Girl Seeks Modesty During Prom Season

As Spring rolls around, so does prom dresses under 100 for many young women around the country. Yet, for girls of many faiths, finding a modest dress can be quite challenging with today’s fashions. We believe our body is God’s sacred creation and for this reason we dress modestly to show respect for Him. As the Apostle Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, “Know ye not that ye are the temple? of God, and that? the Spirit? of God dwelleth in? you? … The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” We believe that modesty – for men and women – is always in fashion. Our standards for modest dress are outlined in the For the Strength of the Youth, a pamphlet that is given to all young men and women ages 12 and up, but is equally applicable for adults. https://www.lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth?lang=eng In the Dress and Appearance section, it states that “Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or the back or revealing in any other manner.” In other words, no dresses that are strapless, sleeveless, or have spaghetti straps. And, with today’s fashions, dresses meeting these standards are nearly impossible to find. For my Prom many years ago, my mom ordered me a beautiful white dress with a lace overlay out of a catalog. When I received the dress, I excitedly tried it on only to be disappointed. I realized that it did not fit me like it did on the model in the catalog and was not modest–it was too low-cut and had shorter sleeves than I originally thought. Fortunately for me, my mom was a talented seamstress and was able to make the necessary alterations so that my dress fit modestly. Altering clothing, especially dresses, is nothing new to many Mormon women and teens. I recently watched this video about an LDS high school senior who ran into the same problem with Prom dresses that I did, but went the “extra mile” in solving the problem. The girl in the video reminded me of what Proverbs 31:10 is talking about where it says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” I loved how this young woman understood the importance of her virtue and helped others to understand theirs! Watch this video and tell me what you think.