Ten months or so ago I became a father to a precious little girl. Her name is Claire Jewel, and she's been getting me to thinking a lot. I have started to see the world in a very different way than I think I did before she was born. It's just some of what churches and Christian based organizations are teaching girls seems to be quite flawed. When I say the Church, I am not talking about any one church but Christian culture in America.
One of those things is teaching our daughters that "Modest is Hottest." Looking at that, it looks like a great statement, and that we should teach our daughters that being modest is appropriate, but that's not what this is saying. This is not the purpose of this "cute" little rhyme in my opinion.
We live in a very sexualized world. Women and girls face a world where their worth is put into how "pretty" "beautiful" "sexy" the package is, and how they get what they want based on looks and appearance. We live in a culture that says if a women isn't pretty, by a photoshopped standard in the latest women's magazine or fashion brand's latest advertising, then she isn't valuable, and even farther, she isn't worth our time.
See I believe that the teaching that modest is hottest came from a very genuinely good place. I can see someone using the culture of the world to sell modesty to little girls who are exposed to what the world is doing to women through images of perfection. I can see it's origins. I can see a counter-culture trying to make sense of the current culture.
My beef with modest is hottest is that it's STILL sexualizing women! It says, you still need to be hot, but modest at the same time. I believe that the teaching modesty is important, but based on teaching girls the VALUE of themselves. I think my daughter is valuable because she is, not because of what she looks like. When you say modest is hottest it's cheapening the worth of her, her intelligence, her abilities, and her as a human.
You shouldn't fight fire with fire. You should use the current culture as an example but not in agreement. My daughter is valuable, not because of what she looks like, but because she was created by a God full of love! We may not have control over how the world works or how it portrays women and girls, but we do have the ability to provide truth in the midst of chaos. We have to teach our daughters from as early as possible to value themselves and to be examples; while addressing and exposing what's going on around them at the same time.
One of those things is teaching our daughters that "Modest is Hottest." Looking at that, it looks like a great statement, and that we should teach our daughters that being modest is appropriate, but that's not what this is saying. This is not the purpose of this "cute" little rhyme in my opinion.
We live in a very sexualized world. Women and girls face a world where their worth is put into how "pretty" "beautiful" "sexy" the package is, and how they get what they want based on looks and appearance. We live in a culture that says if a women isn't pretty, by a photoshopped standard in the latest women's magazine or fashion brand's latest advertising, then she isn't valuable, and even farther, she isn't worth our time.
See I believe that the teaching that modest is hottest came from a very genuinely good place. I can see someone using the culture of the world to sell modesty to little girls who are exposed to what the world is doing to women through images of perfection. I can see it's origins. I can see a counter-culture trying to make sense of the current culture.
My beef with modest is hottest is that it's STILL sexualizing women! It says, you still need to be hot, but modest at the same time. I believe that the teaching modesty is important, but based on teaching girls the VALUE of themselves. I think my daughter is valuable because she is, not because of what she looks like. When you say modest is hottest it's cheapening the worth of her, her intelligence, her abilities, and her as a human.
You shouldn't fight fire with fire. You should use the current culture as an example but not in agreement. My daughter is valuable, not because of what she looks like, but because she was created by a God full of love! We may not have control over how the world works or how it portrays women and girls, but we do have the ability to provide truth in the midst of chaos. We have to teach our daughters from as early as possible to value themselves and to be examples; while addressing and exposing what's going on around them at the same time.
