Modesty In General

Modesty is a set of values that each person has that defines how they present themselves as a person. Over the years modesty has changed enormously over many different cultures and races. Wendy Shalit gives an excellent look into how modesty has evolved over the years and how people see it today, in her story The Future of Modesty.

Part of the loss of modesty we are facing has to do with the dating and sex part of life. As our standards for dating go down the less modest people are forced to be. When people become "easy to get" other people are almost forced to go with their standards in order to keep up. When one person starts wearing something that would be considered less modest, other people see the attention that person is getting and goes along with it. It might even go as far as sex standards. When people start having one night stands more often people find it more socially acceptable and begin to go with the flow as did the people that dress differently to gain attention. Being less modest is almost a different way of working toward a common goal. On one hand you can attempt the dating scene and spend money on dates, affection, and gifts. But on the other hand you can buy more revealing outfits that almost say that you are easy to get. Being easy to get can attract attention of the sex you are striving towards by being noticed. One way to throw yourself in this sort of environment is to hang around more mixed sex groups that are more social and grouped. Drinking in groups is one way to be exposed to situations of sex and affection. When affected by drugs and alcohol people are more likely to engage in sexual acts that would take months if they were in the dating environment. When people plan to drink, they plan to have a good time in a social environment that might also lead to decisions that would not be made if not for the state of mentality of the individual. Some might say that it is easier to make a move on someone when not in the right state of mind. Social events can often make people feel less modest and more open with their feelings and actions because they are able to act a certain way even if it is a ploy to gain attention.

I believe that even in cultures where modesty is a major role in society I still think that it is slowly dying out. When you look at cultures like those in the Middle East you see that when people are not forced to dress a certain way they sometimes give up these traditions in order to fit in more. I don't mean that they are changing while still living in the Middle East but you can see that some people that move over from the Middle East often slack on their culture and begin trying to blend in more with the cultures that surround them. This can be anywhere from how they dress to where or when they worship. I also don't mean that all of them are changing to fit in, some still wear the traditional clothes and have their traditional practices. But as people begin to mix with other cultures the traditions are not as strict and modesty is lost yet again through the blending of cultures.

On the other hand there are some places where modesty is growing. This is usually noticed when concerning people's private space, sexuality, and nudity. One of the places this can be seen is in the bathrooms and locker rooms, people really are shy when it comes to being naked in front of someone that is either the same sex or opposite sex. I can tell just from stories, movies, and the age range that people use to not think it was such a big thing to have public open showers. These days the locker