Is womens clothing in need of a more covered up look?

dogwhisperer

Just wanting to know all your thoughts on this issue...I'm going for christian fashion designing...aiming at more modest clothing for todays christian women.

ACfixer · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:09 am Post subject:

Ok, here's a man's viewpoint. Smile

I am single, 41, and I have a 17 year old daughter who is quite attractive who I have had sole custody of for the last 5 years. I am very open and honest about my desires as a man (the truth shall set us free!), and also my duty and concerns of being a father and of course a Christian.

Amanda has very good taste, but too often goes for something a little too revealing. I don't mean this as a prude dad, I mean it in truth. I think respectable guys like to see women in sexy but not revealing clothing... Perhaps beachwear can be a different subject but first of all, to me clothing that show skin more than what is comfortable for the time of year looks very tacky and out of line. Amanda makes that mistake quite often and we have , uhhhh, words! Winter and cool weather clothing should be stylish and somewhat shape fitting, but not showing skin around the middle section and sirts/dresses for the season shouldn't really go above the knees much. Breast cleavage can be hinted at but not shown if you know what I mean. It doesn't have to be a puritan neck collar, but for the neckline to plunge below where the breasts start to take shape is inappropriate especially in cooler weather. A guy can see just fine what a girl has there without having to see the skin and in the cooler seasons it makes it appear that a woman is unduly trying to "show some skin". No need for that... stylish clothing accentuates a womans natural curves without being vulgar or provacative.

Warmer weather, more can show. A summer dress is shorter, midsections can show if done in a tasteful manner. Not that it's ok to lust after a woman based on the temperature, but seasonal clothing is just that and is based on comfort. Bathing suits (a tough one for dad) can be two-piece but skin (like breasts and butts to be specific) should not be made to "bulge" or hang out the sides. In other words, the flaccid tissue should be supported and pretty much covered. Amanda is not permitted to wear bathing suits with thong or "Brazil" rears. I don't make her wear 1940's grandma britches, but no way is her buttcrack gonna show! (forgive me here, like I said, I am honest). Also the top needs to be constructed (in all womens clothes) so that nipple shape is not a visual issue. Color choice (especially in tighter fitting tops) is of concern here as well.

Like I said, I think guys that have a muture and healthy appreciation for the beauty of a woman can admit what doesn't show is just as sexy (or even more so) than what does. The imagination (we have to be careful here) is powerful! So like I said, it is healthy to appreciate the beauty of women as Gods creation and "sexy", tasteful clothing that fosters appreciation is good, but provacative and over revealing clothing which promotes lust (and leaves very little to the imagination) is out of line. For my daughter I pray that her future husband is enticed and looking forward to what hasn't been shown, more than he is resigned to getting what he has already seen. I hope that makes sense.

For myself at 41, I am attracted much more to the shapely dress or jeans on a good looking woman much more so than the skin-tight in-your-face sleeze-wear no matter how good looking she is. Classy is sexy in my book.

For what it's worth, overly prudish, baggy and neck-tight ankle length long sleeve puritan clothes are lame IMO. There is a section of the Christian community who feel this in the only thing appropriate for girls and I just flat disagree. I think it gives Christianity the full on no-fun stigma that turns so many people off. I have fun as a Christian, God wants us to enjoy life and be happy and free within the very fair limits he has set for us. If you plan to design "prudewear" you will go broke! Wink

markm2553 · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 7:23 am Post subject:

Looks to me like one of the best people to ask about what a woman should wear is a Christian man with a teenage daughter at home! They spend much more time on the subject and have a much clearer view.
Sounded pretty good to me.
It is good to see a young woman planning her future allowing God to do the leading.

shardy53 · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 9:52 am Post subject:

I like the look of the skimpy clothing but it gets to be very distracting and leads me to some pretty impure thoughts sometimes. I hate to have to slap my own face a dozen times a day for what I am thinking. Mad

I guess I am a Christian but Im still not ready for the Old folks home yet.
Steve

jeff_osu · Tiger Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 838 Location: Oklahoma

I had this conversation with my gf, bc I kept noticing guys would stare at her. Not saying she dressed trampy, bc it wasn't anyting that bad, but I explained to her it bugged me having guys looking at her and thinking impure thoughts because they aren't respecting her. Evidentally I said the right thing because she seemed touched that I thought that about her and it hasn't been a problem since.

dogwhisperer · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:10 pm Post subject: clothing

Well ACfixer, it sure looks like you have it well thought out! My view on it is pretty much this: instead of asking what is wrong with something, try asking what is right about it. I don't think women need to dress 18th century to be modest, however dressing in most of today's clothes is not modest either...1Timothy 2:9 says (KJV) " In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamfacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; (v10) But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works"
How about the stumbling blocks that are getting placed in front of mens eyes daily (like what shardy53 said) I is believe that a hint at a cleavage is a bad and worse than actually showing it...its like playing 'peek-a-boo' with mens eyes. My rules for dress is basically, nothing above the knee line...shorts to the knee cap are fine, dresses / skirts below (otherwise when you sit down you can see up underneath...shorts you can't, so for ease of wear they can be that bit shorter) It needs to be a good fit...but not skin tight. ( I have heard of people who go down the store, find something that fits and say, 'just get it 1-2 sizes larger' Laughing

it just about falls off:) I think for tops, the neckline needs to be high enough that when you bend down it still covers (ie dosen't show underwear etc). As far as sleevless / not sleevless, I was actually praying about this issue lately as to whether it is appropriate or not etc. Anyway, a couple of nights later I had a dream where I was talking to this friend of mine and i was explaining to her what was wrong with showing off your shoulders...I walked up behind her and said "how would you like a man to come up behind you and slide his hands all over your shoulders down your arm like this?" she was like, No Way! I said, well, men think differently to us, and in their mind the devil uses the way we dress to place imaginations and thoughts in their minds...stumbling blocks! They are doing this to you in their thoughts!

This dosen't mean that we need to dress like chocking necklines and right down to your ankles and generally look kinda drab (though, we don't need to condemn those that feel that way either)
We are to be seperate from the world and the world's ways of thinking. I like dressing the way I do, infact, I am having more and more girls coming to me saying, where do you get those clothes...they are so nice! Girls are sick of being free, living, walking pornography for every male they walk past! I can confidently talk to men and know that they are not looking at my low neck line or high skirt, they are looking at my face and when it is christians I am talking to, hopefully they are looking at my beautiful heart, not my glammed up body.

ACfixer · Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2004 12:54 am Post subject:

May God bless your endeavors. Smile