APPROPRIATE DRESS AND APPEARANCE

Today in Relief Society (a women’s Church group), we talked about different aspects of the book for the young people of the church entitled For the Strength of Youth. The part that caught my attention today was the chapterlette on Dress and Appearance.

Below are some excerpts…

“Your body is God’s sacred creation. Respect it as a gift from God, and do not defile it in any way.”

“The way you dress is a reflection of what you are on the inside. Your dress and grooming send messages about you to others and influence the way you and others act.”

I find this very true for myself. If I am dressed in a sloppy manner, I feel the same way. If I am dressed up, I feel much better.

I think that it is important to take some time for ourselves to bathe, fix our hair, and put on a bit of makeup. I know that I feel an almost night-and-day difference in so doing.



50sgal, over at The Apron Revolution, has talked about this for a long time now and has a special time set apart for her grooming routine.

James, from Man of the 50s, is like-wise a tailored dresser and a gentleman to boot! Have you ever noticed nicely-dressed gentlemen holding the door open for a lady? On the contrary, have you ever noticed guys with the waist of their pants below their bottoms holding the door for a lady? Not that the latter doesn’t ever happen, but…

There is something to the way we dress in accordance with how we view ourselves and how we treat others.

One does not need to be a nun for sure but can be tastefully dressed AND beautiful at the same time.

“When you are well groomed and modestly dressed, you invite the companionship of the spirit and can exercise a good influence on those around you.”

“Never lower your dress standards for any occasion.”

Wow; that says volumes to me. “…for any occasion.” It continues…

“Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient.”

In today’s world of sex-sells-all, I really wonder how many decently-minded people there are left. I get so very weary of the (I won’t say the name that I’m thinking) ill-dressed women—NOT ladies—on TV. And, who is watching these shows? Your husband? Your son? Young moldable boys? It’s a shame.

“Always be neat and clean and avoid being sloppy or inappropriately casual in dress, grooming, and manners.”

If we could twinkle ourselves back to the Victorian era, these things would all be common sense.



Print by John P. O'Brien

At one point in my life, I desired a tattoo. Then, men were the main population getting them; they were not mainstream as they are now. At the time, I was dating a Marine, and I suppose that had something to do with it...

I cannot count the number of times since then that I have been so happy that I never got that tattoo!

Summertime…

I think that summertime is especially difficult in the area of dress...Or lack thereof. During this season, females all but lose any modesty that they may have once maintained.

I was sitting in my car at the school on Friday and caught, in my review mirror, a young middle-school aged girl...So, that would be 13ish. What got my attention first of all was that she was using crutches. As I started to wonder what the cause of her ailment was, the view became more clear. I could see the bottom of HER bottom sticking out of very short shorts!

I am always amazed at what is allowed not only in public but in places of learning. I’m sure that many males were happy that day, but at what cost?

To sum up these thoughts…

I am very far from perfect in this area and in many others as well, and I do not want to give the impression that I am. I do, however, strive and want to continue to do so, in my own dress and, at the same time, hopefully be an example to others that looking nice and neat and clean does not have to mean dressing like a bar-room girl.