Of Modesty and Men (and Women too!)

I have been following the issue of women and modesty (which I have dubbed the modesty storm) rather disinterestedly for some time time now. I didn’t even bat an eye when one of my fellow Oregonian bloggers gave up wearing leggings in order to be modest. My only thought was, Duh! All women should give up leggings. How do they expect their brothers in Christ to not stumble when they look upon the bountiful gifts bestowed upon women? 

I applauded the woman and moved on with my life, silently scoffing at those who balked at her dedication to truly following Christ.

However, I do pride myself in being egalitarian; men and women are equal, after all. Equal but different of course, but that’s a different subject. As such, I have often wondered about men and how we can help our sisters in Christ to not stumble as well.

Finally, I came upon a solution!

I found a blog post on some site called Ain’t I a Woman entitled Let’s Talk Men, Sin, and Afghan Blanket Shorts. The author, Melanie Springer Mock, also wonders about modesty for men and has come up with the beginnings of a great idea.  She proposes that men should wear shorts made from afghan blankets.

However, like many revolutionary thinkers, she doesn’t go far enough.

Sure, the general unattractiveness of the shorts is enough to divert the lustful thoughts of many a sinful woman. However, shorts do leave a significant portion of the leg exposed.  It’s impossible to the deny the attractiveness and tempting powers of a well toned calf muscle.  This is true of both men and women.

So, what men really need to do to be true men of God is to put on a pair of afghan trousers.

Of course, these trousers need to be worn with shirts. Otherwise, we men will be back to making women stumble.

A full length trouser protects our sisters in Christ from falling by the wayside.

Other adjustments need to be made as well.  For example, such trousers would need some sort of lining to prevent chafing. After all, we wouldn’t want to hurt any of our own God-given gifts.

I am willing to take this step and I hope other men will follow me on this brave journey.  To my sisters in Christ, I want you to know that I only want to help you on your quest for Christ.  Together, we can live modest, Christ-centered lives.