Book Review

"Sometimes You Are What You Wear"

~ An Argument for Tzniut - Modesty

by Eliyahu Safran

I just finished this book yesterday, and I really enjoyed it!
One of the most interesting things is that it comes from a Jewish perspective, one that I'm not terribly familiar with. Not being Jewish, and all.
However, the passages from the Old Testament that he quotes throughout the book WERE familiar. And I loved the whole attitude that he conveys about modesty.

"Clothes are like costumes. You become the kind of person who would wear the "costume" you are wearing."

Hmmmmm.

Not sure what that says about my Nike yoga pants and t-shirt that I wear each and every day.

"The glory of the daughter of the king lies on the inside. It is not put on display for the entire world to gawk at. It is hidden and protected."

He says that when we dress immodestly (to draw attention to ourselves or our sexuality) that we are saying to others, "This is all I am."
However, when we dress modestly, we are saying, "There is so much more to me than my physical appearance."

Isn't that awesome?

He addresses many different perspectives on modesty. But I like the thought that the greater the treasure, the higher the wall. And when we dress in a way to protect our physical selves, we are conveying that our souls hold great treasure. Wow.

"Dressing modestly removes you from the vicious cycle of fashion and self-loathing that seems to dominate our culture."
". . .by observing tzniut [modesty] you are making a very clear statement that you are more than just a physical presence. You are a complete person, inside and outside, physical and spiritual."

Although this book had some concepts that I don't agree with (like that man and the world are inherently good), I liked the whole idea of modesty being a spiritual issue. And I like the depth that it brings to realize that what we wear does show who we are, in a sense.

Just hope I don't have to get rid of those Nike pants. Gotta love 'em.