#modern modest

[mybatuaclothing]

Outstandingly graceful Zahra Abaya designed elegantly with diagonal pleats at waistline. Pick your favourite colour!

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[cookiessangria]

The Duggar Girls: A Style Chronology

The Duggar Girls: A Style Chronology

It’s no secret that we’re a little fascinated by the Duggar family.  I hold the same befuddled interest in them that leads people to read ethnographic studies in National Geographic. I may not have seen their TV show for years, but we’ll always have fond memories of creating a slightly sarcastic Duggar Facebook group – only to be inundated with Duggar groupies.  I promise, we’re even going to do…

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[pizza-rolls-not-gender-roles]

What do you mean 'modest dress'

Modest dress means I abide, in all situations where it is practical, to cover certain areas I consider to be private. (Note: where I consider private is not necessarily what you consider private. My standards apply only to myself.) Modest means I make a concerted effort to divert unduly attention away from my private areas (my thighs, my rear, my chest, etc). This is not at all to say that I am responsible for a person’s urges, nor where they plant their gaze. What this does mean, though, is that I value my inner beauty more than my outer beauty. I want people to look at me, my words, and my actions—not my cleavage. When I was a  younger teenager I prized myself on my figure. Being vain and shallow damaged my image, as well as cause me to objectify myself/allow myself to be objectified by others. Modest dress is, in this battle, my weapon of choice. 

I wear skirts and dresses almost exclusively. I believe in the abolition of the gender binary, but still wish to assert my feminine status along the gender spectrum. These articles of clothing are not exclusive to females, or even to women (I say so to be inclusive to trans* and non-binary individuals and to men in every culture that wears robes/skirts/kilts/dresses), but in American culture they are considered to be. Not only am I proud of my feminine qualities, I think that skirts and dresses better represents who I am stylistically. As such, this provision is a matter of style rather than sociological relevance, much the way some women prefer sweaters to t-shirts or blouses to both. 

I do occasionally wear jeans—maybe once or twice a week. I like to wear tunics with them because I think it is adorable and because it adds feminine flair in a way that allows me to hike or accompany Brad in the machine shop less restricted. 

I always wear leggings under dresses and skirts (so that I can hang from trees and be rough and tumble in them). Yes, even when it is sweltering. I have quite the collection of capri leggings, and am looking to invest in a few pairs of Forever 21 legging shorts this summer. 

Anything covering leggings (either a tunic or a dress) should be no shorter than an inch or two above my knees, although if it covers my bum I may consider it modest in certain settings/situations/with certain outfits. I am not militant about it. If I feel modest, then it is modest. 

As for my chest, tank tops and undershirts are my best friend. Anything with itty-bitty spaghetti straps is put over an undershirt, and anything that droops a bit low is put over a tank top. I do this to cover my shoulders and back, as well as my lower chest, but I do not mind if my collar bones are peeking out. 

Before someone asks about bathing suits, I haven’t decided yet. I allow my intuition to guide me, and I haven’t meditated on it as of yet. I know that I want to wear either boyshorts or a swimskirt. Bikini bottoms are completely out. I will not even entertain the idea. On top, I am less sure. No little triangle pieces of fabric for me, but I am not opposed to a tankini. Modesty is situational. Bathing suits in the grocery store is immodest, but on the beach? I’m not so sure it is. I feel dressing frumpy or fundamentalist on the beach would attract more attention than it would avoid. The jury is still out on this one. 

[pizza-rolls-not-gender-roles]

Trying to explain why I choose modest dress is like fighting an uphill battle in heels blindfolded and then spun around several times.

PSA: I dress modestly because my body is not a public forum and because my private spaces are sacred. I put my paychecks in the bank. I tuck my titties into a tank. 

PSA II: Before I get accusations of slut shaming, I do not condone body regulation and dress coding for women. Liberation is not in showing skin or covering it up. Liberation is in the choice. My choice my not be your choice, and if you think leggings are pants and that flaunting your (awesome) cleavage by shimmying your shirt down (and are not doing it solely because of ingrained patriarchy telling you that you are a sex object) I think that is swell; it just isn't for me.

PSA II: This is not a religious conviction, but a spiritual/personal one. No gods command me; I command me.