Holidays are fun. It’s a time to take a break from work, school, waking up early, or other routines that we do on a normal weekday or weekend. Some holidays even give us the opportunity to dress up. In this case, can we take a break from modesty as well? How about when we have to go to a prom and our dream dress fall a little short of our modesty standards? Can’t this be an exception to the rule?
Most of us have had an experience when our standards on modesty have been challenged. A prom, photo shoot, company party, pageant, Halloween party, or cosplay could be some of the reasons we pause and ask, “Can I take a break from modesty even just for a day?”
We might reason that we can because it’s a costume for a specific occasion, much like when people wear swimsuits at the beach. But even during these occasions we can still choose to dress modestly.
(Photo Credit: Trixie Martinez) Young women during a school ball.
It might be hard sometimes to find a work-around or alternative, especially when we really like a dress, or we really want to dress-up like a movie character. More so when our friends dress in certain ways that do not conform to our standards and we really want to feel included in the group. We can also easily feel this way when the things that are trendy and cool show a lot of skin. When we are faced with any of these situations, a scripture passage from Corinthians might help us make the right choice, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? … The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
When we think of temples, we often think of the edifices that are built for sacred ordinances and covenants. Can these temples take a break from being holy or clean? Can these temples make an exception to the rule and transform these sacred structures into recreational places even just for one holiday or occasion? Absolutely not! Like these sacred buildings, we are temples too. And when asked if we can take a break from modesty, the answer is the same.
We do not claim that those who wear clothes that do not match our modesty standards are not good people. We do not claim that we are better than anybody else. But we believe that our bodies are sacred temples. We believe that our bodies are gifts from God and we show respect to our bodies through dressing modestly. We also believe that dressing modestly invites the companionship of the Holy Ghost to guide us in our daily lives.
