Modesty Policy

Gathering my thoughts in preparation of the launch of
Empress of Autumn,
I am compiling this page to present my beliefs regarding modesty. My goal is not to cater to the beliefs of others just for approval and I also don't want to bring up my modesty beliefs just to cause conflict. To some, my way of dressing will seem liberal and to others, very conservative.
Based on my personal convictions and the counsel of my parents (especially my Dad), I have certain rules I shop by.

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Firstly, I do wear pants *gasp*. My parents and I have talked this over, prayed and sought the Scriptures. I do not want to put down those who wear only skirts; I have lots of good friends who do! But I am simply not convicted that way and I know my Dad likes his daughters to wear pants. I don't think this is a doctrinal issue at all, but a personal issue. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul said,
 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 
This verse applies all over the place, but here, I site it because the issue is the heart. If your father prefers you to wear skirts and you grumble in your heart about it, that's not glorifying God at all! We've been bought with a price. A slave set free from bondage. How can we do anything but show our gratefulness, by cheerfully obeying what God has put in our hearts and spoken to us through our parents. The question is not "Do pants conform to the word of God?", it is "How can I best glorify my Savior through the body that He has lent me by how I clothe it?" The biggest question is...
Who are we glorifying?
Brace yourself, I'm gonna step on a few toes, but please keep reading!
Item #1: Bikini: Definitely glorifying the body. I don't think anyone's going to disagree with this one.
Item #2: Booty Shorts: Undeniably body-glorifying!
Item #3: Midcalf Skirt: It depends.

via Pinterest

Wait, what?! No, I'm not saying it depends on how tight it is against the hips. I'm saying it depends on the heart of the person who's wearing it. Let me explain. If the girl wearing the midcalf skirt wears it out of a desire to draw attention away from just her body to her countenance and Jesus shining through said countenance; absolutely God-glorifying! But if the girl wearing the skirt does so to prove that God demands women wear only skirts and that skinny jeans are a scourge upon the earth, then that draws attention to the body and not on God (though I'm sure there's only a very small percentage of people who do it for this reason). It also paints a picture of God being distant, out-of-touch and unloving. If you feel that it is more in line with God's commands to wear skirts exclusively, then I hope you are doing it for the first reason. I hope this puts better into perspective the way I feel about the topic.

Now, I do have other convictions about pants and shorts. Generally, I prefer skirts to pants, but when I do wear them, I have personal rules that apply. I won't wear shorts that expose excessive amounts of my thighs. I want shorts that are still at least six inches below my bottom when I bend way over (which I don't often do because it's bad for my back). I don't wear skirts that go much above my knee at all; there's just too much risk on that score. Also I won't wear pants that are inappropriately tight. My rule of thumb when buying pants is, if it pulls across the rear or anywhere, really, it's too tight. It should fit well, but not too well, if that makes sense.

via Pinterest

Now that I've got that off my chest, on to the rest of my basic modesty beliefs. Some of these are duh things, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. No cleavage. And in general, when I write, I don't mention subjects inappropriate to my audience (young ladies). I hope I won't ever give you reason to put my blog on your list of blocked sites!
Nix the strapless tops. I feel that strapless tops/dresses are too suggestive and the same goes for off-the-shoulder, slouchy and one-shoulder tops/dresses. To me it says, "you want to see more? *wink, wink*".  Now, I do occasionally go for sleeveless tops, but selectively; the last thing I want is for onlookers to see into any frontal armhole gaps. 
This next one is my Dad's prerogative, but I agree with him; he doesn't allow us (his daughters) to wear high-to-low-hem skirts/dresses. He just doesn't like the appearance of them at all. Now, shirts are a different story; he has no qualms with a gradual drop in hem at the back of a pretty shirt, but skirts are a no-no.

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The main reason I'm starting this blog is to encourage young ladies in their faith and to exemplify fashionable modesty. You don't need to wear a jean jumper to be modest, unless you want to, of course. I know there are lots of other wonderful, similar blogs out there, and I'll have links to them, too, but I hope you'll stick around here. What are your modesty standards and why? I would love to hear what you think!

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