Modesty: More Than Just What You Wear

For some people, modesty is in your appearance; how you dress determines whether you are modest or not. For some other people, they believe that modesty is about your heart, but what do I really say about the word "modesty"?

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You know, when I was growing up, specifically during my teenage years, Mum was constantly reminding me about being modest in everything I do, starting from my dress to the way I talk to people and carry myself. Fast forward to when I entered the university; she was always on my case. She told me that in our backyard, there is a big cutlass for a purpose...lol. She said the very day she sees me dressed indecently, she will use the cutlass to cut off my legs,hehehe.

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She went further to tell me that she has tried to nurture my siblings and me in a godly way and that should affect modesty in every area of my life, and she expects me to make her proud not only by wearing clothing that covers my nakedness very well but also by relating with people in the society in a way that screams modesty (she said this using our dialect, though). I understand why she was always reminding me constantly, and I tried to be responsible even when I wasn't with her.

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From her teachings those days, I understand that it's not enough to dress modestly and then in turn behave arrogantly to people. The two do not add up in any way. She stressed being modest in "everything." And from what I learned from her, modesty begins from the heart. You think through things before voicing them out, you carry yourself with dignity, express humility in your dealings with others, talk to people with respect, and all of that. It makes sense when your character also shows in the way you dress. On the other hand, when you dress with a long gown and with a turtleneck and long sleeves and then talk to people disrespectfully and behave anyhow, how does that make you modest?.

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Sometimes the indecently dressed ones show much respect to people and behave nicely in society; they just choose to dress in a way that pleases them, but deep down in their heart, it's pure, humble, and innocent. However, what about keeping things moderate, a kind of balanced, like with your responsible character, and then giving it a touch of modest dressing without exposing your body? It will surely be a great combo, you know.

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So yeah, the combination of the two makes sense for me; dress modestly just like your modest behavior, and let your dressing not contradict your character. People can easily address you wrongly just because of the way you dress, even though your heart is pure, but your appearance can attract unnecessary attention.

Overall I stand in being modest both inwardly and outwardly.

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All images are mine