With hot summer weather here, many will be stripping down & showing more skin. Yet Scripture calls believers to a different standard. From swimming pools to athletic fields to everyday life, the pressure to expose rather than cover reveals deeper issues. Modesty is a heart issue.
People who would never think of walking down the street in their underwear think that being near a body of water means it’s ok to flaunt practically everything. As uncomfortable as it may be, the truth should be admitted that bikinis & speedos equate to underwear in public. I don’t see any reason for wearing skimpy swimwear other than to draw attention. I’m not saying to go back to the beachwear of 100 years ago when only ankles & wrists were shown, but can we strike a balance between skivvies & burqas?
Am I saying don’t go to the pool or beach? Maybe. If it’s a temptation to lust, then yes (1 John 2:16, Matt. 5:27, Job 31:1). Can you control your eyes & thoughts? OK, good, but even then exercise caution (1 Cor. 10:12-13).
Christian women & girls especially face this tension. Consider sports where male athletes compete at elite levels fully clothed, while many female athletes wear minimal coverage (in track & field, gymnastics, pole vault, volleyball, etc.)—often justified as necessary for “range of motion.” The harsher truth is that without near-nudity, viewership for women’s sports would likely plummet.
The gym presents another battleground. Skintight compression tops & leggings dominate. With the excuse that such “athletic wear” is needed, it seems little more than another excuse to seek sexual attention. Sorry, you’re not fooling anyone when you undress to impress. Social media has only amplified this thirst trap trend. People used to work out in baggy sweatpants & loose shirts, & somehow they got just as much exercise accomplished.
Whenever the subject of modesty comes up, some are quick to claim, “I’m no prude, but….” But I’ll come right out & admit that, actually, I am. Call me a prude, I don’t care. I’m proud to be a prude. What one generation or society calls “prudish,” another would simply call respectable. People can mock “prudishness” all they want, but I’d rather be called old-fashioned than approve a culture that normalizes immodesty & cheapens intimacy.
Far from mere prudishness, modesty reflects value. It isn’t about being ashamed of the body; it’s about refusing to turn yourself into a desperate display for approval or lust. There’s nothing shameful about choosing self-respect, dignity & restraint.
Immodesty is “following the way of sensuality” which refers to a lack of moral restraint marked by lustful, shameless, or sexually provocative behavior that indulges sinful desires (2 Pet. 2:2). So we’re told: “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, …not in sexual immorality & sensuality…. But put on [or “clothe yourself with”] the Lord Jesus Christ, & make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13:13-14).
Is there really any other reason for dressing sexy than to arouse sexual thoughts? Dressing provocatively is for provoking impure desires. Scripture says “that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control…with what is proper for women who profess godliness…” (1 Tim. 2:9-10). Though this was directed toward women, in our times it’s appropriate for both genders.
Of course, some men are going to lust even if women wear turtlenecks & burlap sacks. That’s the man’s problem. He bears full responsibility. Yet to say, “Men should just look away. It’s their problem, not mine,” may sound spiritual, but it’s not biblical. It doesn’t cancel women’s responsibility to “decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Rom. 14:13). The Puritans (yes, those prudish Puritans) warned that a beautiful but immodest woman amid men is “a lit candle in a world full of gunpowder.”
Stores overflow with tight, short, or revealing clothing, forcing extra effort to find modest fashions. Surrender to Christ includes such inconvenience. It’s not legalism; it’s obedience & holiness. As one woman expressed: “It is not shame that keeps me covered. It is dignity and honor… I do not dress to glorify my own body. I dress to glorify my King.”
Girls & women may innocently put on an outfit because they feel confident & look cute, so they walk out the door without a second thought. But living modestly means really taking a second look & being mindful, “Does this honor God? Would this cause someone to stumble? If Jesus were standing beside me, would I wear this?”
In this way, men can gain space to pursue purity without constant visual assault. Women can find joy in valuing themselves as God does, not pressured to be objectified for public consumption. That’s not “empowerment”; it’s commodification. They can find freedom from the exhausting cycle of comparison & performance. In a world that celebrates “if you’ve got it, flaunt it,” modesty feels almost revolutionary.
Cultural standards of appropriateness vary, but biblical principles remain for treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Modesty reflects a humble heart instead of insecure pridefulness. It treats others as “brothers & sisters” instead of audiences for attention (1 Tim. 5:1-2). It means seeking our approval from Him instead of from them(Gal. 1:10).