Frazzled Fridays!

The 5 Bs of Style

Happy frazzled Friday to you!  It has been a particularly busy week for me so I am very much frazzled today!

I originally planned to talk about body shapes/types today but as I prayed and asked the Lord to guide my thoughts for this post He brought me back to Ezekial 16:14 which says " And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I HAD GIVEN YOU made your beauty PERFECT declares the Sovereign Lord." (NIV - emphasis mine)

Wow, have you ever really pondered that (1) the Sovereign Lord made you beautiful; (2) the beauty that He gave you is perfect?  The God who created the heavens and earth created us (you and me) beautiful and unique, specifically the way He wanted us!  That is hard for me to wrap my brain around, I'm just sayin'...

The word splendor (Hebrew - hadar) describes what is beautiful and instills awe and ascribes high value or status to what is majestic. It is an appearance that is considered attractive.  Through the prophet Ezekial, God tells us that he gave us splendor making our unique beauty perfect.  Again, wow.

Because God sent Jesus to earth to pay the penalty for our sins (death - eternal separation from God) when we confess our sins and commit our lives to Him (allow him to be Lord of our lives) we become children of the Most High God!  Because of Jesus, we are God's special possession.  We are to be light to the world so the world may come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

So let's stop for a moment and talk about the 5 Bs of Style... hang on, just follow me here...

Rule #1 - No bra straps.  They are not to show at anytime, anywhere period.  It's just not neat, even if all the fashion magazines in the world tell you it's the greatest, newest trend!

Rule #2 - No Bust Exposure.  This is a biggie (LOL, yes the pun was intended!!)  Make sure the tops/shirts you choose are not too tight at the bust.  You can tell... is it pulling?  Are there gaps between the buttons?  Is there cleavage showing??            

         
I expect there will be push-back on this one, but seriously friends, let's look at it two ways:  Men.  They are visual, that is absolutely the way God wired them!  But do we need to be a stumbling block for them?  Do we need to be showing other women's sons and husbands what we have (or dont')??   Go get a professional bra fitting - yes, professional.  Try a department store like Dillard's or Soma Intimates.  I have found both of these stores to be excellent in bra fittings personally.

Rule #3 - No bellies.  Your tummy should be treated a private part.  Men find bellies to be very sexy, so don't tempt them. 

Rule #4 - No bottoms.  Do you draw attention to your bottom by wearing pants that have words written on them?  Do your underwear show because your pants are too low?  I recommend keeping shorts and skirts no more than 2-3 inches above your knee.  Why?  No one wants to see up your skirt, except those who shouldn't!

Rule #5 - No Bubbling. Bubbling is what happens when your pants/jeans are too tight.  If you see ridges and wrinkling in the area of your thighs (with pants on, LOL) this means they are too tight.  Try a different size or style.  Good fitting jeans can be as hard to find as a bathing suit.  Mercy!  But don't give up!

When we expose ourselves and cause others to stumble, we jeopardize our usefulness to God's holy purpose.  Therefore, we must be modest in our dress.  But wait!  What is soooo cool about fashion is that we can wear the newest, popular styles AND do it modestly.  It's all about learning how to take each style and make it respectful.  This may mean layering a tank under a low cut dress or shirt.  Or wearing a colorful shirt or tank under a see-through blouse.  It may mean wearing leggings under a shorter skirt.  If you need help with that, please ask me!  I will help you brain storm ideas. 

So, let's do a self-check.  Get in front a full length mirror (yes, full length).  Bend over.  Anything spilling out of the front or back?  Raise your hands over your head.  Any tummy exposure?  Are your bra straps showing?  You may need to tighten the band or adjust the straps... OR you need to get a new one!!  Soooo worth it friends!  Think about it, you are wearing one every day! 

Modesty starts at home.  My daughter just turned 8.  She is just like other girls in that she wants to dress stylish.  But (and this is HUGE)... she is watching how I dress!  And I do have to make gentle suggestions from time to time.  I have to remind her (and me) that just because it's in style or all the current rave, doesn't mean that it's something she or I should wear.

I will leave you this week with something to think about and maybe a project to look through on-line pictures.  If we are dressing to impress, whoever that may be, do we realize that not only the person or persons we are trying to get attention from are seeing us, but others as well?  Let me be blunt.  If a young girl is dressing to get attention from a let's say 16 year old guy, she needs to be told that she is going to be looked at and get attention from guys that are 6, 26, 46, and 66 plus.  Does she really want that?  And for those of us that are no longer 16 (tee, hee, hee), the same goes for us.  We draw the attention of boys and men of all ages, which includes the men we work with and go to church with.  Is that ok??  

Blessings!
Dawn