Biblical Womanhood: Three cheers for modesty!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Three cheers for modesty!

Jessica emailed me this great story earlier today:

An amusing and beautiful thing happened this morning and I have to share it with you . . and also thank you for encouraging modest dress on your blog!

Please know that I am not being judgmental in telling this story. It is just a testament - at least in my opinion - to the way men react based on how a girl chooses to attire herself.

In NYC, for women, walking past or through a construction area is always an "event." I'm not saying that the men are always crude or inappropriate, but you never know what comments are going to be made and it can be extremely uncomfortable. Most women and girls I know have gotten used to it, ignore it, and avoid it when it's possible.

This morning, I saw barricades and workers in their jackets and hard hats milling around up ahead of me, as I was about half a block away from my office. As I crossed the street I realized there was no way I was getting to the building entrance without passing through the pedestrian walkway that had been put up to allow people to navigate through the construction site safely. There was a young woman ahead of me, also going into my building, who was dressed in a very short skirt, high stiletto heels, and a nearly-sheer sleeveless blouse.

A few of the men whistled and some of them called out to her - a few of them even jokingly stood in her path. She lowered her head and started walking more quickly which, of course, didn't really help the matter at this point.

I kept on walking, figuring that I might be in for it as well, since this was clearly a rowdy group. Most of their eyes had now turned to me, in my pretty-but-simple capped-sleeve dress, with a skirt that hit my knees, and "boring" low heels.

And what did one of the men say to the rest of the group standing on the walkway?

"Make way for the lady."

-Jessica
Graphic from Postmark Press

24 Comments:

Leigh said...: Jessica,

What a great story!!!

Leigh; 4:06 PM
Anonymous said...: That is so incredibly awesome!!! What an encouragement!

Thanks for sharing this w/ us!

Amy; 4:39 PM
Courtney said...: Wow! That is so inspiring! Thanks for sharing that!; 5:24 PM
Rhonda said...: That is waaayyy cool! Is there a higher compliment? Proabably, but I can't think of one! I have just got to link to that!
R; 6:01 PM
Kathy, Jeff's wife said...: I love it!!!

As ladies we know the difference and so do the men! I have personally experienced the difference in how I am treated by men in public. Our dress DOES speak volumes!; 6:33 PM
Ruth said...: A similar situation happened to me, only the crew tipped their hats. It felt great to be respected and treated like a lady!; 6:48 PM
agodlyhomemaker said...: BEAUTIFUL! i'm applauding!; 8:56 PM
Wendy said...: Almost brought tears to my eyes, and definately brought a smile to my face. Great story!; 9:53 PM
Amy said...: Oh wow - I *love* this story. How great is that!!; 11:39 PM
aussietigger1980 said...: Ha, I love it. :); 12:18 AM
Claire said...: Beautiful! It's really something to receive this kind of affirmation, in a real, tangible way. Let us pray that more and more ladies will discover and find joy in the freedom that comes with authentic femininity!

Blessings,
Claire; 10:54 AM
Our Family said...: That is awesome!

~Jen; 11:05 AM
Lindsay said...: Oh, THANK you for submitting that! I also live in NYC and I have witnessed the kind of reactions unmodest clothing can cause. If you want to be treated like a lady then you must dress and act like a lady, and this story just proves it. Bravo, Jessica!; 11:38 AM
Bethany said...: Thanks for sharing this story! I loved it, and can relate to similiar happenings, though not quite that drastic. I love being treated like a lady!; 12:23 PM
Christine said...: What a great story! I find that to be so true just from my own experience. I really started to wear more skirts and dresses when I saw how I acted and was treated by others when wearing skirts/dresses. Even vulgar and crude men would hurry to get the door for me, even if they were inconvenienced. It simply amazes me how differently you are treated when you dress and act like a true lady.; 12:42 PM
Louise said...: Wow, that is awesome!; 10:34 PM
Jessie said...: Wow! That was so sweet!; 10:46 PM
Jessica in NYC said...: I loved reading all these comments. It is a true reminder that one is never alone in standing up for His Word.

Crystal, thank you for providing such a haven of "joy to the Lord" here on your blog!

Have a beautiful weekend everyone and God bless you! :-); 6:43 AM
MaureenE said...: Wow, so true! I've had people curse in front of me and then see me and say, "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there!" It makes a difference!!!!; 1:03 PM
Olivia said...: Oh. Yeah. So true.; 5:31 PM
Cristina Irizarry said...: This is such a beautiful story! I have expirienced the difference of how guys treat me at school.When a lady takes her place,them man will soon follow...; 7:10 PM
zan said...: That happened to me, only I was wearing scrubs.; 9:14 AM
Celeste McGrath said...: Amen for modesty! Isn't that incredible?!; 5:22 AM
Barbara H. said...: That's a wonderful story -- thanks for sharing!; 12:41 PM

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Three cheers for modesty!

24 Comments:

Excitedly Anticipating Blessing #3!

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