MODESTY and the MORMONS

ModestyDefinition on Google:

“Modest Dress refers to a ‘cover-up’ dress requirement for many holy places, Jewish, Christian and Muslim. It usually means no shorts (for both men & women), no sleeveless tops and no plunging necklines.

But what is modesty & why?

• Humility• Simplicity• Limited scope• Small in amount,

rate or level• Appearance

intended to avoid impropriety or indecency

Who decides what’s modest?

Cover up those boobs!

• Respecting your body… or body-shaming?

• Embracing your womanhood?

• Is modesty healthy for young girls?

• Why are women responsible for men’s thoughts?

What does this have to do with PROPAGANDA????

What is propaganda?

Persuasion?

What do the Mormons say about modesty?

The Mormon Church and Modesty

• From LDS.org – Basic Manual for Women, Part A (2000) – Lesson 9: Chastity and Modesty

1. The Lord’s standards of modesty are not those of the world. From the Prophet Joseph Smith through our recent prophets, our leaders have asked us to create our own styles and fashions (see Spencer W. Kimball, “A Style of Our Own,” BYU Devotional Assembly, 13 Feb. 1951).

2. We can measure our standards of modesty by asking ourselves: How would I feel about my clothing if I knew the prophet were to visit in my home? Is my clothing a good example of what a Latter-day Saint girl or woman should wear? We should practice modesty within our own homes. Even small children should be modestly dressed and taught about modesty.

Basic Manual for Women continued

3. We are responsible for the effect our dress standards have on others. Anything that causes improper thoughts or sets a bad

example before others is not modest. It is especially important that we teach

young girls not to wear clothes that would encourage young men to have improper thoughts.

Mormon’s teach modesty, because:

① God said to② Don’t want to look

trashy if the prophet visits

③ Immodesty encourages boys to have improper thoughts

Young Women general president Elaine S. Dalton:

“[Modesty] is a condition of the heart. It is an outward manifestation of an inner knowledge and commitment. It is an expression that we

understand our identity as daughters of God.”

Basic Manual for Women, continued

“We are responsible for the effect our dress standards have on others. Anything

that causes improper thoughts or sets a bad

example before others is not modest. It is especially

important that we teach young girls not to wear

clothes that would encourage young men to have improper thoughts.”

It’s bad for boys to have improper thoughts… and it’s our fault when it happens…

2014 Ensign – The Lord’s Standard of Morality:

Immodest DressOur dress affects not only our thoughts and actions but also the

thoughts and actions of others. Accordingly, Paul the Apostle counseled “women [to] adorn themselves in modest apparel” (1 Timothy 2:9).

The dress of a woman has a powerful impact upon the minds and passions of men. If it is too low or too high or too tight, it may prompt improper thoughts, even in the mind of a young man who is striving to be pure.4

Men and women can look sharp and be fashionable, yet they can also be modest. Women particularly can dress modestly and in the process contribute to their own self-respect and to the moral purity of men. In the end, most women get the type of man they dress for.

- Elder Tad R. Callister (Presidency of the Seventy)

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LDS Standard on Modesty

LDS.org, For the Strength of Youth: Dress & Appearance

“Immodest clothing is any clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner. Young

women should avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is

low-cut in the front or the back.”

Don’t give boys sexual thoughts, but dressing sexy [modest] is ok!

Shade shirts, chest hugging/super tight [modest] t-shirts

No cleavage? No problem!

No shoulders? No problem!

No shorts? No problem!

An alternative way to show off your boobs

What about behavior???

Women are objectified by men when they dress how

men tell them to, when they secretly show off their

bodies, and live every aspect of their lives

according to the wishes of men.

But men told us that modesty is about self-

respect, so it’s ok.

“The Lord has made us attractive one to another for a great purpose. But this very attraction becomes as a powder keg unless it is kept under control. It is beautiful when handled in the right way. It is deadly if it gets out of hand.”

-Gordon B. Hinckley, (2001) A Prophet’s Counsel and Prayer for Youth

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Mormon Modesty Standard…it’s about control.