Empowerment By Doing as They Please?
In response to yesterday’s post about modesty, I received a comment that I want to write about since many women today have views about life that I don’t understand at all. Recently, there was a march in Cincinnati, Ohio where women took off their tops and walked around topless. In the big March on Washington DC, right after President Trump was inaugurated, the women wore vagina hats and bloody menstrual pads. All of this is beyond comprehension to me since I have never had any desire to do any of this. In fact, these things should cause shame and embarrassment in women.
Here is the comment in question: “Yes, that is exactly what some women believe (that they aren’t in any way responsible for men lusting at them no matter what they wear) because women don’t exist solely for men’s eyes. This is not strange. This is progress and empowerment. If you find empowerment in dressing modestly, please do so. I find empowerment in being able to choose to wear shorts when it’s hot outside (not that it’s anyone’s business but mine). I refuse to take responsibility for your or anyone’s husband or wife’s eyes.”
Therefore, all those women walking around topless and wearing vagina hats are doing this because they “feel” empowered and think this is progress. What is actually happening is that they are finding empowerment in their selfishness and pride. In the last days, the Bible states that people will be lovers of themselves and they will despise those who are good. They are doing the will of their father, the Devil, and are caught in his trap. They falsely believe they are “empowered” but they are actually in bondage to their sin and selfishness.
We, as godly women, don’t live our lives like this. We don’t care about being empowered by anything except for Christ and His strength. We don’t want to bring shame upon Him and blaspheme His name by doing things that are wicked and against what He requires of us. These women won’t find joy in what they are doing. They will keep wanting more and more and never be satisfied. True joy and satisfaction only comes from Christ.
Yes, we dress modestly to protect our brothers in Christ. Yes, we don’t deprive our husbands of intimacy so they won’t be tempted to wander elsewhere. Yes, we know that God has given us the responsibility to build up our homes instead of tearing them down with our own hands. Yes, we teach our children God’s Word so they will hide it deeply in their hearts and won’t sin against Him. We love obeying the Lord because His commands are not burdensome; they are freedom. Our influence and responsibility are important, women, so take it seriously and honor God with your lives in all areas.
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
21 thoughts on “Empowerment By Doing as They Please?”
How do you feel about breast feeding moms who breast feed in public . I am a mom who has 4 children I always chose to do it in privacy w a blanket etc. some moms post things like how would u like to eat w a blanket over your head. I’ve always been in disagreements w post of such . Moms posting pics of their babies lached on all over the internet . Is breast feeding exposed improper ?
It sure is, Tiff, since we are called to be modest regardless of what we are doing. Here is a post I wrote about it a few years ago:
http://lorialexander.blogspot.com/2015/06/should-women-breastfeed-in-public.html
Amen Lori ! I Really loves the last paragraph you wrote! That is true Christian love. Beautiful and simply put ❤️ May we all want this for our lives and homes!
As if a baby will even remember nursing under a cover when they are older! And when babies try to pull covers off its not because they don’t like it, its most likely because they just want to play with the cover or see whats going on. Train them not to pull it down or go somewhere private! “How would you like to eat with a blanket over your head?” Really?! That a horrible excuse used by vain women who want to show their breasts off.
Oh and it’s not necessary to wear shorts (short shorts or otherwise) when its hot out. A knee length to long skirt made with a light material is just as cool if not more so than shorts.
What happened to the “Love trumps Hate” we were promised by the progressives? I keep seeing selfishness and disdain for others and their feelings. I also see pride and no desire whatsoever to love as Jesus did. (I see it on both sides of the political isle) but wasn’t that a campaign slogan and a judgement against non-progressives? But yet all I see is love for oneself and hate for others.
Dear Lori, I have seen these women wearing “vagina” hats, being topless, swearing like troopers and threatening the President and the White House and so on. They are violent and threatening. Their behaviour is filthy. What must their own Fathers think let alone their heavenly Father? If thats empowerment I don’t want it! The world is mixed up now. Decency and modesty are becoming rare! Things that people should be ashamed of they re proud of!
Keep on putting God’s word out there! With love Annabel.xxx
Right on the Money Lori, A female celebrity took a photo of herself naked in her bathroom and said it made her feel “empowered”. Um, no. It makes you look cheap and stupid. The excuses I’ve heard for wearing revealing clothing are mind boggling. Women in general are totally ignorant. And some are so horrid they know the effect it has and do it anyway.
I loved nursing my babies and I always did so even in rather public places with the child under a light blanket. Never felt it necessary to either hide the fact I was nursing or expose the exact mechanics of the comfortable child nursing. Modest not ashamed. That’s how it felt to me. And I enjoyed being in a quiet place to nurse whenever the child needed calm.
is it appropriate to wear clothes that are immodest in your home? I dress modestly (skirts and no short sleeves) out in public but wear tight yoga pants and sleveless shirts at home. my husband hasn’t asked me to but I wear them for him. I also have teenage daughters and tell them it’s ok to dress like this at home for your husband but not out in public. I’m not sure if thats ok if i’m being a hypocrite. whats your take?
Reasonableness dictates that shorts, so long as the are not short shorts, is permissible to a Christian woman to wear, depending on context and her audience. Few if any men will be lusting after knee mid-thigh shorts, and if they are, then that is their problem and not the woman’s.
There is a reason why Christianity does not wear burkas as we have a reasonable faith. To some wearing shorts may be a sin of their own conscience, but for this man, and 99.9% of others, a Christian wearing shorts at the beach or on her porch is not immodest, as some would want you to believe.
Modesty carries with it a responsibility to insure that no sexual flesh is showing, and in today’s world few would classify legs showing as sexual, or lust-worthy. Some people want to put Christian Freedom in a box of does and don’ts and it does not fit. Drink a little wine, wear reasonably lengthy shorts and enjoy the fruits of God’s hand and His sunshine. In the grand scheme of eternity, these things are non-issues IF they are thoughtfully and reasonably done the glory of God and within the mandates of the liberty of His Word.
So very well said! I couldn’t agree more! I would never feel empowered by doing the nasty things that you described. Even reading it made me cringe and blush. The realization that men see women behaving in this way is embarrassing! What happened to women taking pride in being humble and discreet?
I am always also baffled by the Pride Parades….people don’t just march while holding hands ~ they do disgusting, unmentionable things! As Voddie Baucham said once, if anyone behaved that way normally….they would be arrested!
It is so, so sad. I pray the Lord opens eyes and hearts to know His truth. I truly desire to see people realize the sin of their behavior and to repent and turn to Christ. It is the only answer to this horrible behavior!
This “empowerment” movement is simply a cover up for bad behaviour. So many celebrities and pop stars seem to think they are empowered when they pose for pictures on social media practically naked or indeed naked.
I don’t think they have a clue about the real empowerment offered by Christ, and by behaving with dignity and honour. That is true strength.
I have tried to use a cover and it just didn’t work for me. But you can breastfeed with showing little if any flesh. That’s how I did it. Under my shirt, I wore a colourful sleeveless top with a very low neckline. So I could pull up my shirt (which is better than a button up shirt, in my experience) and keep my body covered with a reasonably thick fabric. Then take baby, put him in front of your breast, carefully open the nursing bra (it’s really important to choose one that it’s really easy to open and close) and latch baby. Adjust your top/t-shirt so that your breast is fully covered. When baby is done, slowly remove him, cover the breast and turn baby to the other side. Close bra and repeat.
And if a small part of your skin shows for a few seconds, don’t stress it out. You are feeding a baby, just according to nature. You are not using your breast in a sexual way.
Hmm, I’m not sure why a “christian” woman would want to wear shorts to begin with…the thing is that yes we have freedom in Christ but it doesn’t negate the fact that we still have to obey him. Muslim women, though they are in false doctrine, they show a prime example of modesty. I’m not talking about the burka’s. But they cover there hair and dress in a way where it would be impossible for a man to luse after then. In Christianity the idea of modesty is flawed. How can one say they are a Christian but then you have a Muslim women who dresses more modest than you? To me it’s embarrassing and shameful for those to claim that they are Christian’s but deny it just by the way they dress. Why would a Christian women want to go to the beach when it’s filled with immodesty there? We have a choice to walk in holiness but sadly many people take the wrong route because they think that freedom in Christ gives them the liberty to blatantly disobey scripture. Something to think about.
Submissive,
You make some valid points and yet your logic is also flawed when you compare a Christian woman to a Muslim as if their restrictive dress somehow to be a model for Christians. Most religions are far more restrictive and legalistic than Christianity because the whole purpose of the religion is a set of do’s and don’ts put in place to control, not service in love with a risen Savior.
It is unfortunate when we push our ideals onto others in a way God’s Word does not do. God asks that women dress modestly, and if you must always wear long dresses to feel you have achieved this then go for it, but dresses just above the knee are also very modest are so are longer shorts for the vast majority of Christian women. If modesty is such a big issue maybe men should never go without shirts off in your thinking?
You state that many people think freedom in Christ gives them liberty to disobey the scriptures, and for some this is true, but your implication is wrong that wearing shorts does not fall within that freedom. Be careful not to go to an even greater sin than the ones your are condemning by judging your brother and sister’s in Christ on things that the Bible does not clearly forbid, and allow Christian liberty to reign … if not… one becomes a Pharisee.
Your holiness and mine may differ in the ares of freedom just as it has since Paul clearly addressed the issues of meat and days to worship, etc. I choose to live and walk in liberty and am not concerned about the external do’s and don’ts that are man made, and not given by God. We have a reasonable faith, let’s be reasonable and not make every Christian woman dress from head to toe.
Thank you for responding. The pharisee’s are the ones who actually disagreed with the teachings of Christ. Modesty is a heart issue which many do not want to address. If we really search the scripture and see that modesty and holiness go hand in hand. Think of the God of the bible and how Holy He is. We have to come before God properly. Just as the priest did. Modesty is being obedient to the scriptures as well. Wearing shorts can also cause a man to lust because there are some men who desires legs. So why tempt them? But this is a deeper issue. It’s matters of the heart at the end of the day. It’s not legalistic to live holy according to God’s standards.
I think it’s sums up like this. If we are in Christ man or woman we have our responsibilities in serving the Lord first and foremost. That’s where our love first should lay.
When it comes to modesty are we following our love for Christ if our bobies are on display for anyone other than our spouse?? We all know the answer to that Being provacative in public to me is a serious sin. Think about it our we honoring our savior, the one who paid it all of we are being foolish?? No we aren’t —stop with the foolish marches and making excuses for our sinful behavior. Example yes a woman cannot control a mans thoughts or urges if she is dressed foolishly. A woman walks by. See through thights, can see control my thoughts. – no – but why would she purposely try to entice my thoughts or actions I have taken yard to learn how to control my thoughts and train my eyes but that’s because of my love for the lord which filters into the love I have for my wife. Men and woman both need to smarten up on this one 🙂
A woman with an exceptionally good body could wear sweatpants and sweattop and a man will notice her. Lust is in the mind. There was a time when showing a bit of ankle was considered immodest and indecent … so … men lusted if they saw that. There is an old saying about “looking away”. We all need to do that as we can only control ourselves and not our society.
I have heard that some men have foot fetishes so does this mean we should never go barefoot in public? I have talked to godly men and read what some have written and it seems to be a majority opinion among them that leggings, low-cut tops, and bikinis are the most difficult for them to not lust after. Also, some have problems with super short shorts or skirts which I don’t believe are modest. Yes, I wear my skirts just above the knee with shorts underneath them because Ken likes them this way. These are the standards Ken and I have agreed are modest.
There is so much immodesty and nakedness around us that the majority of men aren’t lusting if they see a bit of leg above the knee or shoulder, as some believe dressing modestly one should wear sleeves. I doubt few men are lusting after a woman’s hair so standards must be discussed among godly couples and if a woman isn’t married to a godly man, she can speak to a godly, older woman for her modesty standards and pray that her husband agrees.
But the majority of men would no longer lust if they saw women’s ankles. If you talk to honest and godly men, they are very clear what is a struggle with them and these are who we should listen and learn from, especially if we are married to a godly man.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to wear things in the privacy of your own home for your husband’s eyes that you would never wear in public. Not only would I say acceptable, but a great idea! Just like it is perfectly appropriate to wear lingerie for him that you would never wear in public. I do think if there are kids in the home it would be very important to explain to them exactly why it is okay in one scenario but not in others, and it sounds like that is exactly what you are doing. Not sure if I would wear it if there are sons in the house, but daughters is a different story. For example, I think an at home date night with just the two of you where you’re wearing a super low cut shirt or dress, (that would NEVER leave your closet on any other occasion) I think that is a great example of blessing your husband with your body!