Those of you who know me, know that I hate leggings (in any form). You also know that by me just saying, "I hate leggings," I'm making the understatement of the year. I have many reasons for this disdain, but I won't go into extensive detail. My biggest qualm is the modesty factor...they aren't. I also know that I'm not the only one that feels this way about leggings. More feel that they're fine, and even cute, if they're worn correctly. I don't mind them in this case, I just wouldn't choose that style myself; I think it looks tacky. Anyway...many of you may be thinking, "Uh...how are leggings not modest? You're completely covered!" I beg to differ. Here's why...In the LDS For the Strength of Youth pamphlet (which doesn't just apply to youth), it states that "immodest clothing includes short shorts and skirts, tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner" (emphasis added).
-- My conclusion? Covered does NOT equal modest!! --
Ok, so you're probably thinking, "what on earth does this have to do with the media?" So, as stated in my personal description box, I'm a student at BYU. Here, this post has a lot to do with the media; or at least the recent lack thereof... One or two semesters ago, there was an ad all over campus encouraging women to wear leggings correctly if they chose to wear them. It simply states, "To the Knees Please: Leggings are NOT pants." Leggings aren't against the honor code (a list of rules and guidelines every student signs upon becoming a student at BYU) in and of themselves, don't get me wrong! It just becomes a different story when they try to pass as pants or a way to make those short-shorts or mini skirt modest. Here's where the big media info comes in: In preparing for this post, I couldn't find this ad anywhere!! Now, since it's on the post, I obviously found it at one point, but it took over two weeks! It was also a huge stroke of luck in that I'm almost never in the building I found it in. I thought this to be odd since BYU is usually pretty strict about the honor code. I find it unfair that a man will get turned away from the testing center if he's not completely clean shaven, but a girl wearing leggings as pants is welcomed in with open arms (as welcoming as the testing center can be...ha ha). I don't know about you, but a guy with a 5 o'clock shadow is quite the minor offense compared to a girl that looks like she painted her legs whatever color she felt like that day. Not to mention the fact that most leggings are see-through. I've seen more than my share of butts and panties on campus, thank you very much! It was so easy to find the sideburn and beard ad, while it took me over two weeks to find the leggings ad. I really hope I'm not the only one that sees a problem with this...
Without getting up too high on my soapbox, I'll just say that I know modestly is an extremely important principle to live by. Lots of people may not think it is...but it is. :) SO...C'mon BYU! Get into gear and take care of the issues that are more important than a guy's beard...which is all of them!! I don't want this post to be directed only at BYU though. I also want to encourage everyone everywhere to think twice next time you or a friend is deciding what to were. Outside of a marriage relationship, nobody wants to see your butt. If they do, they're probably not the kind of person you should be associating with. You may think your new lacey panties are cute, but we don't. In conclusion, I'd like to share one more picture I found in my search for the BYU/SA ad. I find it kind of ironic since people wear leggings in every way nowadays...and that none of the "proper" ways shown on this ad are modest. *sigh* Silly world we live in, yes?
Remember, it's the little things in life!
Lindsey
I completely agree with your view on the modesty of leggings. I have been saying the same thing for years, but most people don't seem to agree. And as for the testing center (and this probably applies to anyone else on campus who has the authority to enforce the honor code), I once talked to a girl who worked there, and she said that, even as a girl, it was extremely uncomfortable to tell a girl that she was dressed immodestly, but it wasn't too hard to tell guys that they need to shave. I think this kind of situation has "helped" the problem by letting it become more rampant. It's probably the reason you couldn't find the leggings poster. In my opinion, everyone should just follow the honor code they signed and avoid problems, but unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world.
ReplyDeleteBody policing, slut shaming . . . wow! You're really knocking them out of the park today.
ReplyDelete1)The "Honor Code" is a joke.
2)Your complaints about leggings are baseless, tasteless, and unneccesarily cruel to those who find leggings to be acceptable wear.
3)Amero-centric standards of "modesty" are created by a patriarchal society to subjugate and disenfranchise women, by commodifying them, turning them into objects, rather than self-realized subjects. Might I suggest that we should leave such outdated, embarrassingly obtuse behavior behind, and let every person live their life as self-realized subjects?
Stop judging people on their physical appearance, it's not your job.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I love this blog! This is just what we need, more self righteous women body shaming and policing other women! Awesome. You should petition BYU to hang up tons more of those ads so that in every building, every hallway and every classroom girls can be reminded that they are being constantly judged and to be so ashamed of their bodies they do everything they can to hide the fact that they even have one. Seriously, lets just start wearing burkas already.
ReplyDeleteListen, you are more than an object to be lusted after by men. Your body is not evil or shameful. Stop doing this to yourself and other women. Seriously. Stop it.
This post is really gross. I'm sorry that you feel the need to judge and belittle your sisters in Christ so harshly.
ReplyDeleteYou remember that talk that President Uchtdorf gave where he said to "just stop it"? Yeah. Just stop it. Stop the judging, stop the self righteousness, stop policing what others wear and stop body shaming women. Just stop.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post. I also feel that leggings should not be worn as pants.
ReplyDeleteTo those of you who took this post in the COMPLETELY wrong way... I'm not judging people, I'm simply stating the fact that I hate leggings, and don't feel they're modest. The end. That's it. Good grief, people! Talk about hypocrisy! There was no need to go out of your way to make me feel like the worst person on the planet! Sarcasm, passive-aggressive behaviors, and cruelty are not acceptable on this blog. If you disagree with this post, that's fine. I ask however, that you read it again with the correct perspective and quit judging *me*. Sheesh...
ReplyDeleteP.S. I feel like most people who read this post completely skipped or disregarded the portion in which I explained how, even though *I* may not like leggings period, I feel they're fine as long as they're worn modestly. At no point throughout this post did I ever mention body types, or say that people that wear leggings are bad people or stupid. They're not. I am just very passionate about modesty and its importance, esPECially in today's world. I'm also not suggesting that we all go around wearing sweats or whatever. I just wish more people would at least make an effort to care about modesty. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBody shaming is unhealthy. The focus on clothing as modesty misses the point of modesty, and is a form of body shaming. The Taliban judges women's clothing too. Did you hear about the men who spit on the poor little girl in a Hassidic neighborhood because the little girl wasn't modest enough for them? Be careful when you make these kinds of judgements about people's outward appearance. The Pharisees were into this kind of thing, but Christ was more into not casting stones, forgiving the prostitute, pulling out the beam, judging not, etc.
ReplyDeleteSaying that leggings are "fine as long as they're worn modestly" puts you in the position of judging whether a woman is modest enough- that is, policing her body and judging her as a person based on her body. You can't say you're not judging!
ReplyDeleteWhat some other person wears is their business. They don't have any obligation to live up to your standards of modesty. If modesty is important to you that's fine, but it's about your own body, not anyone else's.
Lindsey, you have the majority of comments on here telling you there is something wrong with what you've said. I kindly suggest that you read the comments again, take them into consideration, and then re-read your post with "the correct perspective". I know you protest the idea that you are judging, but you need to consider the fact that in your "passion" for modesty, judging women for what they wear is exactly what you are promoting. Modesty is much more than the clothes you wear. Unfortunately the way it is taught in church can sometimes give us unhealthy views both about our bodies and what women are responsible for in regards to men. Of all of the gospel principles, of all of Christs teachings, do you really think He meant for us to be this focused on the attire of others? It wouldn't hurt you to examine your passion and motivations a bit and just take what we've said into consideration. Maybe do some research on body shaming and see what you come up with. And yes, I could have said my peace earlier more kindly and without the sarcasm. Although I do hope you will read it again and try to understand what I was saying.
ReplyDeleteOh and welcome to the world of blogging. I recommend humility and a thick skin. ;)
ReplyDeleteAs a dad of two young girls, it troubles me how much we talk about our own Mormon dress code. It feels a lot like control to me. I may find someone attractive, but the onus is on ME to decide what I do with my eyes when I'm in the same room as an attractive woman, regardless of how she's dressed. It's not her job.
ReplyDeleteIf it's my daughter's job to control men's thoughts, then their actions become her fault.
Besides, if my wife is wearing a shapeless bag that covers her from head to toe, she still rocks it and would look phenomenal in anything.
I agree! I wish the leaders in our church would spend just as much time teaching young men to be respectful in the way the look at and speak to women, as they do on modesty to the YW.
DeleteThis "not their job" line is an oft-repeated strawman. No one is arguing that it is. It's also not your job to help an old woman across the street, and it's not your fault she's old if you don't. It' not your job to give to the poor, to find the parents of a lost kid, to tutor your struggling neighbor, to help a friend with an alcohol addiction to avoid alcohol. And none of that is your fault--not the alcoholism, not the poor study habits, not the wanderlust--that's all on them, not you. But I would write blog posts just like Lindsey's here promoting that help. I would write blog posts about not drinking in front of alcoholics, not because it's your fault, but because it's THE NICE THING TO DO.
DeleteI believe in a society where we help each other out. The fact is, most young men in their teens and twenties have a very, VERY hard time controlling their thoughts. And that's NOT a woman's fault. But SHE SHOULD HELP HIM OUT ANYWAY, because that's what a charitable, loving society encourages.
It's not a guy's job to treat a girl extra nice because she's pregnant, or just had a family member die, or even something as small as treating her nice because it's a cranky time for her. Not his job to be extra nice. And if he doesn't, it's also not his fault those things happened. But he SHOULD be sensitive, he SHOULD be helpful, because we should help each other. And Lindsey has every right to encourage women to dress more modestly in order to help young men with their bad-thought tendencies.
I am not saying that no one has ever gone too far with the modesty bit. I'm sure there has been real shaming going on. And each instance of that sort of thing should be dealt with, as it's very sad.
But this recent war against modesty has gone WAY too far. Social pressure is a great tool to get the change that you want. You all are exerting social pressure right now and through the movement to try and scare traditionalists into silence, or to change their perceptions, whichever comes first. Social pressure is a reality we ALL deal with, and can never go away, because we are inherently and biologically social creatures.
Believe it or not, tolerance and judgment are NOT mutually exclusive. I can judge that a man's choice to engage in pornographic images is wrong, and write blog posts against it, without showing intolerance. I can still love that man without accepting his choices. Tolerance is not the same as acceptance.
Modesty is a beautiful thing, and I'm glad there are people like Lindsey that are willing to stand tall in the face of a war against her values, and still encourage people to find a modest respect for their bodies.
I do think modesty can be addressed more sensitively in church from some anecdotes I've heard, but it's still an important principle. Also, I don't agree with everything Lindsey says, but she's a good person, and maybe it'd be in all y'all's favors to learn a bit of tolerance yourself.
Ok, let me put it this way then. According to the BYU honor code, leggings aren't pants and violate said document when worn as such.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I understand that people's thoughts are their own responsibility, but why encourage or promote thoughts that shouldn't be there? A prophet once said that you become walking pornography when dressed imminently. I know modesty isn't just what we wear, but my post is about a specific piece of clothing, guys. This is for a class, I'm not going to go into every single detail about every little thing I say. Welcome to the world of blogging.
Please also realize that I can't completely explain my feelings in a fully successful way through the written word. When I see a girl wearing leggings as pants, I don't look at her and shame her in my head. I just don't like what she's wearing.
Those of you that think I'm an awful and judgemental self-righteous person with no base to my argument, please just remember I'm just relaying what is stated in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet. How is that no base? Yes, it's not my place to "judge." However, when I can see someone's underwear or the lack thereof as bright as day, I think I'm safe in saying that's not really modest. That's my biggest qualm with leggings. I'm not judging character or body, I'm not agreeing with wearing suction tight (usually see-through) clothing. I have friends that wear leggings, they're not bad people.
*immodestly, not imminently...stupid auto-correct
DeleteYou know that I'm going to show up to your house in leggings now, right?
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe in a post similar to this: http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WK-AG984_nacho2_20060615193113.jpg
HA HA HA! Oh, PLEASE do!! :p
DeleteWhy are we Mormon women so judgmental of each other? What if an investigator came to Sacrament meeting wearing leggings or even worse... a sleeveless dress? And what if she found out people were judging her over such minute issue? She might not want to come back to church. We should be a church of inclusion not exclusion. Ye who is with out sin cast the first stone. What really matters is how we treat other people not the hem line ona skirt or stretch pants!
ReplyDeletePeople will bash on those with whom they disagree. That's all there is to it. I happen to share your opinion that leggings are not pants and should not be worn as such - no matter your body type. I feel the same about tights/nylons for the same reasons, essentially. I think the main point is that the BYU Honor Code makes this point clear, yet those who have agreed to live the Honor Code violate the dress and grooming standards when leggings are worn AS pants. People will do and wear what they want. I will not condemn them. I will not agree with that choice or do the same, but I will not condemn them. I don't think you were condemning them either. It's not my place to judge their intentions, and it's no one's place to judge yours either.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU! That's what I've been trying to say! *sigh* lol
DeleteThe underlying issue is this--many guys do see girls as objects of lust, and some of the clothing girls wear tends to encourage sexual thoughts. Yes, it is completely the guy's fault for thinking in this way. But I don't think Lindsey is trying to condemn the girls who wear immodest clothing, particularly if their clothing leads to lustful thoughts. Rather, she is concerned about the effect of tight clothing on both women (whom can be taken advantage of at times) and men (who are normally less responsible when aroused). She wants girls to be mindful of the effect they CAN have on men. Women should not be ashamed of themselves, their bodies or anything of the sort! Her point is that our individual actions, right or wrong in our own view, CAN and DO affect the actions of other people.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, do we have a responsibility for the actions of others? Some believe we do, others don't--it's not my place to say whether they are right or wrong. At least for the Christian community, however, I will say one thing: Jesus is the one that would have us be "our brother's keeper," for on the love of God and the love of all men "hang all the law and the prophets" (see Matt. 22:40). If a completely modest girl's clothing has any sort of negative effect on the worst man alive, keeping him from the kingdom of God, wouldn't Jesus be the first to say "I know, (girl's name), that there's nothing wrong with what you are wearing. But, I love this man, too; if changing your clothing will help him to keep cleaner thoughts, would you be willing to help Me help him?" Jesus was aware that our actions affect the actions of others, and asked us to wisely encourage righteous behavior in ourselves and all that are around us.
We can all work on not judging other people, so let's not bash Lindsey for expressing her opinion. But as we go about our daily lives, before we act, let's all remember that our actions do always affect someone else.
Thanks so much for explaining that in a very clear and unbiased way. You've said almost exACTly what I've been trying to get across! :)
DeleteLindsey, I completely agree with your sentiments about Leggings and Jeggings. I want to let you know you aren't alone.
ReplyDeleteI do not think they are modest when worn as pants. I also don't like seeing underwear through clothing, or every curve of another girl's hind end. I don't like the argument of "well then don't look" because the reason a girl picks the clothes she wears is so people WILL look. Now after saying that and I get the whole blogging world on my tail.
I do NOT and NEVER will condemn a girl for what she wears. I will NOT ostracize her, shame her, or belittle her. I do, however, silently and quickly wish that she had chosen something else to wear, and then I move on with life.
I have tried pushing the envelope on what was modest before. I was irritated with people who mentioned they didn't like it, because I would equate not liking the clothes I wore to them not liking me. And that is NEVER true.
The fact is, when you are standing in front of a mirror tweaking that two low neckline so that it isn't TOO low, or twisting in the light to make sure you MIGHT not see your underwear, STOP IT. Change your outfit. Try to be modest. Not frumpy modest, lot ugly modest, not lame-last-season modest, but modest. Make yourself look good, respectable, and stylish. But also make yourself look well enough that you can stand in front of God with confidence, not justification, in the clothes you chose to wear that day.
If you like leggings then go ahead and like them! Own them! Wear them! But please, wear them modestly.
Oh my goodness, what a firestorm you've started here, who are all these people? And who knew that so many people felt so strongly about leggings?
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I know, right?! I didn't expect anything like this this at all! Makes me laugh :)
DeleteLindsey, as your mother, I can truly say that I am very proud of the high standards that you hold. When people criticize you for what you believe in, then they in turn are judging you by their own feelings of guilt, or lack there of. Christ said,'who will cast the first stone", well there certainly were a lot of stones cast at you. I love you honey, and I know that our Heavenly Father is very proud of you and your commitment for following His commandments and upholding what we have been advised from our prophets to do. Stay Strong and continue the fight against the adversary's little minions that smile with satisfaction to see so many of our Heavenly Fathers sweet daughters rationalizing their personal dress code, and not following our Heavenly Fathers. Remember that we are all daughters of deity. Be proud of that heritage.
ReplyDelete