Modesty and Meanings

Anyone interested in the whole "fashion "versus" modesty" area of life will appreciate this well written and thoughtful article:

Muslimah Media Watch: Looking at Muslim women in the media and in pop culture: IslamOnline's Modesty Chic

It is a good thing that modest and chaste clothing is "in fashion" - does it mean that because it is fashionable that it is no longer modest? What IS the definition of modest, anyway?

I'm not sure these questions can be answered simply, but those of us who think about things like this, need backup in looking at the issues from a number of different sides. To be able to ground our own thinking, as well as to be able to present to others a little better the "why" and "what" of our behaviors and beliefs.

Head covering, as well as modest body covering, (and all forms of unspoken communication that go on all the time, whether we like it or not), will always be noticed - there's just no getting around it. And since it will be noticed anyway, then it had better not be messy or ugly, because that will detract from the "message" of the unspoken words of how and why we dress the way we do. Consider dressing like "Umar the tent maker's daughter" (or, pick your cultural background's illustration here, such as "wearing your immigrant mother's clothing, including the size"): What message does this send out to the world about what you believe to be the truth? Does what you wear (including what you put on your head) truly reflect your attitude - which we all hold to be more important than what we put on?