Let's Dress Our Daughters Like Hookers, Shall We?
February 11th, 2010
(This is Noah Cyrus of the popular T.V. show Hannah Montana. Picture credit here.)
We mothers need to take a look at what our children’s influences are…who their role-models are.
What shows are we letting our sweet kiddos watch? How about the music? Do we think it’s cute when they listen to hip-hop sexualized lyrics and dance along to it. Do we nonchalantly let them watch t.v. shows that indulge in immodesty, sibling rivalry, obsession over dating, disrespect for parents (oh dad – eye roll, etc.), and worldly lifestyles?
Moms, we have got to wake up! The devil is prowling around looking for people to devour – and our children are prime game. Their innocence is up for grabs everyday and we have got to engage in the battle for their lives!
Let’s sober up and commit to not only protecting them, but investing in them truth, beauty, nobility, honor, integrity, virtue, and humility.
Let’s start dressing them modestly as babies, so when they start getting into the pre-teen years the *battle over clothing has already been forged.
Let’s live so that we can look back and know that while we can’t run our children’s lives or manufacture their outcomes, we can do our best to be intentional about the choices we give our children and the guidance and covering over their lives that they need.
And while we’re at it, let’s take inventory of the shows we’re watching as well.
Let’s do this together.
Who’s with me?
*For our family, we have our daughters always wear pants or shorts under dresses/skirts, no spaghetti straps without a shirt underneath, and no bikinis or swimsuits without shorts. We encourage them to dress like true princesses – with dignity and a modest loveliness.
I recommend: Modest paper dolls – Daughters of His Story.
Thank you Stacey McDonald for inspiring today’s post with your article, Childhood Innocence Under Fire.
Oh my goodness… I can’t believe what she is wearing! YIKES!! My mom would NEVER have let us dress like that… I don’t think I would have ever wanted to dress like that! I hope more young girls learn from strong Christian women they don’t need to behave like that.
I just tweeted about this the other day….Hannah Montana’s little sister and the lingerie line. Absolutely ridiculous…and she’s “doing it for charity”. I can think of a bajillion other ways to help a charity!
Kristen´s last blog post … SodaStream Winner
Very true, Amen, Sarah Mae! I don’t have daughters, but I have boys. Boys who will be looking for a wife someday, Lord willing.
I’m not a big fan of most tv shows. Thankfully we’re content to live with the cheapest cable we have access too and so don’t get Nickelodean, Disney, etc etc. My kids don’t see much out of PBS Kids educational shows when it comes to kids tv.
Tracy @ Hall of Fame Moms´s last blog post … Wow…Check out this list of Pampers Codes.
As the mother of a 10 year old boy who still thinks girls have cooties, I am so grateful for the mothers and fathers who are teaching their girls to dress modestly for when he DOES care a hoot about them. All of our close friends have beautiful daughters that I would be proud to let my son go out with (when he’s 25 of course) because they have learned to dress modestly.
It breaks my heart to see girls of all ages come into church wearing clothes I would never even wear on the beach. I want to say, “WHERE IS YOUR MOMMA? I’D LIKE A WORD WITH HER!”
A side note here…I’m thinking the boy issue should be brought up…raising our sons to be men of character who take every thought captive. We are in danger of being as apathetic about our sons’ thought lives (which leads to addictions to porn, which leads to heartache in marriage, and on, and on, and on…) as we are our daughters’ dress. Hmmm…maybe an inspiration for a post on my blog…
Heathahlee´s last blog post … Well, This Was Unexpected…
We teach our daughters that they are the King’s daughter and should act and dress accordingly as a princess does.
Our actions, conversation outward and inward should be determined by whom we represent or who our father is.
PS 45:13 “The king’s daughter is all glorious within”
We teach our daughters to love holiness because it pleases their heavenly Father(King)
Can I tell you that I’ve honestly considered taking sewing lessons so I can make decent, modest, beautiful clothes for my girls. I mean, COME ON! Why does a bathing suit for a 7 yr old have cutouts and no side cover to speak of? Why do little girls feel the need to dress like that? Like other commenters mentioned – it’s the example they see!!! “Fashion” as it were, so often presents clothing that sexualizes the body – as if we need more of that. Yep, it’s up to us moms & dads to remain “OLD FASHIONED” and teach our daughters to please God in everything they do. And we have the responsibility to model that for them. Straps or no straps – short or long – it’s ultimately about being godly. Period.
Anybody giving away sewing lessons???
Debbie´s last blog post … F is for Freedom
Heathalee – YES! Write about it!
“We encourage them to dress like true princesses – with dignity and a modest loveliness.” Amen sister!
We have 4 beautiful girls. As my oldest, now 10, has entered the larger kids sizes I have found it really tough to find appropriate clothing for her. Especially on a budget! I do love Land’s End Knit wear, and they have free shipping and 20% off today! So I think we will stock up!
Blessings,
Stacey
Stacey Thacker´s last blog post … I’m So Excited!!
Thanks for sharing. This post REALLY hit home. I read it the day after finding out we are having a daughter after being blessed with three sons! We have been so in the mindset of shielding our boys from SEEING this stuff. Now we will have to enter the world of making sure our daughter is not the one being looked at!
Deborah´s last blog post …
And none of those sweatpants or jeans with words on the hiney! Hello where do you automatically look if there are words on someone’s hiney…..their hiney! I want as few people as possible to look at my girl’s hiney!
SarahMae, Thank you for doing this post!!! Thank You. Protection of our children truely is a gift to them and thier future families. We can not value enough our children’s innocence. Once it is lost (in what they see, or read, or hear, or experience) it is lost. Can’t be gotten back. Our children will be blessed by our loving and gentle protection. So will the future generations!! Thank you again for posting this. Lord bless you and your family.
I have two boys and even with little men I fight the lure of sexuality that is pervasive everywhere. They are 9 and 10 1/2 and I hate that I have to guard them from hyper-sexual images in the media. Girl issues are even more complex. We parents have to guard their innocence!
JenniferG – Hip As I Wanna Be´s last blog post … If This Snow Doesn’t Stop I Might Not Make It Out Alive
I’m very happy to see this post! I am constantly amazed but what little girls are allowed to wear these days. Even when I was in highschool and wore a skirt to school, I wore bike shorts underneath (we walked up a long staircase to the second level for our classes)and that was my own idea.
I am shocked and saddened by that picture at the top of your blog. I will for sure be adding a link to your post on my blog, The Classy Woman, which includes such topics as being a classy mother and role model.
Thank you for blogging about this! :)
{The Classy Woman}´s last blog post … Reader Request: From Farm Girl to Classy Lady
Amen to this!!! I don’t have children but I do have a niece and I hate to think she’s growing up in a world full of such immodesty.
As for myself, I try to do the same thing. I notice my speech, thoughts and actions are VERY different when I’m indulging in things that edify the Lord and when I’m not. There is a big difference and some people just don’t want to admit it. Such a shame.
Pray for those girls AND their parents. I used to make some poor dress choices in my teenage years, but really didn’t know any better. I have so many pics from my hollywood days in crop tops and biker shorts. Ugh. When I was on Lassie I wore some pretty bad outfits. I remember my dad on the show, Christopher Stone, commenting about some orange biker shorts I wore. As a protective father (even though he was only my tv dad he was like a dad to me) he didn’t want me wearing those because he knows how guys are. I was clueless.
So much of it has to do with guidance from the parents.
I’m with you, sister! This is our duty as mothers, to protect them and teach them modesty. Start young, but if you haven’t, there’s no time like the present.
Brenna´s last blog post … Book Review – Thin Places: A Memoir
My girls would never wear those dresses. I’d like them to be little girls. Why is there such a rush to make our children grow up, and sexualize them?
Amen Sister! You are so right! I recently splurged on one of my childhood favorites and it’s been one of the best snuggling times I’ve had with my 9 year old daughter. We’ve been watching the NBC’s Little House series. Wonderful real life lessons and books to go along with it! What gets better than that!
Wow – is about all I can say!
I hate this. Having a 4 yo daughter who has started to recognize Hannah Montana & some of the other media circus tragedies is scary. Mind you, we don’t watch that kind of tv. But she is around kids with older siblings who tend to know & share. This is one of the main reasons I’m considering homeschooling. Wish me luck! @beyondjems
Amy Halleran´s last blog post … Memoir Writing – Blissdom 2010 Session Notes
I’m with you. we no longer watch tv. even when we find a suitable show, the commercials are terrible!!! ***sigh*** What is happening in the world today?!?!
As for dress, we have gone to a plain lifestyle and dress much like ladies of the prarie days. We feel our daughters are much safer in many ways. It also leaves out the dress confusion. No ‘Mom, but sheee’s wearing a skirt even shorter then this!” or “this isn’t to low cut!” Just made life… more simple.
Thanks for having the gusto to post this!!! It needed to be pointed out. :-)
Sarah Mae, I don’t have kids, so I can’t join you in this yet. But it is something I deal with when it comes to my niece. I think she’s allowed to be exposed to so much “culture” (since when did culture become things like parents being smart mouthed on t.v. and less about the arts and traveling?), and both my husband and I worry she’s on the wrong path. It’s something we’ve discussed in relation to our future kids, because I certainly am not going to allow a daughter of mine to go out dressed like that (the pic) at 18 much less 12! I feel like these girls don’t realize what it means to respect their bodies, and even though it’s something I too struggled with, it’s something I want better for my future daughter(s).
Kalee´s last blog post … My Mecca
Oh my! My first question was… Where’s her dad?? Then I realized who she was and that her dad doesn’t seem to mind this.
We have such a hard time finding clothes for our daughter. She’s only 5 but she’s tall and wearing “big kids” clothes now. We search through multiple stores to find enough clothes for her for each season. Everything seems to be form-fitting, short, or low-cut. It’s so hard! But the work it takes it totally worthwhile!
Jennifer´s last blog post … CVS – Kept it Simple – Saved 93%
I’m joining the conversation a little bit late but this is an issue that has always been important to me. As the mother of two daughters I can remember searching high and low (not only when they were young but especially now as young women) for clothing that was not revealing. Skirts and shorts so high they could not be worn, shirts with low scooping neck line. I thought it was bad 10 years ago but truthfully it gets harder and harder to find trendy but modest clothing. I’ve always thought children should be allowed to look like children, not mini adults. Thanks for posting this blog, Sarah, it’s an important issue.
Kristine McGuire´s last blog post … Book Review: A New Kind of Christianity ~ Brian McClaren
Could we please raise a generation to think critically…
This is my desire and it starts with me. If I can’t think and just rely on formulas then I give my children no tools worth having. Modesty is important, but please remember that modesty IS dictated by culture. Where I live it is immodest to have your hair permed but a dress with a slit up to the top of your thigh isn’t an issue as long as the dress has a high collar and your hair is up. Please lets teach our sons and daughters to guard their eyes and hearts, lets teach them how to enjoy beauty… even if that beauty is seen in a person. Of course that means we have to figure it out first and not trust in puritanical formulas that see one extreme and then rest at the other.