A trend is moving across the land, and it is headed in the right direction. Dress styles have gotten so bad that people are beginning to wake up.
The Tennessee Legislature is considering a bill known as the “saggy pants” measure. A number of citizens have had enough of seeing young men with their pants hanging down below their waistline and exposing their underwear. Tennessee joins other Southern states that are considering steps to curb this nuisance. Some of the bills would prohibit it in schools; others propose banning it in public.
High schools in several states are warning girls not to dress like “Dancing With the Stars” if they plan on attending the prom. One school in Georgia is displaying posters in hallways with pictures of dresses that will and will not be allowed. A school in Oklahoma gave students a booklet with pictures of unacceptable dresses. School officials have finally decided that things have gone too far.
What did they expect? The problem is with school dances in the first place. You cannot encourage boys and girls to touch, hold, and gyrate on a dance floor and expect them to control their feelings. Dancing stirs these passions, so of course these young people are going to push the limits in what they wear and how they behave. The other problem is that many of the dresses that were being worn were already indecent.
A Victoria’s Secret model quit her job recently. She is married and claims to be a Christian, and those were the two reasons she gave for leaving. “My body should only be for my husband…I didn’t really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls.” As she read the Bible more, she decided, “I just started becoming more uncomfortable with it.” She has been mocked by the media because “modeling lingerie does not conform with her Christian beliefs.”
Her case is so outrageous that surely any Christian would agree with her decision.  But how many Christians do essentially the same thing? What is the difference between a model going down a catwalk wearing lingerie and a young woman strolling along a beach or swimming pool wearing a bikini in front of men? Be honest.
Why do things have to get this bad before people decide something is wrong? The fact is that our society left God’s standard of modesty and decency a long time ago. The opening pages of the Bible show that there is a difference between having some clothes on and having enough clothes on. Adam and Eve made aprons to go around their waists, but that was not enough, so God made coats or tunics to cover their bodies appropriately (Gen. 3:7, 10, 21). It is good to see a change in attitude on this subject, but we have a very long way to go.
-Kerry Duke, written Sunday, April 15, 2012