be honest and say that it would make me happy to know that you are dressed that way. There is no more beautiful sight on earth, admirable to behold. Modest dress was a gift of God to the world after Original Sin,27 for it allows a man to admire beauty in a woman without the risk of any unbecoming thoughts for her. If you ever have the opportunity to read about or to see documentaries on the way women dressed in former ages, all that went into preparing them for their daily duties, the noble gracefulness manifested in what they wore and everything they did, inspiring even all their movements, by all means study it well. Never forget that every woman is destined to be a spouse, a mother, a queen. The sight of a beautifully and modestly dressed woman warms the heart of every good man and fills it with wholesome thoughts, for the appeal is to all that is noble and generous in his own heart. Such a woman commands respect and trust. But do you have to dress that way? Of course not. Dresses do not have to reach the ankles, but they do need to cover the knees when you are sitting, nor should you have to pull and stretch the skirt to make sure it does – that would be a sign that it is far too short. It does not have to cover the entire arm to the wrist. However it must cover the shoulders and should reach down to the elbow. Remember also how I wrote earlier that when it comes to dress, it is not just about hiding the skin, that is to say the external surface of the body, but also about hiding its form, its shape. An outfit that perfectly fits the body, even though it hides all the skin, such as a skin-tight form-fitting dress or skin-tight leggings – very common today –, is nonetheless immodest for the reason that the intimate shape of the body is on exhibit. You might be wondering if the Church has ever given any guidelines on what is considered to be modest? She has indeed. On January 12, 1930, by mandate of Pope Pius XI, the Sacred Congregation of the Council sent to all bishops of the world a note directing them to insist on a number of prescriptions concerning modesty. They carry with them the specific weight of having been the only official declaration of the Church in this realm: “A dress cannot be called decent which is cut deeper than two fingers breadth under the pit of the throat, which does not cover the arms at least to the elbows, and scarcely reaches a bit beyond the knee. Furthermore, dresses of transparent material are improper”.28 Here and there you will find people contending that these norms were established for a particular case, but in reality they are for all women in all 64
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