Modest is HOTTEST (even in Arizona)

So this weekend I had the wonderful privilege of going home! (For three days…)  I flew home, got to sleep in a little, and had a chance to spend time with my family before Spring term starts.  (Spring term isn’t part of the regular semester, it’s like going to school for the summer. I chose to stay so I could work and take Italiano!)

This weekend I went home to Arizona.  As I stepped off the plane there was a blast of heat, something I’m pretty used to.  But it’s April, I wasn’t expecting it to be as hot as it was.  The next day was about 99 degrees, and for the rest of the weekend the temperature was in the low 100s.  It was HOT.  And it gets hotter, I know it does.   It has gotten much hotter before.  Heat isn’t really an explainable phenomenon, you have to experience it.  Heat is like another presence.  It weighs on you; you can literally feel it pushing you in from all sides.  Your feet can’t touch the asphalt, and if they do, you’re doing a little dance.   You can’t touch the ground for more than a few seconds without your feet feeling numb.  

Now on to my point.

It was hot.  Yes, I realize it was really hot.  That’s why you stay inside.  But after leaving my BYU bubble, I was shocked and reminded of how lots of Arizona girls dress.  We went to the mall on Friday and Saturday, and it was like some of these girls were weren’t wearing anything.  Seriously.

I could explain how they were dressed, but I’m not going to get into the specifics.  Let’s just say I saw too much.

Friends from home have asked me why I dress the way I do during the Arizona summers.  “Aren’t you so hot with all of that clothing?”, they ask.  “You don’t need to be self-conscious, you have a great body.”

My body is a temple.  I choose to dress modestly because my body is a gift from God.  My body is vital to my mortal experience on Earth.  It is one of the greatest gifts God has given me.  I want to treat it with respect.  For me, modesty is a physical manifestation of my love for Him.

I believe in Jesus Christ; I choose to follow Him.  I am His representative.  

Why do I choose to dress modestly?  Because I know who I am.  I am a daughter of God.  He loves me – he gave His life for me.  I am proud of my divine identity, and this is where I find my confidence.  

I don’t wear short shorts because I am ashamed of my legs, I choose not to wear short shorts because I respect my body.  

These are my beautiful sisters.  When I was home this weekend, we took pictures of our modest outfits for church. It was 100 degrees outside, but we covered up 🙂 Sleeves, knee length skirts, and beautiful smiles 🙂  

I’d say those are some gorgeous girls right there.  Some beautiful, modest girls.

Emma Watson, who played Hermione in Harry Potter, said:

I like this.  Less is more.  I don’t know if I like the idea that “people can wonder,” but I like the idea that we don’t need to reveal ourselves to feel confident.

I choose to dress modestly because I respect myself.  

How I dress shows the world who I am and what I stand for.  I don’t have to show every inch of my skin to be confident, as a matter of fact, it’s the opposite.

And, if you’re dressing that way to get guys’ attention, those aren’t the kind of guys you want to be looking at you anyway.  Wouldn’t you rather someone be attracted to you because of your twinkling smile and glow that comes from within you?

The media makes it seem that women, in order to be accepted and regarded as pretty, should wear what they tell them to wear.  But that’s just a part of it.  

An empowered woman is one who finds confidence in her inner light, in the knowledge of who she is.  

And even though it’s 100 degrees outside, I still choose to dress modestly. Because I know who I am.