly array".
Webster's Dictionary gives the following definitions: Modest - not vain
or boastful, unassuming, not forward, not shy or reserved, behaving,
dressing, speaking in a way that is considered proper or decorous,
decent, moderate or reasonable, not extreme, quiet and humble in
appearance, style, not pretentious. chaste Shamedfaced - very modest or
shy Sobriety - seriousness, sedateness We all understand that costly
array means expensive clothing. In Titus 2:4 -5, we are told that the
older women should teach the young women to be discreet and chaste.
Discreet - careful about what one says or does, prudent Chaste - pure,
decent, or modest in nature or behavior, restrained and simple in style;
not ornate (Pure implies chastity,' through innocence and an absence of
seductive influences.
Modest and decent are both applied to propriety in behavior, dress,
bearing, or speech as exhibiting morality or purity.)
Peter gives instructions on dressing in I Peter 3:3-5. He specifically,
tells us to adorn ourselves with a meek and a quiet spirit, not
clothing, jewelry' and fancy. hairstyles. In order to study this topics,
I searched out related verses. and wrote them out. Then. I used the
dictionary to find precise definitions of the words used. I also
consulted mv Bible dictionary,. I tried to ready any Christian tracts I
could find on this subject. I prayed that the Lord would open mv eyes to
see what was appropriate for me as a Christian woman. and what was not.
I made two lists. one of words that described what my clothing should be
(modest) and should not be (costly), and one of words that described
what my attitudes should be (meek) and not be (haughty).
We really should mention the subject of temptation. Matt. 5:28 says that
for a man to look after a woman with lust is to commit adultery with her
in his heart. It is each person's responsibility to resist temptation,
but are we as Christian sisters, supposed to put temptation in our
brother's path? (Matt. 18:6--7)
The Bible shows nakedness outside of marriage to be sinful. (Gen.
9:22-23, Lev. 18:6-19, Rev. 3:18) Do today's styles constitute
nakedness? Many outfits are strapless, show the midriff, then end at the
top of the thigh.
It is interesting to study the history' of clothing in America. >From
the time the first Pilgrims arrived, to the beginning of this century,
clothing for women did not change that much. Women basically wore long
skirts with blouses, or long dresses. Can you guess who started the
move, toward the shorter skirts and pants? It was the first feminists in
, the late 1800's. They insisted that women had miserable lives, and
should be liberated. The feminist thought the answer was for women to
dress and act like men. One of these women was named Mrs. Bloomer (we
still use the word bloomer to describe the baggy pants she advocated).
In 1851 the early feminists were denied admission to most churches and
buildings even though they had a skirt past the knee and bloomers to
their ankles. When she realized it was hurting the women's movement, she
gave up trying to wear men's clothing, and no more was heard of women
wearing pants for 40 wears. As the feminist movement grew, the push to
dress like men grew too. Shorter hair, pants, and suit jackets are all
socially acceptable today, less than one hundred years later. Wouldn't
these early feminist be pleased to see the way most women dress today?
Are we truly surprised that currently feminists support abortion and
lesbian rights?
How does the Lord want you to dress? Only you and your husband can
determine that. But for a Christian woman, this decision should come
after prayer and Bible study, not after consulting the latest fashion
magazine. As a result of our Bible study and much prayer, our family has
developed our own standards for how' we should dress. The result is that
we dress fairly differently from the people around us. I would like to
share some of the common questions I hear from other women about this I
would like to share some of the common questions I hear from other women
about this important area.
1. Why don't you wear pants? We decided that pants were not appropriate
for the women in the family.
Deuteronomy 22:5 states the Lord's opinion on women who wear men's
clothing. I do not want to do anything that is an abomination to the
Lord. Notice that throughout the Bible the Lord prescribes different but
complimentary roles for men and women, provider/helpmeet, husband/wife.
father/mother. God clearly wants there to be a difference between men
and women. Pants only became acceptable 30 to 40 years ago as the
feminists urged women to act like men. Pants, no matter how loose, still
show the female figure much more than a loose skirt or dress. The Lord
really opened my eyes when I noticed the women I was standing or walking
behind when I was out in public.
2. Does everyone have to dress alike? What is modest on a particular
women is largely determined by the shape of the figure. As I am only 5
feet tall, most low V-neck tops are not modest on me. On a tall woman,
these would probably be modest. I have an easy time finding skirts and
dresses of a modest length. A tall sister would have a tougher time as
so many dresses and skirts are short on an average size person. As I am
full-figured, I try to avoid blouses that button up the front unless
they are very loose, or to be worn under a jumper. Otherwise, every time
I move my arms, they pull at the buttons. I also find that outfits with
a gathered waist can really accentuate full hips. Someone above average
height might also want to watch out for
the length on blouses, to make sure her stomach does not show ever, time
she lifts her arms.
3. Don't you want to look attractive? Society teaches us that we should
dress to be attractive and sexy. We should strive to be noticed. We must
always have something different on and never wear the same outfit. How
many magazines are filled with articles on how to look thinner. how to
change an outfit with new accessories. how to have a new wardrobe on a
budget? The Bible gives us a different picture of clothing. Clothing was
created to hide our nakedness. Peter tells us to adorn ourselves not
with jewelry or a fancy hairstyle. but with a meek and quiet spirit. (I
Peter 3:3-4) Please notice that I am not trying to say that we should go
out of our way to wear unattractive things. I always buy clothing and
fabric in colors and prints that I like.
4. How are we supposed to dress? God gave us very clear and specific
guidelines as to how we should dress. The key words are modes, discreet
and chaste. Each of us is given the same principles, and has to apply
these to our wardrobe. For myself I have determined that I will not wear
flashy, shiny, metallic, fluorescent or showy fabrics. I will not wear
styles that reveal bare shoulders, the midriff, or my legs above the
knee. I also do not wear clingy styles or fabrics that show my figure.
There is an ad for pantyhose that claims that no one will see a line
where your underwear is. For me any article of clothing that reveals the
undergarments is too clingy to be modest.
5. Will I have to throw out my entire wardrobe? After you have
determined exactly how you would like to apply these principles, it is
time to sort through your wardrobe. Many garments can be modified, or
used in a different way to be modest. A blouse that is too snug can be
worn under a jumper, a pullover or cardigan sweater. A blouse that has a
low neckline can sometimes be altered. I once made a bow to stitch right
above a deep V-neck to make a sweater modest. There may be some items
that can not be altered or used in any way. I divided these into two
piles. One pile was those that were immodest on me, for example, a skirt
or shirt that was too snug. These I donated elsewhere. The other pile
was items that would be immodest on anyone. These I recycled, by taking
off the buttons and zippers for later use. Some I cut up for doll
clothes fabric. The rest I threw in the trash. I would not want to give
away any item I could not wear on principle.
6. How will I be comfortable? Up until four years ago, when I first
began to study the issue, I only wore dresses occasionally to church.
Therefore, I considered dresses to be uncomfortable and impractical
because they meant pantyhose, slips, and high heels. Once I started
wearing full skirts, dresses and jumpers, I realize how comfortable they
are. I have not worn a pair of pants in four years, and have not missed
them once. Of course, I do not wear pantyhose, slips and high heels
everyday either.
7. What about when it is cold? I live in southern Louisiana where it
rarely gets below 30 F. I still have had to deal with the cold on rare
times we do get cold weather and when we have traveled. It is possible
to layer clothes with a skirt or jumper. The biggest difference will be
your legs. I use heavy tights, long johns that end at the knee or
ankles, and heavy knee socks. If you want to use leggings, check the
fabric content. I do not believe Lycra is as warm as cotton or wool.
8.Is only our clothing involved? Our attitude and behavior plays a large
role in whether we discreet, chaste, and modest. Remember that we are to
have a meek and quiet spirit. We can attract attention to ourselves with
a loud voice or a flirtatious manner. while in the most modest dress.
Read how the sinful woman is described in Proverb 10:23, loud, willful,
impudent, with flattering lips. Certain behavior could make a modest
outfit immodest. For example, standing with our hands on our hips,
propping one foot on the opposite knee, having our legs crossed instead
of our ankles. If we a desire to be the women God has called us to be,
we need to examine our clothing, and our behavior.
9. What about lingerie and underclothes? I know of several women who
have changed the type of underclothes they wear to fit with their new
standards of modesty. I respect their decision as one that the Lord has
chosen as right for them. My personal belief is that all of our
guidelines given to us in the Bible apply to what others see. Therefore,
I do not choose my person items with the same standards. (If I may
inject something here, personally I have found that wearing a cotton
full slip helps me to have a more modest appearance on the outside
because the slip is not clinging nor is it made to '0 form fit my bossom.
It is made with a scoop neck and one dart only under each breast. In
this instance, simple. modest underclothes lend a modest outward
appearance. Deborah For instance, I wear nightgowns that are much
shorter and much less concealing than my dresses. Of course, no one sees
them other than my husband.
10. What are the practical benefits? One of the best is time saved. I do
not spend time reading articles on fashion, planning constant updates to
my wardrobe. and going shopping. I also save so much time getting
dressed in the morning. I brush my hair and put it up in a bun or with a
barrette. I then slip into a blouse, jumper, socks and shoes. It takes
about 5 minutes. I used to spend 30 minutes on my hair and makeup alo
time saved. I do not spend time reading articles on fashion, planning
constant updates to my wardrobe. and going shopping. I also save so much
time getting dressed in the morning. I brush my hair and put it up in a
bun or with a barrette. I then slip into a blouse, jumper, socks and
shoes. It takes about 5 minutes. I used to spend 30 minutes on my hair
and makeup alone.
11. What about the spiritual benefits? I find that whenever we seek to
follow the Lord more closely, he blesses us generously. The first
benefit is that I feel a great peace at knowing I am following his plans
for me. The second benefit is that when I do not worry' so much about my
appearance, I do not have as much problem with the sins of pride, and
jealousy. The third benefit is that I am not a temptation for other
men. I never realized that by trying to look attractive and attempting
to draw attention to myself, I was a source of temptation to the men
around me.
12. What style/type of clothes do you find most practical? Since I am
pregnant for the fourth time in my 9 year marriage, I find that clothes
that adapt to my changing figure the best. I find drop waist dresses and
jumpers the best . I make or buy them very' loose, so that I can wear
something heavy under them during the winter, and can wear them well
into each pregnancy. I wore all my regular clothes until I was 6 months
pregnant, and am just growing out of the last at 7 1/2 months along. I
find denim to be the most useful fabric. It can take hard wear (working
in the garden) and many washes. Cotton dresses and jumpers are cooler in
the summer, but they wear out with repeat washings. I always make sure
the fabric is thick enough, or the style full enough that I do not
require a slip for everyday wear.
I hope that my answers are helpful to sisters who are interested in this
area, that they will be blessed as I have been trying to follow the
Lord's direction.
Susan Theall
|
