What is Modesty in Dress?

What does it mean to dress modestly? What makes one outfit modest, while another outfit of the same hemline is revealing? When we think about modesty in dress as Catholic laywomen, there is much more to consider than the hemline of the garment, though this consideration is important. Many Catholic laywomen understand the importance of the virtue of modesty, yet expressing this virtue through clothes seems to get messy. It causes anxiety, and it makes what should be an act of devotion and worship much more about vanity and self glorification than about glorifying the Lord with our wardrobe, preserving our dignity, and honoring the sacrament of marriage. This article is here to help you understand modesty in dress as a virtue that transcends culture and how you can dress modestly without the rigid, self-debasing rules that functionally work to objectify you in a different way from that which modesty in dress is supposed to protect you.