Miley Cyrus and One-piece Swimsuits

     I bought a one-piece swimsuit.  I know that I'm the minority of teenage girls that would ever think about wearing one.  I always wear one when I go tubing, since the pressure of the water is enough to pull anything that is more than one piece off of my body.
     I was lucky enough to be able to find a cute swimsuit.  There aren't too many of those out there that will actually cover what you need covered.  This was an exception.  It just so happened to be my size and on sale, so I bought it.

     As I left the store, I thought about how few suits there are that are modest but still cute.  As time has gone on, views on modesty have all but fell out of relevance.  At one time, women were expected to cover up even when swimming.  Even revealing feet would have been vanity.

     I'm not saying that it's something that I advocate for, to cover feet, or anything that radical.  I just find it fascinating how the moral standard can slip so quickly.  What would have been scandalous then is now considered conservative.

     I'm not completely against bikinis, but I've never worn one.  I do wear a midkini with form fitting but non-underwear-like bottoms.  Some bikinis have no more coverage than lingerie, and yet people choose to be seen in public wearing them.

     I believe that a part of that is because we live in a culture that sells sex on a stick.  Everything suggests it, the media, our humor, music, and the clothes we wear.  It's supposed to be good, it's so mainstream, every one's doing it so it must be right, right?  Wrong.  As a Christian, I feel called to follow my convictions, not the culture.  

     Recently, pop culture has been full of Miley Cyrus.  After the VMA's, media outlets were buzzing about her.  A lot of people seem to think that she makes herself look like an idiot by trying to separate her image from her past.  

     I don't think that by allowing the world to see her body, she will earn their respect.  She seems to feel that it's alright to leave everything hanging out.  I find it inappropriate and to show very little self respect.  Does she feel that she needs to become that much of a spectacle in order for others to notice or like her?

     When asked on Jimmy Kimmel what her father thinks about her outfits, she responded, and this is not a direct quote, that he would rather she be a nice woman without her shirt on than an awful woman with it on.  My question is, why can't she be both?

     Some people laud her as a leader for female body image.  She's proud of her body, they say, that's a good thing.  There's something wrong with the movement of showing skin.  Just because a female is proud of her body, doesn't mean she has to expose it to the world.  Yes, self confidence is great, but so is modesty.

     People who say that males should not be bothered by what women wear or distracted by them clearly don't understand how visual men and boys are.  Yes, they should show respect for women's bodies, but they should not have to deal with the temptations that some women put before their eyes.  

     This is not a message to condemn women, it is a plea for modesty.  When a woman dresses revealingly, you can bet that people aren't focused on the kind of person they are.  So let me leave it as this, maybe you won't wear a one-piece, but remember that expressing yourself and being confident doesn't have to mean showing skin.  You will be beautiful either way.