Thinking Critically about Beauty

Hello and welcome to Beauty – the no-frills, no-nonsense podcast about all things beauty. True beauty. God’s beauty. I am your host, Deanna, and today we are diving into the world of modesty. I am helping our youth group with an 80’s/90’s theme night and my sister has sent me a few pictures to help the kids see the fashion of that time. I have giggled at almost every single one. Let’s be honest, the hair and fashion trends were big, bright, and silly. I was looking for one particular picture from a family vacation. In it, I was wearing the most ridiculous tank top. I couldn’t find the picture (which is probably a blessing in disguise), but I had remembered that particular photo when I was talking about the Oscar’s with a friend. I did not watch the Oscar’s, but I have heard a lot of commentary about the red carpet. That is not unusual. When celebrities gather for a function like the Oscar’s, they dress to impress, often turning to famous designers for one-of-a-kind suits and dresses. Some of them are elegant. Some are sparkly. Some of colorful. All show a particular sense of style and comfort of the person wearing it. This year, apparently, there were some interesting styles. Personally, I think there are questionable outfits every year, but we’ll pretend this year was the first of its kind because this is the year of the “naked dress.” The thing that caught my attention with these dresses was not the provocative nature of the trend, but rather the fact that some are saying the trend is empowering to women. Empowering to women… to dress provocatively. At one time, in the rise of the feminist movement, it would have been said that this type of dress was an objectification of women. And now, it is noted to be empowering, and even brave. And, I think this is a good thing to think critically about. I had actually thought about this a few weeks ago, before the Oscar’s, when I was watching an old JLo video on IG. She was dressed in a sparkly green outfit meant to accentuate all of her good qualities. I personally think JLo is extremely talented and wondered why she felt the need to accentuate anything other than those talents. It wasn’t necessary, so it made me question what her motive was and who, exactly, her audience is. It is easy for me to say that I don’t want to dress like JLo or some of the women at the Oscar’s because I don’t look like them and, quite honestly, it would be terrifying (to all involved) for me to show up in all the sparkles and lace. But honestly, I don’t want to be known for what I wear, or what talents I might have. I want to be known for my inward beauty – what the bible says is the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That doesn’t mean I just sit down and shut up. It simply means I am pursuing something different. Phylicia Masonheimer has a great resource about modesty and in it, she talks about how modesty is an issue of humility and self-control. When you look at the way Hollywood portrays women and the examples that are set for us, it begins to make more sense. We should be asking questions. What is the standard of beauty? Where do you look for your standard of beauty? What is the purpose of beauty? Does beauty give you power? Does beauty make you brave? I want you to take time to think about this from a biblical worldview, because modesty matters in our culture. And it matters if you are a woman, a mom teaching her young girls, or even, like me – a mom of boys, who have to look at the girls. There is something to say to them as well. The idea behind these calls for us to think critically about issues like beauty in culture is not to give you all the answers, but to give you a starting point. To help you think about all sides of the issue at hand, and develop a process of thinking for future issues. I cannot do this topic better than Phylicia Masonheimer. She has a great little booklet available on Modesty and Purity Culture. The ebook version is only $3 and if you want a hard copy, it is a very reasonable $6. I encourage you to check it out, read the scriptures, and come to a conclusion of your own. In my opinion, women aren’t brave for dressing with limited linens. They are not empowered when they show skin. They are deceived, by a world that wants to drag them away with subtle lies, and it is my prayer that we begin to shift the trend. What is the beauty you want to be known for? D 😊 Get full access to Shining.Our.Light at deannakohlhofer.substack.com/subscribe