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When Christian women enter discussions about fashion, we constantly encounter the same advice on dresses for women. We hear the Church and Christian culture telling us that “modest is hottest” and we shouldn’t “cause our brothers to stumble.” From a young age, girls hear people telling them to make sure their shirts and pants don’t reveal too much. Obsessing over whether or not our skirts pass the four fingers above the knee test, we struggle to uphold seemingly unattainable standards while also dressing fashionably and tastefully. This standard that we strive for puts a great deal of responsibility on women and creates much disagreement in contemporary Christian culture as a whole.
Whether or not we care to admit it, the concepts of fashion and modesty are inextricably intertwined. Our clothes have an effect on others and the way they perceive us. The ways we dress and carry ourselves illicit certain responses that we may not intend or realize. Because of the message that clothing choices send, we often categorize people based on their fashion choices on cheap women dresses.
Oftentimes, we label people based on their dress and draw conclusions from their fashion choices about their personality. For example, when we see high school girls wearing miniskirts, platform heels, and too much eyeliner, we label them as “skanks.” We automatically tend towards making assumptions about their character based on the way they dress and carry themselves. These assumptions often prove false and only hurt the people we judge. Rather than taking in their overall image and persona, we nitpick until we can find something to criticize.
So what does a Christian fashionista look like? Well, unfortunately, this question does not have a simple answer. We can’t look up a scripture that tells us “what not to wear.” Instead, we must internalize our own standards for how we dress and choose clothes that uphold an image of dignity, poise, and style. This image runs much deeper than our outfits, but also flows from the way we carry ourselves and interact with others. God created each of us with unique taste and style. Through embracing our individuality and God-given beauty, we can better spread a picture of confidence and humility. This looks different for each of us and frees all women to dress in a way that displays their own unique allure and femininity to the world of club dresses.
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