Modesty: Defined By Multiple Religions
Table of Contents:
- My personal approach to modesty
- A Muslim Woman’s Approach to Modesty in America
- Mennonite Modesty
- LDS Women’s Modesty
- Orthodox Jewish Woman’s Modesty
- Titus Morris
- Amish Modesty
- Native American Ceremonial Clothing
Ultimately, modesty is a personal choice up to the individual. To start off, modesty to me. I am a member of the LDS church. While everything is up to the individual and parents for teenagers, adults make special promises to God. Adults are expected to wear long bermuda shorts and long skirts. For tops, nothing low cut, tops with sleeves, not too tight. This is up to interpretation, it is a deeply personal choice. Many will wear anything they like when working out, participating in recreation, and other activities.
LDS “Mormon” Missionaries wear outfits similar to many other religious women. They wear loose tops with all sorts of patterns, designs, and colors. Often these women wear skirts slightly below the knee. Some of the sister missionaries wear business pants with the fun tops. They wear the most beautiful dresses, slightly longer than the average LDS woman. In cold climates they tend to wear neutral jackets and coats, in black and gray.
I personally struggle with balancing modesty and style. As a woman who loves fashion, style, and beauty, modesty can be difficult. I have learned over the years how to dress in a way that works for my personal commitments to God and my desire to be stylish. This struggle has led to the creation of this blog, public social media, and plenty of things that are in the works.
Modesty really is a personal decision for each individual to make. My own journey has ledme to exploring several religious approaches to modesty. I have enjoyed watching certain creators on youtube explain their personal approaches to modesty.
A few that come to mind are With Love Leena who is a Muslim American who chooses to wear the hijab and dress modestly. Her personal approach is loose clothing, with her hijabs, blazers, and amazing makeup looks. From Texas her story is quite compelling. Prior to becoming an influencer, she was a registered nurse at a hospital local to her area. With Love, Leena. – A Fashion + Lifestyle Blog by Leena Asad
Another creator I love is Megan Fox. She is a mennonite living in Pennsylvania. She also covers her head, wearing a small white covering and her hair tied up tight. She wears skirts, both long and short sleeves. Everything she wears is also loose. Megan Fox Unlocked
Rachel Parcell is my personal favorite and arguably the most successful fashion blogger. Similar to myself, she is a member of the LDS church. She wears all kinds of clothing, all ranges of coverage and modesty. She creates the best dresses on the market, in varying lengths for all approaches to modesty. Her page is full of boujee looks that wealthier women love, paired with easy to purchase amazon favorites. Rachel Parcell – Rachel Parcell, Inc
Along with the fashion, she consistently shows her home. From construction to interior design, to living life in her beautiful home.
Cynical Duchess on youtube, otherwise known as Bethsheba, shows life as an Orthodox Jewish woman. She covers her elbows, wears long skirts with tights or leggings, nothing low cut. Her approach to fashion is more fun and punk than all the others. She wears skirts and dresses exclusively, often pairing vintage 80s pieces, doc martens, skirts or dresses and bright colors. Her approach is interesting, while she dresses more modestly, she is a graduate of Boston University, a successful social media content creator, and single.Cynical Duchess
Titus Morris is a questionable religious leader, having been featured on Peter Santenello’s youtube channel. He is not Amish but as far as I know, lives similarly to them. He always wears a bright blue button up top, black pants, and a straw hat, he does not believe in wearing shoes unless it is snowing.
The Amish themselves have the most specific dress code I have come across. Depending on the ordnung they will have various dress requirements. All of the women wear similar dresses. Simple dresses with few pleats, a head covering cap fastened with a ribbon. Even the toddlers wear dresses like their mothers.
Catholic women commit themselves to God, I find the nuns “habits” interesting. They don’t wear makeup, wearing matching habits, veils, and robes around their waists. These women cover their hair. As far as I know, they represent the mother Mary. Their life of service is inspiring, their outfits reflect their commitment to who they believe is God.
Native Americans have their own beautiful style and sense of modesty. In cities, I have witnessed friends dressed in regular outfits, work wardrobes, all things anyone would wear. However, the internet is full of beautiful dances and the coolest outfits I have ever seen. I don’t know if their beliefs are considered religion, but either way, the masterpieces worn to pow wows peak my curiosity.