Thank you Katie for very calmly and clearly getting some very well-thought out points across. We will, as women, be judged heavily by what we wear, how our bodies look, and if we cover our faces in makeup. It’s all unfair and based in patriarchy, and patriarchy will not fall in one day with women all refusing to dress in certain ways.

But there is one thing we can do. We can dress in ways that express who we are, what our tastes are. Maybe we cover ourselves head to toe in fabric. Maybe we dress covering only the necessities. Maybe we like our jeans and t-shirts. Maybe we wear a headscarf with our bikini. Maybe we paint our faces in makeup, maybe just some lip gloss, maybe none at all. Maybe we wear baggy clothes, maybe we pull it tight. Maybe we work out, or eat whatever, are built skinny, muscular, chunky, or otherwise.

But what all these examples have in common is they are still women who deserve respect like you said. And I, too, am happy to know many of you are choosing a “modest” way of dressing (because you can define that term for yourselves). Be proud, not ashamed of who you are. But I would also encourage you to let your fellow stars, storms, trojans, or otherwise to choose how to decorate their bodies and don’t shame them yourselves or let other people mistreat them for it.

We are all ourselves, and our bodies are one great way to express our souls. I’m proud to be your sister as you explore what this means.

-Natalie Nuessle, Class of 2014

Lizzy, I understand where you are coming from, and I do respect your opinion. I think that there is a good point that some people dress a certain way for the wrong reasons. I, however, believe that what you wear is up to the person, and what we should be doing instead of judging people on what they choose to dress like is helping them feel comfortable to express themselves however they want. Body image is a tough issue to tackle, and I think that your article is a step in the right direction, but it is also a form of judging girls the way that you are saying society does, and that is off of the way they look. With that said, I do not think you opinion is wrong because it is, as the piece says, an opinion. Not everyone has to agree with it, and not everyone should because we all feel differently when it comes to the definition of such a broad topic like modesty.

Good for you, Lizzy. You got a great dialogue going. That’s what a well written and well thought out editorial piece is meant to do.

Dear people who are commenting against those who are pointing out that this article reflects a larger trend of slut-shaming and fetishization of women’s bodies- I would like to take a brief moment to talk to you.
I think many of you are trying to protect young women; you’re trying to teach them that confidence comes from within, your clothes shouldn’t reflect who you are, and true beauty isn’t about how much skin you show. But what seems to undertone your emphasis on these lessons is a subtle societal fear of being mistreated because of your appearance.
In a country where black and Hispanic people are profiled, clothing is an effective, if not acceptable, excuse for rape, and chubbier people are paid less (even if they’re healthy), it’s no wonder that we would all be concerned how we look. Women are actually proven to be more affected by these phenomena, so we should actually be more concerned.
But the fact that this article doesn’t “directly address” slut-shaming doesn’t mean it isn’t there. By reinforcing the message that we need to be concerned about our clothing so we aren’t sexualized, this article supports the message that our clothes should affect how people perceive us.
Yes, we should recognize that some people are going to judge Miley Cyrus on what she wore instead of her amazing music, but that doesn’t change the fact that she makes good music. Secondly, while we can recognize that these people exist, it shouldn’t be our job to cater to their vision of how women, even young girls, should look.
Before the age of seven, children don’t understand the meaning of gender. And for a long time after that, children only understand clothes as an expression of their creativity. So, instead of stopping them from doing things we think a few would perceive as wrong, maybe we should teach our daughters to be confident in everything they were, and our sons to respect women no matter what.
Thank you for your time. Please consider these points next time you try to understand why we’re complaining about slut-shaming with this article; it’s not about the basic opinion being wrong… well, at least the point that some people will shame young girls and women for their clothing- it’s about the cultural biases that underlie that opinion.

Jesus hung out with prostitutes and lepers. I really don’t think that he’s fazed by a midriff or a thigh.
Maybe we should teach men not to sexualize normal body parts like a thigh or a midriff, instead of putting limitations on how women choose to dress themselves.

I think that your article is really good. I do think that girls should be able to dress how they want, but some girls go way to far. Girls need to respect themselves, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to dress in a way that is modest yet still very stylish. Wearing something that exposes so much skin doesn’t make you feel confident. It actually just makes you feel more self conscious and exposed to others and their opinions. I think that we should just be positive towards people. Saying rude comments about this article is just really crossing a line. This is an OPINION article, and people should be able to say what they want and not get so much hate.

Lizzy this is a beautiful article. I completely agree with all the points that you introduced. I believe that while women need to be independent and have to be able to have their own choices in clothing, they need to respect themselves and be modest with their appearances. Sure Miley Cyrus can be a role model because of how shes not afraid to be herself, but it is definately not ok for a 10 year old girl to look at her for a fashion idol. Through all the hate, i really do like your article.

I completely agree with you, this is a great piece! Keep it up!

I completely agree with you, this is a great piece! Keep it up!

I totally agree with out Liz. I agree with “We want our future to be classy, modest, and smart young ladies.” Girls can’t have a classy future if they’re wearing limited clothing now and that;s what they become most comfortable in. I totally believe modest is hottest because modesty shows the most self-confidence. When people say girls who show a lot of skin are confident with their bodies are incorrect because they have no confidence if all they want people/guys to see if their bodies. I feel like guys will notice you if you’re the only one in a room not wearing a crop top. Show confidence by wearing something that most girls aren’t.

I see a lot of people already stating the problem of some element of shaming women for wearing what they please instead of shaming men and other women for using it as an excuse to critique their character, promiscuity, etc, so I’m going to move on to something else that’s bothering me.

Children are not being forced to grow up faster than ever before. In fact, by many standards, we’re being infantialized and controlled long after teens of the past would be. Only twenty or thirty years ago, kids would freely play in the streets unsupervised, walk home from school with just a housekey, and ride buse and bikes all over. Fifty years ago, the median age women were married was just two years older than our seniors. Most of us would have had work, at least part-time, before we graduated.

Now that that’s covered, children, actually everybody now, is being sexualized more than ever before. A bare midriff has become a reason for rape; ponies are now sex objects; a friend of mine was criticized for growing in a large chest at the age of nine- these things don’t mean children are growing up faster, but that we, as a society, are making everything more of a sexual object .

Leggings, bras that show, and full nude bodysuits are not what causes sexual harrassment and premature loss of innocence- people that make young children sexual objects are.

While this is well written, I beg to differ with your opinion. I think that as long as a woman feels comfortable in her own skin and wants to wear whatever she is comfortable in, why is it a problem? Why is it a bad thing to wear tight pants or crop tops, or whatever it is you’re referring to? Why does our future generation have to be “classy, modest, and smart”? Just because a person wears the clothing they want to, it doesn’t mean they aren’t “classy” or “modest”. And it most definitely doesn’t mean that they’re not smart. If you put a woman CEO of a company in a pant-suit one day, and shorts and a crop top the next, she is still the exact same intelligent woman. Perhaps we should instead look inwards to ourselves and reevaluate our judgement of others because of what they wear. This seems to be the real problem to me.

Lizzy, I agree with you. Girls totally grow up way to fast now, and I don’t believe that anything such as leggings or yoga pants are inappropriate. To modest Dressing?- do you not know that girls are wearing underwear? We go to an all girls school, cmon now. Anyways, this article is very well written with a good view on society. Good job.

Lizzy, I’m glad you wrote this. While I personally don’t feel that modesty is quite as big of a deal, I definitely see where you’re coming from. I think that girls do need to learn that what we wear has an effect on others. I also don’t like the message from society that we need to wear this stuff. Great job writing what you believe!

Really liked your ending paragraph! Volleyball players can relate to the unappealing pantie lines…Good Job Lizzy!

I totally see what you’re saying. I personally believe that one should wear whatever one feels most comfortable in, whether it be tight fit or loose, scanty or modest (within reason of course. dress codes and rules are important guidelines to follow and shouldn’t be ignored by any means). I feel a huge issue is that people try and project their comfort level and what they’re willing to wear upon others. Just because you don’t feel comfortable wearing tight leggings or yoga pants out in public doesn’t give you the right to shame others for doing so. No one should ever be forced to dress in anything they’re uncomfortable in, but they shouldn’t feel restricted or shamed either. I personally think that as long as you’re following the rules/dress code and you’re COMFORTABLE, you should wear what you please

I feel that how we dress shouldn’t define who we are and how people view you. Sure, grade school kids shouldn’t dress in a scanty way, but by writing an article like this, it also makes boys think that they can define and judge women by the way they choose to dress, therefore perpetuating rape culture.

If you are saying we need to be role models for younger generations by dressing modestly, maybe wearing leggings as pants and yoga pants should be the first things to go. Just because you aren’t showing skin doesn’t make it appropriate. They are skin tight, show all curves, and I have seen far too many pantie lines at our school on dress down days.