"I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic!"

As girls we live in a world where we're told to conform ourselves to a plastic Barbie doll mold. We're pressured to put modesty, sophistication, values and morals aside—after all, looks are what truly matter!

Fashion is on every girl's mind. Wanting to look your best is part of our nature, and admittedly it makes us feel really good. But is there a balance between being modest and trendy? Is it even possible to be both? What exactly is modesty, what importance does it have in your life, and does God care about how we look?

Shocked by the guys

I was shocked to hear the guys I had been attending class with ask the girls to please dress modestly. What? I'd always thought that guys expected girls to dress slightly scandalously; that they wanted us to look sexy like the girls on TV or in the magazines who wear the latest trends.

To hear that these young men prefer a girl to cover up the cleavage, lengthen her skirt and hide her midriff seemed strange. Of course, the guys like it when we dress nicely, but clearly they weren't interested in temporary, shallow attraction.

There are ways to be both modest and trendy! And what girl doesn't like to shop?

Modesty defined

Fashion guru Paulina Carmel said, "Modesty comes first from the heart, and then encompasses all aspects of dress, speech, and behavior. Modesty does not start with what you wear, then affects your heart. Instead, it starts in your heart, and then affects what you wear."

Wow, that was new news to me! No one ever told me that speech and actions were a part of modesty. It turns out that being ditzy, vulgar, crude or loose with our bodies isn't what these guys in my class were looking for either. Intelligence and good character when shown through our speech and actions is attractive!

The Bible on fashion

Paul the apostle was in fact also a fashion guru: "And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do" (1 Timothy 2:9-10, New Living Translation).

"Decent and appropriate" are good things, right? Through Paul, God makes it clear that He does care about our appearance and how people perceive us. We should strive to be modest in appearance and take the focus off looks and self. Let others see us as people via our service and character.

Ignore Barbie

Looking at female role models in today's society can make a commitment to modesty seem impossible, but I have found this proverb to be the greatest motivator: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:30).

Girls, let's hold ourselves to a higher standard than the world's plastic mold! Inner beauty and confidence will radiate years longer than outer looks. Please take time to read "First Threads—The Origin and Impact of Clothes."

Step aside Barbie, with your perfect plastic body, tiny clothing and ditzy demeanor—modesty, sophistication, values and morals are now the latest trend! VT