Do you remember the old saying “Leave a Little for the Imagination?” I do. This phrase, usually directed towards females, suggested that a person’s clothes should not be so revealing that someone else doesn’t have to wonder what’s beneath them. My questions are, “Is this saying still valid today? What should be revealed and what shouldn’t? How short is too short? How low is too low? What is appropriate and what is inappropriate to wear in public? Whose responsibility is it to monitor what our kids are wearing?”
Recently I was teaching at a middle school in our county. The teacher of the class informed me that one of the students was sent home because her skirt was too short. He said that when the young lady’s mother showed up, she had the same exact skirt on as her daughter…go figure (that, in and of itself, can be a whole seperate issue!)
I, for one, am an advocate for freedom of dress. I believe that a person should be able to wear whatever they want whenever they want. However, we must understand that the way we dress carries consequences. For example, if you want to wear a tank top and swim trunks in the middle of dead winter while it’s snowing and the temperature is 10 degrees below zero, then knock your sox off. However, you cannot be upset when you experience the consequences of it (i.e. a sore throat). The same goes if a young lady chooses to wear a really short skirt and a top that shows more cleavage than back up dancers at the MTV music awards, she can. However, she must be prepared for the consequences that may come along with it (rude remarks, etc.).
I also believe that no matter how a woman is dressed, no man, or anyone else for that matter, has the right to disrespect her. However, we must be aware that the way we dress sends a message. It’s the same as me leaving the doors to my car unlocked in a high-crime neighborhood. No, I’m not welcoming criminals to take whatever is in my car. However I share the responsibility because I did not take the necessary precautions to protect what was in it.
What do you think? Has modesty been done away with? Is revealing attire the norm? What is the parents’ role in all of this?