I always grew up hearing lecture upon lecture about the importance for young women to be 'modest.' I will (somewhat shamefully) admit that I've even given a lecture or two on the topic myself. Modesty was hashed and rehashed at home, at school, at youth group, during Bible studies, during worship sessions, during meals, during shopping trips, and during pretty much any and every other opportunity possible. And even back in my semi-brainwashed-by-religion phase, I always knew that the arguments given were crap.
Why on earthy would it be my job by nature of my being female to somehow control or even just affect how guys may or may not look at me?
That was always the first question that popped into my head any time the topic of modesty was broached. Why would the onus be on me to control how another autonomous human being thinks or acts? I simply can't control another person’s thoughts or actions.
Now I guess I've always kind of known this, but it wasn't until this past weekend's SlutWalk that it dawned on me the reason why this logic is so very wrong. It's because it is just another one of the many symptoms of this horrible rape culture that permeates our entire society. I could never come anywhere close to explaining rape culture as well as Melissa McEwan at Shakesville does here:
Rape culture is the way in which the constant threat of sexual assault affects women's daily movements. Rape culture is telling girls and women to be careful about what you wear, how you wear it, how you carry yourself, where you walk, when you walk there, with whom you walk, whom you trust, what you do, where you do it, with whom you do it, what you drink, how much you drink, whether you make eye contact, if you're alone, if you're with a stranger, if you're in a group, if you're in a group of strangers, if it's dark, if the area is unfamiliar, if you're carrying something, how you carry it, what kind of shoes you're wearing in case you have to run, what kind of purse you carry, what jewelry you wear, what time it is, what street it is, what environment it is, how many people you sleep with, what kind of people you sleep with, who your friends are, to whom you give your number, who's around when the delivery guy comes, to get an apartment where you can see who's at the door before they can see you, to check before you open the door to the delivery guy, to own a dog or a dog-sound-making machine, to get a roommate, to take self-defense, to always be alert always pay attention always watch your back always be aware of your surroundings and never let your guard down for a moment lest you be sexually assaulted and if you are and didn't follow all the rules it's your fault.
Telling girls that they must dress (or not dress) a certain way to somehow try and control how someone else thinks or acts is a direct extension of this culture.
But even beyond the injustice of placing this burden, blame, and shame on women for when guys think or act a certain way, it dawned on me the other night that there’s a bigger (or at least equally big) problem with this lesson being taught to young girls: it places the entire focus of the discussion on how girl’s choices affect guys. Instead of being an empowering discussion about how the way a young woman dresses and acts affects and reflects her self-confidence and self-worth, it does the exact opposite: it places the entire discussion in terms of boys. And this all happens most frequently during a time when young women are trying desperately hard to figure themselves out.
But here’s the thing: for girls who have somehow managed to grow into women with at least some degree of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-respect, the way they dress (most of the time) has very little to do with how it is perceived by the rest of the world. Instead, confident and empowered women wear clothing that expresses who they are, what they are comfortable in, and what makes them feel beautiful and strong.
A woman who is assured of her own worth doesn’t wear a low-cut top or a short skirt to try and attract a guy’s attention. If she chooses to wear these things, it is because she feels comfortable and empowered in these clothes. It will have nothing to do with the reactions she receives from others.
When I was growing up and trying to develop my own sense of style and fashion (and self-worth), I was never told to look for clothing that makes me feel beautiful and confident and powerful and loved and respected. I was simply told that certain clothes were too tight or too short or too low-cut or too little or too much or too… I was lectured about how to pick clothing that wouldn’t “force” guy’s minds to wander or lust or desire or even simply to guess.
Now, quick disclaimer here: I’m not writing this as (another) angry rant against how I was raised. Really, I’m over it. And I really don’t blame any of the many people who lectured me about modesty. How girl’s clothing affects a guy’s mind has been the only way that the issue has been framed for so long that’s it’s in no way surprising that the people I grew up with didn’t know any better. So, no, that's not the point.
I’m writing this because there has got to be a shift in focus. The only way to change the rape culture is to continually combat it, and so this is one thing that has to change. The discussion needs to be shifted off of the term “modesty” (because, really, it’s such a fucking ambiguous term anyways that’s it’s already pretty much useless), and instead focus on fostering confidence, self-worth, and self-respect in young women. And then let them make their own choices about what types of clothing they are truly comfortable wearing. And even if their motives have nothing to do with their own confidence and empowerment, we must always remember that, no matter what a girl/woman wears, it is never her fault if a guy chooses to think or act improperly.
