Doctor Explains Why It’s Not Prudish to Encourage Modesty

“…irrational, out of touch, and completely unaware of a woman’s mindset and needs.” And in the context of the church, I have found that those who hint that modest dress is appropriate are also accused of lust and of being a legalist. When it comes to public appearance and deportment, many demand their rights to high-handedly exercise liberty and have little to no concern at all for their community of fellow-worshippers. They put on public display for all to see what should be kept private for their spouses. Rather than protecting the mystery of one’s body, many expose themselves during worship and thereby rob Christ of worship by stealing attention for themselves.

We ought not take TOO strong a stand with Gabby Douglas, as she’s (a) apologized for her comments, and (b) more importantly, it’s pretty hard to be classically modest when you’re getting physical therapy for gymnastics injuries. Massage is typically received with a towel loosely placed over the tuckus, and not much else on, to facilitate the work. (never mind that the root word for “gymnastics” is the Greek “Gymnos”, “naked”)

And quite frankly, I’m amused at the scientific-y way of describing why people in swimsuits or less don’t do well on tests. We can’t just say that they’re cold or uneasy at being seen, no, we’ve got to invent a disease-sounding name for it. Good grief.

Glad that people are starting to come alongside, but in my view they’ve got a long way to go.

” I’m amused at the scientific-y way of describing why people in swimsuits or less don’t do well on tests. “

The article identifies, though briefly, a control in the experiment. Similarly dressed men did not experience the same results. So there is more going on than “being cold or uneasy.” I haven’t read the details of how the study was conducted, but it would be charitable to give the researches a little credit for knowing what they’re doing.

It’s a shame she was pressured into apologizing. But sincere apology or not — it has no bearing on whether she was right.

The wholesale rejection of modesty is just one more the many, many ways we moderns think we are so much wiser than our forebears. We have become a bratty adolescent culture determined to self destruct rather than pull our fingers out of our ears and hear what people before us have already learned the hard way.

Aaron, the Douglas tweet came right after Raisman noted that she’d been abused by Nassar on the therapy/massage table, where both she and Douglas presumably spent a lot of time dealing with the aches and pains of gymnastics in precisely the same attire—often just a towel over the tuckus, and that only when the issue being treated wasn’t precisely the muscles that anchor on the pelvis. Douglas was 100% right to apologize for that one, seeing her modesty was precisely the same as was Raisman’s when they were both molested. One may as well blame a colonoscopy patient for being “immodest” if the proctologist decides to take liberties, no?

This has absolutely nothing to do with Raisman’s participation in the ESPN body issue, or some of her other fashion choices.

Regarding the study, it’s worth noting that the boys were in loose fitting swim trunks and not tight fitting speedos. I can state from experience, having swum competitively, that boys respond differently in the latter. So even apart from the known differences between boys and girls, I really don’t see what this study shows. OK, kids in tight spandex get uneasy, increasing with the degree of skin coverage. Yes, I’ve known that for four decades now, they got federal funding for this one exactly….why?