the young particularly, whose minds are easily bent towards vice, are exposed to the extreme danger of losing their innocence, which is, by far, the most beautiful adornment of mind and body. Feminine adornment, if it can be called adornment, feminine clothing, ‘if that can be called clothing which contains nothing to protect either the body or modesty’ (Seneca), are at times of such a nature that they seem to serve lewdness rather than modesty. What we are discussing here is obviously most serious, since it vitally concerns not only Christian virtue but also the health and vigour of human society. Well did not the ancient poet say of this matter: ‘Vice necessarily follows upon public nudity’ (Ennius)”.49 When we add to this what the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen said about nudity being the mark of the demonic, we can see clearly where this movement comes from and where it leads. It should be pointed out too that ordinarily men are dressed more modestly on our beaches than women. True, they are bare-backed most of the time, but this is culturally acceptable for men, even though I am of the mind that it should be avoided unless there are only men around. But you would rarely find a man wearing the revealing type of swimsuit (known as ‘Speedos’) that most female suits provide. More generally, it is shocking that when you meet people on the streets or on hikes, men almost always have long shorts down to the knees, while the women frequently seem to have to exhibit their thighs – and as much of them as they can possibly manage… Fig leaves are not enough! To cover the bare minimum in public is like being naked; in a way it is worse, because it can arouse the passions even more by the “hide and seek” mentality it encourages. When prostitutes “advertise” themselves, they do not walk around naked. Sometimes they might even be hard to distinguish from modest women, but most of the time, they will dress in ways that entice the eyes to certain parts of the body that are more attractive to men. They do not show their hidden parts, but the way they dress and act invites men to want to see them. It’s an unspoken message that says: “you can see more if you want it”. I definitely do not intend to imply that whenever a woman dresses in such a way she is playing the harlot. What I want to get across to you, since I have a responsibility for your dear soul, is that regardless of intentions, there are ways of dressing which, objectively speaking, send that message. 87
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