Are Immodest Women Responsible for Causing Men to Lust?
There’s something strange going on among women concerning the issue of modesty. They seem to want to believe that all men who lust are perverts and good men never lust. They also want to believe that a woman can dress however she wants (thong bikinis, leggings, etc.) and if a man lusts, it’s all the man’s sin. They don’t want to explain to their daughters that they should dress modestly so as not to cause men to lust after them. Instead, they only want to teach them modesty because they are valuable and should dress in a way that brings them honor.
First of all, all men who lust aren’t perverts. Every man has lusted at one time in his life or another. Jesus addressed the issue of lusting after women to men for a reason. They are attracted to the naked bodies of females. This is a God-given desire to help populate the earth and it’s good within the boundaries of marriage. Outside of marriage, it is sin if they lust or take it farther than this.
Secondly, women cannot dress however they want and expect men not to lust and if then the men do lust, they falsely believe that it’s the men’s fault alone. We are warned not to cause others to stumble and when a woman dresses so a lot of her flesh is showing and the clothes are tight-fitting, she will easily cause men to stumble so yes, she is partly responsible for their sin.
Women get all hysterical about this. They don’t want to take any blame and they act as if this is shaming them. It’s all about them and what they want and heaven forbid anyone explains to them the truth of men’s struggles. I don’t understand this because to me, I clearly know that men are attracted to immodestly dressed women and it can cause them to lust, therefore, I dress modestly. I don’t feel any shame about it and I certainly don’t want to be blamed for causing men to stumble so I cover up.
I have no idea why mothers have problems with explaining how the male mind works. I believe it is protection for their daughters and will make them wiser in how they dress, how they relate to men and eventually being a wife. It’s good for them to know male’s struggles just as it is good for males to know female’s struggles. Knowing that dressing modestly is not only in obedience to the Lord but to protect the men around them is important.
It continually amazes me how easily offended women are today. There’s no reason to be offended about any of this; it’s simply the facts of life and a command from God. He calls women to be shamefaced and not to draw attention to themselves for a reason. Godly, honest men have told me that the more flesh that is shown, the tighter the clothes fit, and the shorter they are, the harder it is for them not to lust. Don’t ever be a stumbling block by wearing any of these in front of men who are not your husband; for if you love the Lord and His ways, you will obey what He asks of you.
Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
Romans 14:13
36 thoughts on “Are Immodest Women Responsible for Causing Men to Lust?”
Lori,
Would you please explain “lust” as it is defined in the Bible? I am confused as to exactly what it means. And can women lust?
I think there are issues regarding accountability on both men and women regarding this issue. Yes, women absolutely do flaunt themselves in ways that are very inappropriate. Example wearing thin spandex or tights where you can see everything. Why would woman want to expose themselves like that?
On the flip side, men have to learn to filter out eyes and what we see. It has taken me many years; I won’t lie to do this. If I, as an example, am shopping and see a woman like what I mentioned I don’t give it a second thought anymore.
You see us men or I would guess 99% of us are visual men when it comes to feelings.
I have no right to undress a woman in my mind just because she walks by me showing everything she has but also out of respect a woman should be more responsible in how she dresses.
I guess to sum up my thoughts is this: men be respectful and learn to train yourself to ONLY save your eyes for your wife regardless if you are at the beach or mall or anywhere.
And for woman, why would you intentionally provoke a man to undress you in his mind? Two wrongs don’t make a right.
To me, both are sinful and shame on the women who wear thin tights and shame on the man who lets his mind go to a sinful place. That’s my thoughts.
When it’s all said and done we need to be bringing honor and glory to our savior and be mindful of others.
The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary is a great place to study words that are in the Bible. Here is the page for the word ‘lust.’
http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/lust
Amen Rob! It’s so comforting to hear that from a man. That it is absolutely possible for a man to avert his eyes and mind even when he’s exposed to an immodest woman. I do my best to dress in a way that honors the Lord and protects men but my husband is constantly exposed to half naked women in this world..but that doesn’t mean he is constantly lusting. Thank the Lord!!
You know Lori,
I get so sick of women saying idiotic things like “I’m not responsible for a man’s thoughts. I can wear whatever I want!” Or they say “Well he shouldn’t be looking!”
Makes me want to line them up and give them each a slap across the face!? Lately on my AOL homepage the little news thing seems to have every other news blurb about some brainless celebrity female wearing some sleazy outfit. I say brainless because if these women used the brain God gave them, they would think twice about their clothing choices.
Thank you Lori for posting this. I’m done venting now.
In the context of a the modesty conversation, the appeal is often to Matt 5:28: “Whoever looks upon a woman lustfully has already committed adultery.” “Lust” here has to do with desiring something unlawful. The sin is desiring what is unlawful for a man to desire, e.g. a married woman. The reader must consider the larger context and especially vs 27: “You have heard that it was said by them of old time, you shalt not commit adultery.” Jesus is raising the bar for kingdom living. Jesus is saying, “The law said, “Thou shalt not have sex with another man’s wife,” but I am now calling men to a higher standard–don’t even desire what is unlawfully yours, otherwise you are already committing adultery in your heart.”
Hi Brittany I just sometimes get repulsed when I see women dressing like that. Don’t get me wrong I understand sometimes it can be an emotional boost to have men look at you if your dressing provocatively. But I just get just as upset at men who look and go to sinful places in their mind
I think if we spent more time improving our relationships and marriages and impressing our spouses with our appearance there would be little need to dress poorly.
This world is full of many many temptations and we cannot make excuses for ourselves when we give in. Even if it just thoughts!!!
Shame on men who do this and shame on woman who dress inappropriately like see through tights
Let’s pray for our relationships and marriages and save these things for our own private bedrooms!!!
Great post Lori
Nice vitue signal Rob.
If my wife is keeping me satisfied in the bedroom I don’t even bother to linger on a woman in a bikini that is in the the top 5 percent physique wise.
Would I blame my wife for me looking? Never, but if she is not making herself available to me intimately, then yes I look.
Rob is right. It is possible for a Christian man to train himself and his eyes to not look at and lust after another woman but I will tell you the best way that a wife can help her husband to win in this never ending battle. By being obedient to scripture, she actually can make it easy for him to not be tempted to look at and lust after other women. If she is disobedient to the scripture, she makes it very, very much more difficult for him to win this battle. Wives, you were created to be a helper suitable for your husband. Here is one of the primary ways that you were created to help him.
1 Corinthians 7:3-5 – “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
Proverbs 5:18-19 – “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.”
A wife should absolutely make it one of her highest priorities to keep her husband 100% sexually satisfied at all times. She should do this by visually pleasing him (your husband takes pleasure in seeing you in various states from all the way clothed to completely naked and every way in between), physically satisfying him (sex in all of its lawful forms), and emotionally nourishing him (your arousal, participation and response). All of these are critical. Your husband should sexually want for absolutely NOTHING…. ever, as long as you are not Providentially deterred (injury, sickness, etc.).
By doing this, she will make winning this battle (against lust) for her husband infinity more easy (almost effortless in most cases). Failing to do your “duty”, will make your husbands life infinitely more difficult (miserable) and he will be unnecessarily forced to (wastefully) expend energy to win the (never ending) battle against lust that he could be (gainfully) spending on other things… like serving the Lord, ministering to others and loving, caring for and nourishing you and your children.
Wives, you hold the keys to so many of the riches and blessings that can come from a Godly marriage… if you will just choose to be obedient and do it God’s way.
I always remember what my parents told me growing up (I’m 65 now). That is, if you’re going to do something that draws attention to yourself, you can’t be surprised when people stop to look or stare at you. When I see women or men for that matter, dressed inappropriately I am usually asking myself, why would someone want to dress like that, or who raised this person, did they have no common sense.
Exactly Jeff and I will reveal something even deeper for the ladies to ponder.
If a man is completely satisfied sexually, even if he did take a good long look at a highly attractive, super fit, scantily dressed (bikini wearing) woman, he would be able to do it without having sinful thoughts.
He would be able to take in the beauty like he would be if he were taking a long look at a nice car, boat, work of art, or landscape… just enjoying the beauty that God made.
Now as Christian men, we do not do that (where others can observe us doing it) because we understand that most wives do not understand how it works and others might misinterpret what we are actually doing but what I tell you is the truth.
God has given wives the power to virtually eliminate all of the temptation to sin that their husbands have to face in this area. I am not trying to minimize the responsibility of the men in this area because we are called to overcome (and not sin) in all circumstances but I am not going to minimize the impact that Godly obedient wives can have either.
It is an article of faith with feminists that women should be able to wear what they want, even deliberately provocative clothes, with no responsibility because it is the fault of men if they lust, or even go further.
Of course men have a responsibility to guard their own thoughts but women are commanded by God to cover themselves and dress modestly. Nakedness and immodesty are sinful and women and girls should be careful not to sin and strive to teach younger women to dress appropriately
I agree with this. But i will also say that modesty is different for each person. Of course we can agree that thong bikinis are not modest. But while your husband may allow a short skirt, my husband absolutely does not. They must stop mid calf. Also, sleeveless shorts are a no. It’s situational. And I encourage women to trust their husbands judgement on this.
Trey,
You worded that perfectly. I have experienced this exact thing. My wife and I were headed for a nice date. For some weird reason we were intimate before, which rarely happens. As it so happens there was an attractive woman there that every single man was breaking their necks to watch. I looked as well, but after having been intimate with my wife, all I saw was a beautiful woman…. good for her and her mate I guess.
Compare that to when my wife is not responding or reciprocating intimacy. I have pharmaceutical reps come into my office. They are at times drop dead gorgeous for a reason. Drs have a hard time saying “no”. I have a very hard time not thinking things that violate my conscience and I feel very much convicted. Then I get to come home to my stay at home wife who is wearing the same sweats she was wearing yesterday with no make up.
I completely agree that we should take advice from our husbands (and parents in the case of unmarried women).
I also agree that it is completely appropriate and acceptable for a husband set standards for his wife and that as a married woman you should submit to your husband’s authority in this.
And by the way the my husband does not allow trousers (pants), tops which do not cover my shoulders or skirts which do not comfortably cover my knees.
Right, Leigh-Ann. My husband wants ankle length skirts and dresses only, even for our young girls. Yes, this and other modest standards he asks of me do “limit” me and my wardrobe. But my husband is my head, and it’s important for him to know that other people are not seeing my body. Now if only people would stop thinking I am a frump for dressing this way and for not wearing makeup. Sigh. It’s a lonely road.
Grace – I do understand. I know my husband would very much prefer ankle length but compromises because he doesn’t want me to stand out !’
Thanks for the encouraging words, Susanne!
Grace my compromise is (comfortably) below the knee with tights (pantyhose), stockings or long socks (in winter) – basically legs covered. Otherwise ankle length.
My girls and I wear ankle length, or just above, dresses that I make. My girls are now 9 and 6, and I cannot tell you how many men have come up to us in Wal-Mart, doctor’s office, when we stopped in at my husband’s job… and said you all are so beautiful, and to me- thank you for dressing your girls in dresses when most everyone no longer does. Long dresses do not mean you need to be frumpy, you can dress tastefully in a long dress or skirt. Especially older men have said they miss the days when most all women wore dresses.
My experience is the same that most men (and older women) are very complimentary and love to see women wearing pretty, feminine and modest skirts and dresses.
I debated whether to throw in my 2 cents, as this was posted on my wife’s sister’s FB page. But, what the heck. Yep, I agree with some of the sentiment of this column, but what’s missing are the qualifiers. By that I mean, I think there’s an assumption that men are just simply tempted to lust by seeing females in immodest outfits that show more skin. True, there are men who are easily tempted to lust. Some are regular guys who resist lust, some are disrespectful guys who see nothing wrong with it, sadly. But they are not tempted to lust after just any female who shows more skin. Women can be “attractive” at any age. But if we’re talking lust (wrong as it is), I can tell you that, as a guy (40), when I was 20, I never was tempted to look at a woman, no matter how attractive or how little she was wearing, over 40. She could have been in perfect shape, but the interest just wasn’t there. And, I’m sure most 20 year old girls aren’t tempted to look at 40 plus men, either. If we’re talking purely about being tempted to lust, most guys I’ve ever known would limit that to ages 18 to 40 ish, at the most. That’s not saying a 50 year old guy won’t be attracted to a 50 year old woman, but it’s different. And even if you have an 18 to 39 year old woman in something which shows skin, that’s not a guarantee of “lust” from even the weakest of men. Most men would say she has to be fit, and have a decent structure. Beaches and gyms are full of women of all ages in leotards and bikinis, but most of them aren’t built for what they have on, and very few actually get “looks”. I’m happily married, but if I wasn’t, and lusted (though I agree it’s wrong), I could sit at a nude beach full of naked females and, while it’s not a judgement on their character, unless they were between 18 and 39 and in shape, clean, tan, didn’t have skinny or knobby knees and several other qualifiers, I really wouldn’t “care” to look. It would be just the opposite. I’d go so far as to say that clothes can sometimes be sexier on women than no clothes. I’ve got a couple female friends, well into their 40’s or 50’s, who wear low cut dresses constantly. Not only does it just not look right, nothing about it even remotely tempts me to lust. They look like they are trying to dress like 20 year olds, and it doesn’t work. We all age, men and women. That we don’t look like what we used to is just a fact, not a judgement of a person’s value. So, should women who are 60, 70, 80 and beyond wear long dresses? Well yeah, it looks nicer and more decent. But it’s not really because men will lust if they see more skin on them. Yeah, sadly there are a lot of men who lust. But, it’s not after all females, just a certain cross section of them.
I should add my own qualifier, in that I wouldn’t ever be interested in an 18 year old, or even a 25 year old, if I’d not yet married. Furthermore, a couple years ago, I actually saw two topless, attractive 18 ish year olds laying out at a quiet beach, and all I could think of was, if I was their dad I’d be very upset.
Use a concordance and then afyer finding the hebraic meaing research the ancient hebrew meaning threw pictorial hebrew of the word lust this is the only way to understand jeff benner and brad scott are very awesome to learn from … ancient writings are most relyable the modern translations are very watered down and are made to suit the people
Upbringing.
This is mostly is caused by the way the child is revised and what she is exposed to at an early age. As we know, the biggest influence on kids is television. Most parents don’t both to control what their kids are watching and learning. For instance some music videos are not appropriate for children because it has become a nude affair, and since it is played in the minds of these kids, they begin to think it is normal and acceptable especially when no adult is preventing them from watching and telling them it is not right.
Parents and older siblings also have to be careful with their own dressing because kids tend to emulate the old ones. Another thing that worries me is that fact that some mothers are actually the ones who buy these clothes for their young daughters. They are the ones that even tell then the names like, daisy dukes, tank tops, halters, strapless, British cores, hipster, low waist jeans that shows the crack of the butt e.t.c.
Rubbish, immodest dress is a provocation to men and boys. Stop shifting all the blame on the guys. It is a shame to expose ones body. Don’t fall into the PC women’s liberation world. Cover up and help boys stay innocent.
Undressing a member of the opposite gender in ones . Mind pre supposes they are dressed in the first place. Showing sacred parts of ones body to the public gaze is wrong.
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I hope you understand what I am trying to say~
This is the most common one because young girls who are not properly grounded at home can by be very gullible. They want to belong, they don’t want to be laughed at or ignored, so once they see other girls doing it, getting away with it and attracting the opposite sex, they believe it’s the way forward. I have seen young girls who would rather starve, or not pay for exams or even medical’s that miss out on the newest skimpy skirt or cleavage showing tops just to feel accepted by other show are neck deep in,. If a young girl does not follow this trend, they are called old fashioned. No young girl wants her peers to call her that, so automatically they would conform
First of all….thank God for you all! I’m 31, single, and tormented by the constant progression of tighter, shorter, and skimpier clothes. Not just in public but on Instagram and Snapchat too. These pictures are just getting more and more rediculous! It’s UNREAL. I have fought for years to be keep my eyes where they belong and not let my animal insticts take over when the world gets it’s images in my eyes. I got pretty good at it and recently realized that the ladies were not trying to inch closer towards modesty but closer towards immodesty! I can’t judge the unbelievers, they are lost. But my trusted sisters (one of which is literally my sister) are indistinguishable from the world! This has caused me such unrest lately that I have nearly given up hope that any woman any where will not check her butt in the mirror before she leaves the house. Who exactly does she want it to look good for? Well all i know is that if I’m not to look with lust (impossible if I’m looking as much as they’re showing) then I cant see how she is cleared to be perpetually on display. I do think this issue goes deeper than clothing. It’s uncovering the ladie’s deep need to be accepted. We men and women alike ought to go out of our way to love our girls so they know we accept them as they are. Sigh thats my rant! Thank all of you for your encouragement. Just because there are some of you out there who recognize our girl’s responsibility on this issue I have taken heart!
I definitely know that men need o fix the deep rooted issue in their heart regarding looking at nice figured women. We cannot escape this world, but I sure would love it if my sisters in Christ would help create a safe place for men to worship! I am real close to just attending men’s bible studies because I am tired of walking out more of a spiritual mess than I walked in… I don’t enjoy thinking of my fellow sisters in Christ in a sexual way. I can face the Lord and admit my sin much easier if I struggle with a modest women… because a modest woman is super attractive to men and men are more likely to respect a woman who respects herself. Men tend to use terms like “it” and “that” when referring to girls in bikinis, but use “her” and “lady” when they see modestly dressed women…
I get tired of all the half naked women on FB sending me friend requests. It’s absolutely nauseating! And it’s obvious that their lust level exceeds that of most men. I’ll attach what I put on my FB page after one woman went too far with a disgusting picture of herself.
This is what I wrote:
Are any of the women on Facebook (FakeBook) secure enough with themselves to take a normal picture?!! You know, a pleasant smile, fully dressed, and kind of like a lady?!!
Obviously not! Instead, they have to be puckering their painted lips, revealing their cleavage, and arching their rear ends to the point of breaking their backs! All in a desperate attempt to attract as much male attention as possible. How shallow, vapid, and narcissistic can we be girls! At this point, it’s obvious that women’s perversion level far exceeds that of men! So sad. They possess nothing of dignity, virtue, and self-respect. They have become no different than pigs wallowing around in the mud or dogs in heat “sniffing” around in a back alley somewhere. It only proves that most are complete slaves to the spirits of vanity and lust.
Hey girls, gather around and I’ll let you in on a little secret that’s only between you and me! No one else will know! God holds you fully accountable and responsible for the needy “beta males” that come along and lust over your disgusting and sinful displays of your sagging and fading flesh. Especially, if a man takes his attention off of his wife and children to lust upon you. God sees that as if you’ve already committed adultery with him. Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant, it is a fact.
Hell is real my sweetie-pies and not a joke or a myth. It is a place where the fire is never quenched, the torment never ends, and the worm dies not. Tens of thousands find that out the hard way that are dropping into Hell every single day. That’s a person dropping into Hell as fast as you can snap your fingers. Satan deceived them into thinking that they could live their lives any way they “dang-well-pleased”, but they quickly found out after the last breath departed from their body that God didn’t feel the same way. And God takes no pleasure in people ending up in Hell. And Jesus weeps. NDE after NDE confirms the truth of this place over and over again. Even people who were “not religious” come back and say the same things that Jesus told us and warned us about it. So yes, it’s not a lie. God has lovingly sent me your way today to give you this warning. If you care about where you will spend eternity, you will heed it.
The only way to escape the fires of Hell is to repent and accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Please do that now and repeat the prayer at the bottom. Millions screaming in the fires and torture of Hell today would give all their treasures or riches that they ever had for one opportunity to come back to earth and pray the sinner’s prayer and accept Christ into their heart. You have an opportunity, they don’t.
Pray this prayer:
Dear Lord God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I’m in need of a savior. Please forgive me, I’m sorry for my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross in my place paying the penalty for my sins. Right now I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life and I accept You now Lord Jesus. Lord God, I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. According to the Bible, I’m now saved, and Born Again. Show me how to live the rest of my life for you, in Jesus Name, Amen.
Love in Christ
When I see wedding dresses that are completely see through, with only appliques covering private parts, I have to question where our society is headed. There is no other intentions than to make others lust after your body, on your wedding day, when you’re supposed to be giving yourself to someone wholly. I’m a wedding dress seamstress. Woman buy dresses with the intention of getting attention. Our world is lost. The world tells you that those things that are wrong are actually right, and those things that are right are actually wrong. So many people are deceived.
“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to fall into sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
– Matthew 18: 8-9
So true Ben.I’ve been teaching my 11 yr old daughter for yrs that decent women who respect themselves does not dress to expose themselves. I use all as bad examples..tv,celebrities/stars,magazines,and those in person. It seems to be instilled in her so far,as she does not like revealing clothes or much skin showing at all.
If you can see up it, down it or through it…. It’s not appropriate.