Fashion and your body

Since I am a school teacher as well as a Methodist preacher, I have a front row seat when the latest “fashion trend” makes an appearance.

Sometimes I see things that I think are cute and rather practical like the reappearance of the maxi skirt. School girls and women can wear these, look beautiful, and still be modest.

Other times I see students wearing clothes that make me wonder if their mothers saw them when they left for school that morning and if they did… what were they thinking?

Now, I am not prudish, I don’t necessarily think all skin has to be covered but I do believe that some fashions are not complimentary to the human body.

For example, the legging has some draw backs. Yes, it covers all the skin it is meant to but that doesn’t mean that body parts aren’t in view.

If the legging is worn under a longer shirt or tunic, then vital coverage is provided, but in the last few months, students have started wearing leggings with mid-drift shirts that leaves everything below the belly button open for scrutiny.

I will admit that some people have beautiful bodies that are showcased by these garments. Other people do not and that leaves them open for comments and teasing.

As educators, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If we declare that leggings are not to be worn to school, then we are violating the student’s rights. If we don’t do anything, we are teaching the students that they can wear anything to school and it doesn’t matter if it disrupts the education process.

Unfortunately, it isn’t just students who have taken up this trend. I have seen women wearing the same kind of outfits in public places. I do not believe that skin tight clothing is always a person’s best choice.

As Christians, we have clear instructions on what is appropriate. 1 Timothy 2:9 says, “Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.” The Bible also indicates that men have to be responsible in this sense too.

When Christians are making fashion choices, they should remember that what they wear should not only honor themselves but also honor God. Would you wear the same clothes if your Creator was present?

Dignity and modesty have to play a part in the lives of Christian people. Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy on The Big Bang Theory, is a practicing Jew. She said that she always tries to make sure her clothing is “somewhere between hot and holy.”

At the award shows, she is always decked out in something beautiful that has coverage.

I believe that is what we should be teaching our young people today. They need to show respect for themselves in what they wear.

God made our bodies as temples. It matters what goes into it and what goes on it. All people need to remember who they are and to show respect for themselves and God.