"Sexy" Fashions?

I came across this article today which I found, as a young woman, quite insightful to read. The article is called "'Sexy' Fashions? What do Men Really Think?". Really, what it comes down to, as always, is charity and the dignity of the human person.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

How do women's "sexy" clothes really affect men? As a man, I'd like to explain. So often, I see women in tight jeans, form-fitting dresses and mini-skirts. Some are wearing "painted-on" pants, low-cut blouses and tight sweaters, while others show parts of their bras here or there. Women are wearing "sexy" fashions just about everywhere — to school, work, even church.

Are these women striving to be honored and respected by men? Sometimes I wonder what their motives are deep down inside. Are they trying to be attractive and fashionable — or are they seeking something more? Do they know what signals they're sending men? Are they looking for attention — or are they trying to find a good husband and permanent love? Are they trying to attract a date — or trying to boost self-confidence?

It may be these reasons or others, but the bottom line is that dressing in "sexy" clothes will not cause men to honor or respect women. In fact, it's actually guaranteed to cause men to dishonor and disrespect them. If you want a man to respect you, and perhaps eventually fall in love with you, then you must show him that you respect yourself and that you recognize your dignity before God. The best way to show this is through modesty in dress, words, thoughts and actions.

I think that a lot of women recognize the so called 'power' they hold in how they present their bodies... they have the power to attract attention and capture the minds and imaginations of those around them. The irony though is that when they present a distorted view of who they are as persons through dressing immodestly the only power at play is an enslavement to the perversion of human sexuality that has permeated our culture. In immodest dress the beauty and Truth of human sexuality is twisted and the language of the body is corrupted.

I admit it, at times it's tough in this world to dress modestly. It takes a little extra effort. Personally, when I'm buying clothes or getting dressed in the morning I ask myself a few questions... What kind of attention am I wanting to attract? What am I going to attract attention to in wearing this? What does what I am wearing reveal about who I am as a person? Dressing modestly does not mean you have to wear a plaid jumper down to your ankles, but rather its about treating yourself and those around you with respect and charity.