Is it a sin to dress openly/provokingly/shamelessly…?

Question

...as, for example, wearing tight jeans, short skirts, etc.; showing too much skin.

Please, if possible support your answer with a Biblical verse.

Answer 1

“The wisdom from above is first of all chaste,” wrote the disciple James at James 3:17. Reflecting chasteness in our appearance can be a challenge, especially in today’s world. Satan’s immoral world influences people to adopt immodest, sensual, and outlandish styles that are not befitting. (1 John 2:15-17) So we need to keep in mind the Bible’s admonition to “repudiate ungodliness and worldly desires and to live with soundness of mind . . . amid this present system of things.” (Titus 2:12) Never would we want to disturb others by our appearance. 1 Corinthians 10:32, 33.

Our dress should be modest and well-arranged. We should ask ourselves: ‘Is my clothing modest, or does it draw undue attention to me? Does it show respect for the feelings of others? Are my blouses too low at the neckline? Are my dresses too short or are they revealing and tight? Romans 15:2, 3 reads: “Let each of us please [his] neighbor in what is good for [his] upbuilding. For even the Christ did not please himself; but just as it is written: “The reproaches of those who were reproaching you have fallen upon me.” And we read at 1 Timothy 2:9: “Likewise I desire the women to adorn themselves in well-arranged dress, with modesty . . . “

Hannah J Paul

Answer 2

Men aged 14 - 30 are going to think about sex every 45 seconds even if there are NO women around them, which you would know if you ever spent any time in a Forest Service camp, on board a ship or in a college dorm, back before they were all co-ed. They will think about it even if the women around them are dressed in burkhas and veils; even if they are the towel boy at the University of Denmark's women's gym.

To warn women against dressing provokingly is like warning bakers to put bars on their windows so that men who pass by won't be overtaken by irresistible urges, smash the window and gobble down $12 worth of jelly donuts. Normal men control their urges, be those urges a hunger for food or a hunger for sex. Anyone who cannot isn't much of a man.

Dressing modestly does have the effect of sending out signals. If you saw a woman in a bright red dress so short her underwear showed, with fishnet stockings and 5-inch heels, and she asked you if you'd like a good time, you'd know she meant sex and was a prostitute. If someone in an ankle-length skirt, white blouse, sweater and prayer cap asked the same question, you'd know she was inviting you to a Bile-study meeting.

Answer 3

What about modesty in nudist colonies? Is that a sin, or just their personal lifestyle? I don't know, but obviously there's a difference between nudist colonies and "showing too much skin". The difference is attitude. Modesty isn't really what you wear, it's how you wear it. If you're wearing a short skirt because it's hot, then whatever. If you're wearing a short skirt to look like a skank, that's a different thing, you know?

I think if you only get one change on Earth to be in a physical body that you can "decorate" how you choose, you might as well stand out a little. Whenever people preach about being modest and such, I always hope that they have kids that grow up and become anarchists or goths or something like that, just so that they'll have to be less ignorant to things which they'd normally not understand. The way you dress might change people's opinions of you, but it doesn't change who you are. You can dress modestly, but still work as a stripper somewhere during the night. In other words, modesty doesn't mean shxt. Judging someone by the way they look is pretty lame, especially considering that if you're an actual christian, you're not supposed to judge people to begin with.

Answer 4

I don't have a biblical answer for you, however, i believe if we act (talk, dress, associate with certain individuals) that can put us into situations more likely to cause sin, than perhaps we should avoid them. This is not something I've always manged to do! For example, is it a sin to go to the bar after work? No, but if I go every single night, it eventually will become habit and lead to problems I would not have had otherwise. It is like I am inviting the problem to me. Make sense?

Answer 5

I think terms like "tight jeans" and "too much skin" need to be defined. But the way I would address this issue is by asking the question, "Is dressing with the intention of causing sexual desire in people you are not married to sinful?" Hopefully that doesn't need specific Biblical references.

Answer 6

There was a time when woman were chosen for their span of hips and size of breasts because body shape could kill in childbirth and a baby needed a milk supply. During the same period couples had to prove fertility before a marriage could take place. When land and properties became more important than children to help in the hunts and the fields things began to change......IMHO, for the worse.

Answer 7

Was it a sin for Isaiah to go naked for three years per the Lord's direction; Isaiah 20:2-3?

Answer 8

Yes it's a sin, when you see half naked women every where and all the time in your back mind you will think that every thing is allowed but if you see women in modesty clothes you'll gonna know that there are limits in life, all that will be in your back mind may be you will not notice it but it will make a difference

Answer 9

I'm a Christian girl, and it's very important to me to dress modestly.

1 Timothy 2:9 "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety...."

The reason is that we belong to God, since we have given our hearts to him. Therefore, we must honor him by dressing appropriatly, because dressing the wrong way brings attention to ourselves and can cause men to stumble and have bad thoughts.

Answer 10

I got other stuff to worry about than if some skirt is too high up. So what if it is a 'sin'? Are we gonna have the Taliban militia in the USA telling us how to dress now? Sheesh.

Yes, Deuteronomy has a verse about not wearing short pants in the bible.