Christian Match Making: Should Single Christian Women Wear Bikinis?
Should a single Christian woman wear a bikini? Does the way a woman dress affect her ability to find her Christian match? The way we dress has changed a lot over the last fifty years and swimwear has changed right along with it.
Styles, material, or the lack thereof, have taken on a drastically different appearance than their more modest counterparts.
Along with this change has also come a shift in the way society, as a whole, views what is or is not deemed appropriate in relation to clothing of any type.
Styles that were once considered flamboyant and sexually tempting seem modest and perhaps even prudish now.
Let's take Marilyn Monroe for example.
Her low-cut neckline, form-fitting bodice and leg showing skirt were considered quite risqué for the time period she lived in.
A woman wearing the same dress today might still bring attention to herself, however, the outfit itself would not necessarily rate in the top ten of seductive wear.
In looking at the issue of a single Christian woman wearing a bikini it is important to first look at the underlying issues surrounding why women in general desire to dress in clothing that accentuates or reveals their bodies.
In order to do this one must look at the barrage of messages that are sent to women from the time they are young girls via the media, fashion magazines, and the movie industry.
While packaged differently the intended message is still the same.
If you want to be successful, attractive to the opposite sex, and popular you must dress a certain way, be a certain weight and be willing to do whatever it takes to stand out in the crowd.
For some, standing out in the crowd has meant lowering their standards with regard to dress and modesty so they won't be ridiculed by their peers.
By the time a single Christian woman has reached maturity, this message has been played over and over for her to the point where she becomes desensitized to it.
An example of this might be a young Christian college girl invited to her first beach party.
As she shops for a bathing suit with her single Christian friends who all select revealing seductive bikinis, the girl simply tells herself it is okay because my friends are Christians and they are buying them.
Unfortunately, this is a message that gets reinforced when she wears the revealing swimwear and receives lots of attention from the opposite sex.
The ultimate answer to whether or not a single Christian woman should wear a bikini is found in the bible.
The bible doesn't mention the word "bikini" but little doubt can be left as to how a Christian woman should dress after reading 1 Timothy 2:9 which states "Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire.
" Proverbs 7:10 is one of those verses that really sums up what a Christian woman should be asking herself any time she considers wearing something sexually seductive or revealing.
"And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
" The descriptive nature of the clothing in this verse implies perhaps that the clothing a prostitute wears differs dramatically from normal or modest dress for a reason.
Perhaps instead of asking whether or not a single Christian woman should wear a bikini and if it affects her ability to find her Christian match maybe the question we should be asking is why would she want to?
Styles, material, or the lack thereof, have taken on a drastically different appearance than their more modest counterparts.
Along with this change has also come a shift in the way society, as a whole, views what is or is not deemed appropriate in relation to clothing of any type.
Styles that were once considered flamboyant and sexually tempting seem modest and perhaps even prudish now.
Let's take Marilyn Monroe for example.
Her low-cut neckline, form-fitting bodice and leg showing skirt were considered quite risqué for the time period she lived in.
A woman wearing the same dress today might still bring attention to herself, however, the outfit itself would not necessarily rate in the top ten of seductive wear.
In looking at the issue of a single Christian woman wearing a bikini it is important to first look at the underlying issues surrounding why women in general desire to dress in clothing that accentuates or reveals their bodies.
In order to do this one must look at the barrage of messages that are sent to women from the time they are young girls via the media, fashion magazines, and the movie industry.
While packaged differently the intended message is still the same.
If you want to be successful, attractive to the opposite sex, and popular you must dress a certain way, be a certain weight and be willing to do whatever it takes to stand out in the crowd.
For some, standing out in the crowd has meant lowering their standards with regard to dress and modesty so they won't be ridiculed by their peers.
By the time a single Christian woman has reached maturity, this message has been played over and over for her to the point where she becomes desensitized to it.
An example of this might be a young Christian college girl invited to her first beach party.
As she shops for a bathing suit with her single Christian friends who all select revealing seductive bikinis, the girl simply tells herself it is okay because my friends are Christians and they are buying them.
Unfortunately, this is a message that gets reinforced when she wears the revealing swimwear and receives lots of attention from the opposite sex.
The ultimate answer to whether or not a single Christian woman should wear a bikini is found in the bible.
The bible doesn't mention the word "bikini" but little doubt can be left as to how a Christian woman should dress after reading 1 Timothy 2:9 which states "Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire.
" Proverbs 7:10 is one of those verses that really sums up what a Christian woman should be asking herself any time she considers wearing something sexually seductive or revealing.
"And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
" The descriptive nature of the clothing in this verse implies perhaps that the clothing a prostitute wears differs dramatically from normal or modest dress for a reason.
Perhaps instead of asking whether or not a single Christian woman should wear a bikini and if it affects her ability to find her Christian match maybe the question we should be asking is why would she want to?
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