Your outward appearance as a Christian woman matters! Let’s examine how we can use our clothing to honor God.
There is no clear dress code for modern Christian women to follow today. But depending on who you ask, you’re bound to get an opinion.
I am a strong supporter that everyone’s personal style should be modest. But I also believe there are plenty of different ways to go about being modest. In this post, I hope to share a few tips and thoughts that you can examine as you figure out what dressing modestly means to you.
Pin this post for later!
Table of Contents
Practical Tips for How to Dress Modestly
Modest Clothes – Inspiration From My Closet
What Does God’s Word Say About Modesty?
Some Motivation for Modesty
I have always been passionate about modest dress, but after a recent Bible class lesson, the flame is stronger than ever.
We have been studying 2 Corinthians in Bible class, and when we came to chapter two, I really had to pause and think – am I a good diffuser?
At the beginning of the chapter, Paul talks a bit about how God “diffuses” His knowledge through us. Some translations may say, “make manifest.” The meaning behind the saying is “making visible what is known,” or “to show oneself, to become known, who and what one is.”
If we are the walking, talking manifestation of what God is talking about in Scripture, we need to take that seriously! Our speech, our actions, where we spend our time, how often we study our Bibles – it all is a sort of influence on others on how we claim to be Christians.
Modest apparel is another avenue we can use to show our Christianity. Think about it!
People see you, and that’s often the first impression they have of you. I’m not saying you have to have it together all the time – I rarely wear makeup, and I wear two different hairstyles.
I am saying that you give off a different impression when you wear a nice blouse and some jeans than you do when you wear sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. One over the other isn’t bad in any given situation. I don’t condone wearing sweats to church or a job interview, and you may stick out like a sore thumb if you wear a blouse and heels to a kid’s baseball game. But you can look presentable in any situation you are in if you prepare.
The Definition of Modesty
To be modest means to show humility, propriety, and simplicity in your dress, speech, and actions.
You may see propriety and think, “conformity?” To which I say – think of this through the lens of your Christian faith. We want to, in a respectful way, show our commitment to God. We want to conform our lives to the way He wants us to do things. I don’t mean this in the scope of culture by and large today. Frankly, because culture today seems to encourage us to be anything but modest.
Through your faith, I want you to take a look at your wardrobe and ask yourself if it’s modest.
– Are you seeking out undue attention from others?
– Does your clothing overshadow your inner beauty?
– When you’re in worship, is the attention on you or on God?
Let’s take a look at a few ways you can dress modestly and honor your faith.
Practical Tips for How to Dress Modestly
This is by no means an exhaustive list. And some of them aren’t even fashion tips!
It’s important to note that what may mean modest to me might not mean modest to you. And that’s okay! I want our standard to be the Bible, not someone’s opinion. Keep that in mind as you read through this blog post.
What would you add to this list? Comment on this blog post and let me know!
1. Establish Your Set of Rules for Modesty
It might be easy to think about modesty as an outward expression of your inner faith in God. If we think of it like that, it’s easier to put in place your personal rules for modesty.
You can start with the “easy targets” like the length of your clothing and the fit of your clothes. You can walk into almost any store and find a fit and style that works for you and your family.
From there, you can make decisions about what goes on your clothes. Will you wear graphic t-shirts? What will you allow on t-shirts?
If you prefer length to your clothes, will you allow rips and holes in jeans?
Finally, you can consider accessories. I grew up in the age of chunky necklaces and bright, sparkly accessories. To some, though, that’s not considered modest jewelry. That is something for you and your family to sort through.
2. Start With What You Have
If you are coming to modest dress from inappropriate clothing, as I did, don’t think that the solution is to just throw out your entire wardrobe.
I started small. When I had the opportunity to buy new pants that were modest, I did. But until then, I bought longer shirts and shirt dresses that covered my immodest pants. Instead of throwing out my immodest blouses, I bought some $3 undershirts and tank tops from Walmart and wore them underneath.
You can slowly transition your wardrobe so that it’s modest. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and most likely, your ideals surrounding modesty won’t be cemented in a day, either.
3. Stick to Certain Styles and Brands
Finding modest clothing can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. But when you find the needle, you’ve actually found a gold mine!
Don’t overthink your styles or brands. When you find a modest piece of clothing, purchase the same piece in another color. Or, if you truly love it, look at what other pieces the brand has to offer.
4. Utilize Layers
When we think of “modest fashion,” we think of coverage. What we don’t think of is how to achieve coverage.
You can wear a cute top with a low neckline, so long as you also wear a modest undershirt that doesn’t reveal any cleavage.
You can also look at layers you can put on top. I thrifted a cute, lightweight maxi dress that I absolutely love. However, it has a plunging neckline. To remedy this, I throw a cute t-shirt or sweatshirt on top of it. Ta-da! I can still wear a comfortable dress and be modest.
You can accomplish this with other pieces like coats, shawls, or wraps.
5. Take a Different Look at Your Clothes
One of the best fashion hacks I ever heard was to turn revealing clothes around so they are no longer revealing. Think about it!
If you have an undershirt or a tank top that isn’t giving you the coverage you would like, wear it backwards. Now, you are modest, and you don’t have to spend more time trying to find a shirt that works.
We Don’t have to Live this Christian Life Alone…
My goal with this blog is to encourage other Christian women to love their families and steward their resources well. Always by pointing back to God!
If you want to see how I practice what I write about, sign up for my newsletter!
For even more homemaking inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!
6. Embrace Your Modesty Convictions
If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Don’t let others sway you from your convictions! Be proud of them and truly understand why you are choosing to dress more modestly.
7. Imitate Christian Ladies Among You
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to modesty. And if you’re truly stuck and don’t know where to begin, take a look at the Christian ladies around you!
What kinds of things are they wearing? Where do they shop? Offer to take them out for lunch or coffee if they would share their favorite place to shop.
8. Opt for Full Coverage Pieces
Long skirts and a higher neckline are easy ways to maintain modesty. If you are new to modest clothing, start with full coverage pieces until you know what styles, brands, and fashion hacks work best for you!
My Argument for Full-Coverage Clothing
I think it’s important to pause here and consider why we would opt for full-coverage pieces, especially when modest clothing means different things to different people.
My goal with modest clothing is not attract too much attention because I want to save my body for my husband. That doesn’t mean I wear frumpy clothing that’s incredibly plain. That means I cover up my body because I want my husband to be the only one who enjoys it.
This doesn’t align with cultural norms, many of which encourage us to wear what we’re comfortable with because it can make us feel a certain way.
I am not saying we choose clothes that make us feel embarrassed and unkempt. I am saying we choose clothes that cover up our skin so that we can attract attention based on our speech and actions, so we can tell people about our beliefs.
9. Let Clothes Be a Reflection of Our Hearts
Modesty is more than just clothing. You can be modest in how you act, think, and speak.
When our hearts are in line with God and His Word, we know we can be modest! Start dressing your heart modestly, and your clothes will follow.
10. Experiment with Different Looks
My daughter loves to wear dresses. To encourage her modest fashion choices, I also wear dresses. However, I don’t prefer them. In fact, before I had my daughter, I exclusively wore dress pants and blouses to Sunday morning worship.
Sometimes, we can get locked into thinking a certain piece of clothing is modest. And that’s just not the case. If you don’t like dresses, find other modest pieces of clothing that you enjoy wearing. If you enjoy it, you’re more likely to wear it.
11. Seek God’s Grace
There will be times when you miss the mark, wear something inappropriate, or go against your better judgment for the sake of looking cute. That doesn’t mean you’re an utter failure at modest fashion.
Seek God’s grace in these moments!
Modest Clothes – Inspiration From My Closet
Modest and cute can coexist! It can take time to build a wardrobe you love. But it’s so worth it. I want to honor my body in God’s sight just as much as I want to shout from the rooftops about my faith. Modest fashion is an easy way to do both things!
Modest Skirt Inspiration
I can attest to how difficult it is to thrift modest clothing. Skirts in particular. However, it can be done!
Below are some photos to show you that it is possible!
When I’m thrifting, I specifically look for skirts that are below the knee. For me, this automatically rules out skirts I might want to try on but eventually won’t fit because I need to sit down.
I also prefer fit and flare skirts. Henley skirts are also a flattering silhouette on many women. When I see a skirt that flares or has that extra fabric, I know I’m not going to try on anything too tight.
Why Choose Modest Fashion as a Christian?
Let me be clear – the Bible doesn’t have a road map for how long your skirt needs to be or when you need to wear long sleeves. And I want to make sure you’re hearing me when I say that. Whenever I write on this blog or my social media sites about the how-tos of dressing modestly, those are my personal opinions and recommendations.
But with a little bit of Bible study, we can see what we are covering up and why we would be prompted to choose modest fashion.
Let’s dive into a few Scripture references people like to pull up when talking about modesty and truly examine them for what they say.
Temple of the Holy Spirit
Paul talks about our bodies being a temple of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. However, the context is sexual immorality. Remember that context matters when studying Scripture. For the purposes of this blog post, we are going to be talking about modesty as one of the many ways to deter sexual immorality, but outside of the 1 Corinthians 6 discussion.
Dressing modestly is a way to deter sexual immorality in the same way dressing provocatively encourages sexual immorality. And we don’t have to talk about things like fishnet stockings or wearing obscene underwear underneath sheer clothing.
Let’s talk about the length of clothing. Consider choosing Bermuda shorts over short shorts during the summertime. Instead of wearing a tank top, choose a short-sleeved shirt. There is an aspect of modesty that includes covering up skin. But that doesn’t mean that’s the only way to be modest.
I think that many people have good intentions when they say cover up the temple of the Holy Spirit. If God is holy, and we want to be holy, we should consider dressing like it.
Beauty of a Quiet Spirit
Peter talks about submission to husbands in his first epistle. And in 1 Peter 3:3-4, he says, “do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
This is right in the middle of an entire passage of Scripture talking about submission – submission to masters, submission to government, etc. Remember to keep the context of Scripture in mind as we study it.
This passage of Scripture doesn’t say it’s a sin to wear gold jewelry, wear fine clothes, or do your hair. Rather, it’s saying your attention should be on developing your spirit. A gentle spirit doesn’t need to quarrel with others because they know that God is in control.
For the purpose of this blog post, we are going to take the idea of adorning ourselves with gold versus adorning our spirits.
To be modest means to show humility, propriety, and simplicity in your dress, speech, and actions. It doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy gold jewelry or designer clothes. It means that you aren’t overwhelming your life with those things.
In the same vein, you aren’t gathering negative attention because of the way you dress. Notice that I said negative attention. If you have it in your heart that you are seeking out the undue attention of men, whether they are married or not, that’s negative attention. If you are wearing a beautiful, new sundress you just bought and people are commenting on how flattering the color is on you, that’s positive attention.
The key here is the motivation behind what you’re wearing. When your motivation is God-honoring, you are always headed in the right direction.
[…] Tips for How to Dress Modestly […]