Ironically, the benefit of modest clothing is its transparency, so to speak. Modest clothing attracts attention neither to itself nor to the superficial qualities of the person wearing it. In fact, by not being a distraction or an end in itself, modest clothing allows the character of the person to become more evident.

Indecent fashions tend to reduce the human person to the superficiality of their exposed or accentuated body parts … saying, in effect, “Look at me, I’m an object. Look at me as an object.” On the other hand, prudish clothing, although rare, tends to provoke an opposite but equally superficial criticism that the prude is socially inept, awkward, and out of touch. Both styles miss the truth about the dignity of the human person.

In our cynical culture obsessed with shallow sensationalism, modesty is like truth in advertising: rare but powerful. It’s the real deal—and that’s what makes it so special.

Chris Pelicano (via caseydeann)

(Source: catholicculture.org)