Modest is Hottest

A little while ago on Pinterest I decided to start a board entitled "Modest Is Hottest". The purpose of this board was to highlight and promote fashionable, modest clothing. 

There are a few pre-requisites I have to posting images on my Modest Is Hottest board.  

Firstly, it must be modest.  If it is "almost modest" then it does not make the cut.  

Secondly, I prefer to stick to images of clothing that people are actually wearing, rather than just the clothes themselves.  This is mainly just my personal preference, but also because seeing someone wear it becomes proof it is modest.  Sometimes clothing looks modest, until you put it on and whoops, it's just a little too short.  

Thirdly, it has to meet my personal tastes.  If I think the outfit looks revolting, but hey, it's modest, it still doesn't make the cut.  Again this is personal preference - when I look at my board I want to see an array of clothing that I consider to be beautiful and would actually wear.  

Celebrity photos is one exception to this.  If I notice a celebrity who is dressed modestly, first I get over the shock, and then I post a photo of them in their modest outfit.  As this is to highlight that big-name celebrities also think dressing modestly can look good, it's okay if their outfit suits their personal taste more than mine.  It doesn't mean, however, that I promote them as a role-model of continually modest dress.  Sometimes it may be a once-off, but hey, they wore it and they looked good!

Since starting this board on Pinterest, I have noticed something.  Many people have started following it!  People I don't even know.  While most of my boards average 63 followers, this board currently has 74 followers - including 20 people who don't even know me.  The numbers might not sound like much, but given that this blog currently has 13 followers, almost all who know me personally, I think it's pretty significant.  It makes me really happy when yet another person starts following my Modest Is Hottest board, because it feels like I am making a difference in the world, and encourages me to keep going and to add more to it.  

Modesty in clothing is very important to me, and has been addressed in specific counsel given by the Prophet and Twelve Apostles of today. They have counselled us to be neat and clean and avoid being extreme or inappropriately casual in clothing, hairstyle and behaviour, as well as to choose appropriately modest apparel when participating in sports.  According to their words, to dress modestly is to avoid clothing that is tight, sheer, or revealing in any other manner.  To women they have counselled to avoid short shorts and short skirts, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and clothing that does not cover the shoulders or is low-cut in the front or the back (see this link).

It may sound like a long list, but the result is worth it, which I have endevoured to illustrate with my board. It is part of my response to Elaine S. Dalton's call for a for each of us to "arise, and unfurl a banner to the world calling for a return to virtue."

I know that when we dress modestly we show respect for ourselves and for others.  It allows us all to feel more comfortable and focus on what is important.  I know that I certainly feel so much more comfortable when I am not distracted by somebody's cleavage.  Awkward!  For those of us who are single, if we are dressed modestly when someone of the opposite sex shows interest, we can know it's most likely because of who we are and not what we are.

It's up to each of us to make the world a better place, and why not start with living and promoting modesty in dress.

Modest is hottest!