Empowered Traditionalist

Come one, come all! Below we have a variety of wonderful authors from all over the country submitting articles pertaining to modesty. Enjoy the selection and don’t forget to link and spread the word!

If you have any submissions that are not included- please let me know! We will be adding additional articles throughout the next 2 weeks.

What is Cultural Modesty?

Miss Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart

summary: Does our culture and the time and place we live define what’s modest? How does the Word of God encourage us in regards to our dress?

Beauty Killer

Hannah Farver, (soon to be published author) at Beauty from the Heart

summary: Nothing is more destructive to beauty than immodesty. It distracts. It detracts. We know we don’t like it. But when there’s a really, really cute outfit at stake, sometimes we forget the value of dressing with propriety. Why does that happen? And what can we do the next time we’re faced with a “clothes conundrum?” This post is first in a series of “5 Reasons for Modesty.”

Understanding Modesty

Michelle Hensley, Pastors wife and mother of 7 at To Leave a Legacy

As a mother of 7, Michelle addresses why so many moms allow their “Christian” daughters so much liberty in the way they dress and her own past contending with immodesty in her dress and the fruits of her decisions.

Making Modesty Affordable

Katrina Martin at JesusFreaKatrina

Since the prices in the ecomony are going up rapidly, ideas are needed for shopping frugally for clothing. In this article there are seven tips for dressing modest, but doing it affordably.

What Guys love about Modest girls

Christa Taylor, at Empowered Traditionalist
summary: Hear it from the guys themselves
A modest Hero

Eliza Magazine

Summary: Why we love Cate Blanchett

Cambodia and Modesty

Lindsay Edmonds (aka my sister), at Passionate Homemaking

Summary: Lindsay shares her gripping testimony of visiting Cambodia and the impact on her wardrobe…

Call to Modesty
Laura V, at Bloggin Mama
Summary: What comes to your mind when you think of modesty? Laura explores an indepth biblical approach to modesty and the OT and NT references.

Four Simple Modesty Guidelines
Michael S. Hyatt, at From Where I Sit

Michael is the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and writes on the lack of modesty in the public media, sharing personal stories.

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Is your skin warm or cool?

Being able to determine your skin tone will help you to make informed decisions about color selections for hair, makeup and clothing. There are several simple observations you can make to help you figure out what your tone is.

You’re COOL if…
1. Silver jewelry stands out more than gold jewelry when placed on your skin
2. In direct sunlight, you see glints of blue, purple or green in your natural hair color
3. Your skin color in porcelain, rosy-beige, rosy-pink, dark olive, dark brown or ebony
4. You may burn easily in the sun
5. Your eye color is light blue, gray-blue, gray-green, blue-green, deep blue, deep green, brown or black

You will look beset in Silver, Platinum or white gold jewelry. Pearls and diamonds have cool undertones so often they compliment your skin.

You’re WARM if…
1. Gold jewelry stands out more than silver jewelry when placed on your skin
2. In direct sunlight, you see glints of red, orange, gold or yellow in your natural hair color
3. Your skin color is golden brown, warm peach, pale or yellow with freckles
4. You tan easily in the sun
5. Your eye color is blue, blue-green hazel, green, topaz, amber, cinnamon, coffee bean

You will look best gold, brass and copper jewelry.

If you are still puzzled try this technique:
Pull your hair off of your face. Wash your face and then place a white towel around your neck and shoulders. The pure white cloth will reflect skin undertones. If your face looks yellow next to the white towel you have a warm skin tone and if it looks more blue then you have a cool skin tone.

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The righteous man falls seven times, yet rises again…

I remember the first time I made cinnamon rolls, it was a new and difficult challenge. I wanted so badly to produce a roll that could compete with Cinnabon! The directions were complicated and hard for me to follow- it took me nearly 4 hours. After following the instructions meticulously they came about beautifully. Not. They were a flop, hard and brittle, they didn’t rise and much to my chagrin ended up in the trash.
I did something hard, and failed. “Heck with this! I’m never going to bother with cinnamon rolls again!”
What I failed to realize is, that it’s ok to do something hard and fail.

As we learn and develop we will experience problems and unexpected challenges. Sometimes they are too much to overcome. Do we stay depressed? If we’ve fallen do we stay face down in the mud? No, we need to get up, dust off, and keep doing hard things. The righteous man, even when he has failed miserably for the 7th time, gets up keeps going.

After a few more attempts, I did master cinnamon rolls. Fear of failure didn’t stop me then, but will it stop me now?

Unfortunately, life isn’t as simple as a pan of cinnamon rolls is it? We face far greater challenges in our daily grind.

A few months back, Christa-Taylor.com was facing some serious upheavals. It was either “shut down”, “sell out” or radically change the way we operated. I was frustrated and ready to give up, I seriously was exhausted, overwhelmed and inadequate for the challenges I faced. But I was ashamed of failure, I was afraid of what people would think, of letting everyone down- of not being the “successful poster child”.

That’s when I received a letter from fellow business owner and counselor, Mark Hellweg, he wrote:

“Hi Christa,

Your mom was telling me that you’re thinking about winding down Christa Taylor. Well, if you do decide to go that route, I wanted to encourage you with a reminder that ALL GOOD AND WORTHWHILE ventures are difficult, and not all of them turn out how we had hoped. You put together a beautiful brand/website, chose distinguished and stylish clothing, and made a mark in an industry that doesn’t know anything about respecting women. For that I’m very proud of you.”

That letter reminded me of the truth.

I won’t always accomplish exactly what I would like, in the way I would like it. But by the grace of God, I will rise again.

R.J. Letourneau is one of my heroes. He was an enormously successful businessman with a passion for supporting missions. But his incredible financial success didn’t come easily. He experienced 3 major business failures and bankruptcy twice. But failure did not prevent Letourneau from overcoming fear and starting fresh. His legacy as a “kingdom businessman” continues to inspire us today.  Sometimes, out of failure we find our greatest success.

Has there ever been a time when you grew more from your failure than you would have if you’d met success?

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Check out the Modesty Carnival over at the ET blog!

Modesty Carnival launches tomorrow!

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Taking all other motivations aside (honoring the Lord, protecting our brothers, confirming the gospel, self respect etc) let’s just look at this one issue- the guys in our lives. We all need encouragement, and since many young men are too scared to tell you to your face- I’m telling it for them.

It’s easy to forget- when you are bombarded by the most provocative pictures imaginable and you are hooted and whistled at when walking down the street. It’s not hard to do the logical connection- when I look good, I get a response. When I don’t look good or dress “quietly” I am ignored. Hmm…what does this tell me about the guys? Are all guys just looking at my outward appearance? (cuz, if so, I’m in serious trouble
Well, let’s get one thing straight- what type of guy are we talking about here? Some men, yes, they only care about the outside (we’ve all met that type at one time or another). But for now, I’m just addressing the believers we know at work, church or in our own homes.

Good men want modesty. Really they do.

One gentleman writes:

“If I could say anything to the women in the church, it would be this. First, there is not a man I know that doesn’t in some way struggle with lust. If they had any idea what went through guys minds it would probably vastly change the way they dress. Secondly, and I think most importantly, God has created his church to be a resting place for Christians, to be a place where people can encounter God with out all the distractions. It is disappointing when I walk into the church or an event with the church and have deal with the same temptations I that face in the world. But I rejoice whenever I see a girl or women who is attempting to serve the lord and guys by dressing modestly. You have no idea how sweet and challenging it is when I see a women who has decided not to flaunt her body like the culture shouts for her to do but rather she has decided that serving the lord and her brothers is more important. Glory to God for women like that!

Another gentleman affirms:

“I am so grateful for the friendships God has given me over the past year and half, for the godly ladies in my care group. I am so appreciative of the sacrifice these ladies make to glorify god and serve the guys. I heard a story of one of the ladies in our ministry who went shopping and really liked a shirt she was trying on but then she thought: “no I can’t do this to the guys” that was the first time I had ever heard of anything like that and it made me so grateful. It’s such a blessing to have friends who care for me enough to be self-less and sacrifice what might look attractive to help me and other guys with sexual lust. When ladies dress modestly it is attractive, (and CJ. Inserts, “Oh yes, there is nothing more attractive than a godly women dressed modestly) and makes me want to hang out with them more. I think modesty is so attractive and helpful in friendship because it makes easier for a friendship to be centered around God and fellowship to be unhindered.”

Age 15  I wish I could stress this enough, but I can’t.
Age 21 I will completely look over a super model with no character for an average girl with amazing character.

A few more voices:

“To be honest, we respect you more when your appearance is modest, We really do not want the kind of girl who dresses provocatively, for we know that if we marry her, she will still be that way in the presence of others.
Thank you, dear Christian sisters, for hearing our hearts on this subject. We really are “our brother’s keeper.” (Genesis 4:9.) Please, girls, do not say, “I don’t care,” but help us in these last days to live as close to Jesus as we can. Thank you so much.”

“You have no idea how much it means to me as a guy when I see girls who are doing their best to be modest. These are girls that I feel completely comfortable being friends with, and by their actions they demand my respect. Modesty will win you the friendship of guys who will care about you as a person and will see you as a sister in Christ before they see you as anything else…”

Let’s face it girls, the type of guy who likes you solely for your looks would be hell to live with and soon wander off to greener pastures. Deep down, we all know this, and honestly I think we just tend to forget. Our loneliness or longing for attention must first be met in a living relationship with Jesus. Only then can we be a women that radiates true beauty through modesty.

Elizabeth Elliot interviewed a group of young college students for qualities they are looking for in a wife…I found their answers intriguing and full of elusions to “inner beauty”
“I look for women who are secure in the Lord. Content. Can handle adversity.”
“Quietly Courageous”
“Not trying to please everybody.”
“Maternal. That’s important”
“Femininity”
“Affirmation”
“Encouragement”
“Tenderness”
“Sensitivity”
“Vulnerabiliy”

Those are the qualities we are called to develop. That’s what good men really want. And from personal experience, such a woman as described above is highly attractive.

I want to end with this final encouragement from a fellow peer:

Keep persevering! Your efforts are appreciated and noticed, even though you may not be able to see that. It serves us guys tremendously, not only in not being tempted each time we look at you, but also knowing that you care and that your heart attitude is to serve. Thank you for guarding the guys!

The guys are proud of you. Keep up the good work.

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We have started shooting all the new fall inventory, so here you guys get a sneak peek at some of the new images hitting the site.

This was my debut as a photographer, and as you can see, it was a bit rough. But there is a certain pride of accomplishment in being the person behind the camera for once, vs. merely directing it.

We wanted to show the transition from Summer to fall…here you have our Orchid weave dress, modeled several different ways.

Click here: TO view pics
Thanks to my dear sister and model, Kelly Taylor, (isn’t she beautiful!) and our terrific team of assistants!

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If you didn’t think they could get any longer…think again. A big trend last fall, knee-length and thigh-high socks are making a huge comeback. Versatile and affordable they are an easy way to add spice and a bit of collegiate charm to your fall accessories. Also a significant trend is patterned hose or tights.

Do:

Wear them with your favorite knee length skirt. Depending on the sock you can pair them with a blue jean skirt , wool skirt or a plaid pleated skirt for that school girl look.

With regular length skirts. Even if you have a skirt that come down below your over the knee socks, you can still wear them. They’ll look somewhat like tights, but they won’t add bulk to your upper legs or bottom. Also, if you sit down you’ve got some extra length on your socks to prevent you from accidentally flashing some skin.

Wear them with boots. Having some socks showing at the top has a relaxed appeal.

Wear them over opaque tights. In especially cold climates (like Michigan or Alaska) you will need to layer!

Wear a patterned hose with your favorite classy capris.

Have moderation: A preference for patterned socks requires a sense of humor or a sense of moderation.

Don’t:

wear socks with shorts. Tacky and reminiscent of the pin-up girls.

Be afraid to wear mismatching colors: tan or black socks with a grey skirt. It’s a fun look and isn’t meant to be perfectly matching.

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Written by : Greta Parkinson, featured in ELIZA magazine

CAMBODIA
Philanthropy has always been fashionable. And these days, with the rapid growth of technology resulting in a rapidly “shrinking” world, we’re more aware than ever before of people in remote countries we’ve never seen-sometimes never previously heard of-who need our help. Thanks to 24-hour news outlets and the ever-expanding World Wide Web, it’s never been easier to visualize-and assist- people who need a hot meal, a warm blanket, and a safe home.

More than 30 years ago, the Kmer Roughe Guerilla Movement, led by Cambodian Prime Minister Pol Pot, sought to reconstruct the country based on the structure of Mao’s China: a communist regime. The result was mass genocide. The Kmer Rouge foced all the men, women and children to leave their homes for forced labor camps. Any who refused were killed on the spot. Religion and music were banned ;factories, schools, and hospitals were shut down. Operating under the slogan “To spare you is no profit; to destroy you is no loss”, the Kmer Rouge murdered mor than two million civilians.

The effects of the deadly regime are still prevalent throughout Cambodia. There remain up to 6 million active land mines. Mass graves and “killing fields” were uncovered as recently as 1995. Today, because of the ravages of war, impoverishment, and illness, 90,000 women and children have been left widowed and orphaned.

When Christa Taylor, co-owner and creator of Christa-Taylor.com, visited Cambodia three years ago, she couldn’t ignore the devastation-the rural roads were dusty and treacherous. But when the y reached the orphan home, Christa was struck by what she described as a “stark contrast” between the village children and the orphans.
“I thought to myself, ‘surely these can’t be the orphan kids.’ “ Christa says, “They were all smiles!”
Christa was impressed to find that the orphanages were modeled after families, with father and mother figures overseeing the home while the widows tended children.

“No wonder they’re so happy,” she says. “They don’t see themselves as orphans, either!”

Since then, Christa-Taylor.com has partnered with Warm Blankets Orphan Care, a missions group that provides food and shelter, among other things, for orphans and widows. Christa was struck by their efficiency and ease in communication and says she knew she could feel comfortable supporting and recommending Warm Blankets to her friends and family.

“I found…dependable leadership and, more importantly, individuals who cherished the Cambodian culture and knew how to get things done without trampling it.” She says.

Through generous donations and good old-fashioned hard work, the dedicated people at Christa-Taylor.com and Warm Blankets hope to see every child warm and full, and every orphan home on the road to self-sustenance. And they won’t stop there.

“We hope to eventually pass the monthly support to other businesses and support the larger, more aggressive projects.” Christa says.

More aggressive projects include repairing damaged orphan homes and funding the construction of women’s housing to keep factory workers out of sex trafficking.
When you shop at Christa-Taylor.com 5% of your purchase is donated to an orphanage in Ta Lam. To help even more, you can spread the word about the mission of Warm Blankets. In the shadow of a looming economic recession, Warm Blankets donations are down 50% from previous years. Your gift to Warm Blankets could, among other things, help pay the volunteer staff, whose only compensation comes from monthly donations.
It takes such little effort to make a big difference. A tiny sacrifice on this side of the globe can result in huge changes across oceans and continents for people in desperate need.

“The small things—one less trip to the coffe shop, passing onteh nail manicure for a month, have a date at home.” Christa says, “all go a long way toward keeping little children on the opposite side of the globe full, warm, and hopeful.”

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Best described as a season of change, fall ’08 is defined by
rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York’s
fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples
in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by
variations of warm red, orange and yellow.
“Fall is traditionally a time for subdued, quiet colors, but this
season we are seeing a shift toward cool hues with bright,
exciting undertones,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director
of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Conventional tones such as
warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are
also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have
become staples, as illustrated by Blue Iris, one of the top 10
colors chosen by designers this season, and Pantone’s Color
of the Year for 2008.”

More in depth color exploration coming soon!

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It’s been the season of weddings, and while there is much cause for rejoicing at these festive events, I have left depressed and grieved more than once. At nearly every wedding, these Christian women who consistently were dressed in an extremely revealing manner, to the point that I was very embarrassed for my brothers.

Well respected pastor of The Bible Church of Little Rock, Todd Murray writes:

“Ladies, please don’t forget to apply these principles of modesty to formal events and weddings. In recent years, I have become increasingly grieved by the immodest dresses of both brides and bridesmaids at the weddings that I officiate. I have observed a number of young ladies in our fellowship who have dressed modestly all their lives appearing on their wedding day in extremely provocative dresses, exposing more of themselves than on any other day of their lives.

I assume the best about what is going on in the hearts of these young women. I don’t think that they went to the wedding dress shop determined to be provocative. No doubt, they just wanted a dress that would be elegant on this day that they have dreamed of all their lives. When a bride and mother set out on their expedition to find a wedding dress, they are, quite naturally, thinking like… women! Unfortunately, there is no one in the shop who is thinking like a man! I’d like to make a radical proposal, girls. Why not take your father with you to the wedding boutique? If that thought is just too much for you (or your Dad!) at least consider taking the dress out on approval and allowing your dad to see it before you make your final purchase.

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when shopping for a wedding or bridesmaid’s dress:

-Does this dress reflect the fact that a wedding ceremony is a holy service of worship and not a fashion show?

-Can I picture myself standing in this dress, for an extended period of time, just a few feet from my pastor as he opens the Word of God and leads me in my solemn vows?”

I know the challenges of finding a modest wedding gown, but with time, planning and a bit of searching it can be done. My sister Lindsay got married in a beautiful gown: here. My dad gave his approval of her gown and I must say, she was stunning.

Here are a few helpful guidelines to aid you in your future dress shopping: (provided by author and blogger Carolyn Mahaney)

1. Find a wedding dress with a neckline that completely conceals any cleavage.
2. Avoid dresses without sufficient covering in the back.
3. Strapless gowns or dresses with only spaghetti straps are revealing and thus do not serve the men in attendance at your wedding.
4. A modest gown should not be excessively tight and draw unnecessary attention to your figure.

I hope this serves you in your pursuit of modesty in every area. As always, please be on guard against the temptation to judge and condemn those who choose to dress differently. If you think a bride is dressed immodestly, her wedding day is not the appropriate occasion to comment on her dress. Simply rejoice with her in the goodness of God displayed in her marriage.

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