Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I Wish I Had That Kind Of Nerve!

We all have lived through the fashion wars and dress codes have been all over the page for years. It was King Solomon who once observed that there is nothing new under the sun and the way fashion is recycled and repackaged, it's clear that those out of date duds will be a coming attraction at some point in the future. Let's face it, there's a lot of immodest clothing out there today especially for the women folk. Low cut tops, bare midriffs, tattoos in revealing places and clothes so tight they look like they have been painted on have become the 'in-style' look for today.

My grandmother used to see a young lady dressed in improper attire and she would say, "She's dressed just like a hussy!" While you don't hear that word very much anymore and I didn't really know the definition of it when she used it, but I did know what she meant. It's still defined as a woman considered to be brazen or immoral, or a saucy or impudent girl. My grandmother's comment indicated that young ladies who dressed that way were asking for trouble.

One of the things that always amazes me is how ladies dress in a provocative way but they react in a very hostile manner whenever they receive unwanted attention. When men stare they glare back at them as if the guys are the ones who caused the problem to begin with. I will never forget a situation at a doctor's office one day. I had made this appointment with this throat specialist to see if I had those nodules that hinder speaking and singing. I didn't have them so I ended up not being able to use a medical condition as an excuse for my lousy vocal presentation, but that's another story.

We were all sitting there in the small waiting room and this young, attractive lady, perhaps in her early twenties came in. She was wearing one of those micro mini skirts and when she sat down she immediately began to furiously pull and stretch her skirt to try and cover herself up. Meanwhile, she glared at all the men in the room while doing her frenetic and frenzied gyrations. Finally, an elderly gentleman got up and went over to the lady, leaned down, and he said this to her: "Young lady, no one here told you to wear those clothes and it's certainly not our fault that you are in such distress. You might want to think about this next time you select something to wear in public." Wow! I couldn't have it said it better but I wouldn't have because I don't have that kind of nerve. At times, I wish I did. He was right and maybe his comments helped her.

I've had conversations with my eldest granddaughter about the clothes people choose to wear. Simply stated, I've told her that the biblical standard for modesty is that we are to conduct ourselves in a manner which includes how we dress so that we do not solicit or elicit an improper or unwarranted response from others. I've told her that no one can keep another person from thinking the wrong things but we can do our part in making sure we are not instigating the wrong kind of thoughts. Having been a teenager myself, I am quite sure she didn't immediately agree with the words from her wise old Poppy. But that didn't keep me from giving my advice, and sharing it in this forum which is why I call this blog the view from here. That's my insights for today and no one knows including me what will be on my mind next time. Stay tuned, it could even by accident turn out to be something of interest. .........More later.

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