I Just Couldn't "Skirt" the Issue of Modesty!

I have now gone over a year wearing skirts and dresses the majority of the time! Of course there are those times where practicality calls for pants, but I have really enjoyed the challenge of finding all the different activities I can pull off in a skirt!

Contemplating the inner workings of a bell...a dumbbell that is!

For a few years now, I had been searching and searching for what Catholic modesty entailed. It’s a hard subject to find a clear answer to! Where does one draw the line? I wanted to find a clear answer of “wear this” and “don’t wear that.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy.

A particularly versatile green skirt I love!

Of course growing up I was always taught to wear modest dresses and skirts for Mass or in the Real Presence, but I wanted to find the “rules” that told me what to wear during the day to day goings ons! I found very general guidelines for modesty, but I kept coming across too many items when shopping that made me wonder. I wanted black and white, but all I could see were gray areas. The gray areas became hard, especially when attending a public high school. As a self conscious teenager, I often tried to balance being Catholic with blending into secular culture. My Mother played a huge part in guiding me through that often treacherous fashion field and I am so thankful now for all the clothing pieces she kept me from wearing!

My sisters and I on the grounds of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, WI.

One of the factors in changing over to skirts completely was meeting a young Protestant girl in my physical therapy class who solely wore skirts and dresses. She would change into some modest capris for our lab classes, but often brought a change of clothes for after the lab while the rest of us would usually just go to our next classes in our dressed down sweats and tees. And her clothes were not frumpy or homely. They were beautiful and stylish!

A hat can dress up any outfit!

It made me start thinking more of how this Protestant girl was able to subtly and classily get across the point that her beliefs on modesty and the feminine nature affected the way she dressed. I wondered: since Catholicism is contains the fullness of the Truth, and since our secular culture has deviated so far from any concept of modesty, shouldn’t Catholics have a clear standard of dress that emphasized modesty?

I researched articles and books and I didn’t really find anything recent regarding the topic until I came across Dressing with Dignity by Colleen Hammond. Although I had thoughts here and there about integrating more skirts on a daily basis, a few weeks after reading this book I decided that due to my personality, it was going to be all or none. So I decided to ditch the pants as completely as I could manage and just wear skirts.

Fun accessorizing with a shawl!

Now being in physical therapy school did not make this easy. We often had labs where pants were the more appropriate and practical attire for modesty’s sake. But instead of staying in my sweats all day, I decided to start bringing along a change of clothes as well.

My dear friend and I dressed up for a fun a photo shoot!

I also have a men’s Schwinn road bike that I like to ride (it had been a gift from my Dad to my Mom when they were dating!). Due to the bar being higher, I had to problem solve the best and modest way to ride it! I enjoyed the challenge! I decided to fasten wooden clothespins to the bar in order to clip my skirt down. Then I also bought some bike capris to put on under my skirt while riding. Problem solved! Of course I had to dabble in the length of skirt, and the knee length skirts worked the best since I didn’t have a chain guard (I learned the hard way a couple of times with my longer flowing skirts!).

Artistic photo courtesy of Anthony! 

I found I could easily play volleyball in a skirt. I’ve thrown footballs and softballs, gardened, hiked, attended baseball games, riden roller coasters, interned as a physical therapy student, and even braved an entire Wisconsin winter in skirts! I realized that, with a little creativity, one could perform most activities in a skirt.

Skirts have helped me to remind myself of the feminine nature God gave me. Sometimes I find myself reverting to the tomboyish mannerisms of my youth such as sitting in an unsightly manner or acting coarsely. Well, skirts have often been a subtle reminder to me to act and speak more like a lady.

I also have less trouble finding skirts that fit me! With my particular waist and hip proportions, I can remember crying while pant shopping because I could not seem to find anything that fit properly! Now, with many of the skirt styles I like, I only have to worry about my waist size. I have found so many more beautiful skirt and dress options and I thoroughly enjoy shopping for them!

I am a big fan of boots! I'm so excited for Fall!

The line of modesty with skirts and dresses seems more black and white to me as well. Of course there are immodest skirts and dresses. However, I feel like there are more modest options out there in the realm of dresses and skirts than in the pants world. 

Sailing in a dress is quite relaxing!

There are times when choosing a pair of pants seems like it would be so much easier to coordinate with a certain shirt or shoes. Sometimes, pants seem like to more comfortable (or warmer!) option. However, taking the time to thoughtfully dress my part as a woman has taught me discipline and it also makes me feel more put together and pretty! Wearing a skirt can make a girl feel pretty and feminine even while exercising on a 30 mile bike ride!

Fifteen miles into the bike ride!

One of the rules I try to follow when dressing for the day is that I should not be ashamed to enter a church and the Presence of Our Lord in anything that I am wearing. I understand that there are different types of dress for different occasions and I have no issue of pants when it truly is the most practical and modest option for a task (honestly though, most skirts can be made modest through some additions), but I can remember day to day clothing I have worn in the past where I would have felt too embarrassed by my outfit to enter a Catholic church. I figure, since we know not the time or the hour, I want to die confident that my dress would be pleasing to Him. I strive my dress to reflect the fullness of the female human being He had created and for Him to know I intentionally thought of Him above all else in the dress I had chosen for that day. 

A beautiful skirt a friend of mine made for me. And it has pockets!

I am so elated God has blessed me with a man loves to see me in skirts! (and headscarves for that matter! But that's a topic for another blogpost!)

He is quite the catch!