Appealing or Appalling?

I have mentioned before that I like watching people and of course watching myself (and the beam in my eye). One of the things I watch/observe is the way a lot of people, especially females, dress during different seasons of the year and in different places or for events. On occassion, I actually walk up to some of those ladies whose dressing (and comportment), in my opinion, are "appealing" and compliment/commend them. When I notice what I would consider "appalling" dressing - especially in church or similar settings, I also approach the person, within my limits, and comment - I do my best not to condemn them.

Before I go on with this posting, I'd like to make 2 things clear - possibly stating the obvious:
1. I'm not a fashion "expert" and have no intention to become one either.
2. I realize that I may be stepping into murky waters with this topic because what is appalling to one person may be appealing to another and vice versa.

With those cards on the table, the question for me is: "How much self-respect do we display with the way we dress?" I know some people would rather overlook this than tackle it head on - I cannot disagree more, so I'll continue - I hope you'll continue reading too...

I mean if you look around, you'll notice that most ladies in places of high responsibility and reputation are well dressed and it has nothing to do with the cost of their outfits. The way I see it, only things on sale are displayed - I mean if it's not on "sale" please do not display it.

The fact is when some ladies dress in what I call revealing clothes, it tells on all of us because some people will paint ladies with that same brush. Apart from the distraction it causes especially in corporate and christian settings, it actually causes distress to a lot of people not to mention some marriages and homes it has destroyed - and that is not appealing.

The other part to this is that I've noticed a number of women who dress in appropriately appealing ways and whose daughters' dressing is appalling. Now that is something I can't understand. Maybe someone can explain that to me. Which path of dressing do such ladies want their daughters to take? Such daughters - and many others - may be confused too.

A very wise person once said:

"Dress the way you want to be addressed."

I know it is easy to go to the other extreme and that is not the intention and if you ask me, the litmus test is easy. Just before you leave the house, look in your mirror and ask yourself, "how will I be addressed if the only thing that mattered is the way I'm dressed?" Someone could say: "I'm comfortable in my clothes" - my response would then be: "why do I see some ladies pulling parts of their clothes as if it just shrunk on them?"

Well enough said - I'm sure we all get the point. We are created to display the glory of God and that includes being discreet about areas of our bodies that only our husbands should see. I'm sure not going to come up with a dress code for you...because I'm sure you can figure out what is appealing and what is appalling by yourself - if you are not sure, ask the Holy Spirit and I'm sure He'll be more than happy to help you - so you radiate God's glory.