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Most people link Tznius, modesty, with suppressing sexuality.

Overexposure and suggestive dress can make women vulnerable and subject to dangerous situations. Men, especially under the influence, are prone to elevated emotions and lower inhibitions. Matthew Poarch explains: A man who is impressed by the very thing that revealing clothes accentuate will most likely be shallow and disrespectful.

Of course, challenging any motivation to cover up is the current sweltering heat and skimpy styles. In the past century female fashion has deteriorated to bare essentials, and sometimes not even that. What message are these scantily clad women  trying to give? Unfortunately they are not even aware that their dress is negatively interpreted. Our generation has become immune to the beauty and meaning of modesty.

In truth, Tznius is more about maintaining your dignity.

Tznius appreciates the necessity for females to feel attractive. At the same time, Tznius promotes a modest dress code that can respect and honor women. Tznius not only alludes to dignity, but graciousness as well. It proves that the focus is not the exterior, but the interior beauty.

Rabbi Benjamin Hecht maintains that Jewish thought indicates that human dress is motivated by Kavod HaBriut, human dignity. We respect our bodies. It is the same reason we do not tattoo ourselves, or have multiple piercings.

As a young girl I was taught that every Jewish girl is a princess, a jewel. Just as we protect our jewels by wrapping them and keeping them safe in a jewelry box, we clothes ourselves in modest dress, albeit, beautiful clothing that can make us more attractive.

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As with all contemporary developments, we as Jews must address them from a religious standpoint, to see if we can integrate them into our lives.  The Internet has been debated back and forth like a never ending tennis match, and approached on countless levels; some people still maintain that it is not kosher.  Today, social media poses a new dilemma.  While it requires Internet and forming many relationships, albeit impersonal ones, it is the new marketing tool.  Businesses fear they are at a disadvantage without use of it, primarily Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  In an article in Mishpacha Magazine (note pdf intro), Libi Astaire explores the controversies of social media, and the Halachic issues they pose, based on a recent conference sponsored by Kishor Professional Network.

The Risks:

• Social media websites are public.  Privacy settings change numerous times without us realizing.  Exposing our personal lives violates the laws of Tznius/modesty.
• The fast pace of the Internet can be quite brain-numbing.  Instant access to information prevents us from developing skills such as analyzing information.
• Social media focuses on developing relationships with strangers in the form of fans and followers, hence weakening our interpersonal skills and relationships with those important to us, including family and friends.
• Social media is addictive and can lead to lots of wasted time.  The web is an endless pit.  Social media specializes in linking vast amounts of sites and people; it is very easy to get caught in that web.

Advantages:

• An inexpensive advertising tool that is both quick and effective.
• Social media sites will access customers who are otherwise be unavailable to you.
• Customers can easily find you via social media search engines.
• Social media constantly updates you with information about your competitors.  In this rapidly evolving world, it is important for businesses not to fall behind and lose the grip in their field.

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Ways to ensure you are Halachically safe in social media:

• Halachic advisories recommend consulting a Rav before venturing into Social Media and taking any actions.  Create a strategy and discuss it with your Rav; set clear boundaries from the start.
• Maintain a strictly business approach to prevent falling prey to personal privacy issues.  Never mix business with personal.
• Set time limits, even time blocks with an alarm, to devote to the social media aspect of the business.  This will help you avoid getting caught up in online chatting and what not, which may result in unintended neglect of your family and home.
• Be sure you regularly reevaluate the benefits of your strategy.  It may just not be worth it, not all businesses require a social media platform.

In defiance of the exploitation of the female body, more women are turning to modest dress.  Worshiping skin exposure has led many to feel violated against.  So, to redirect focus to the inner beauty of an individual, women are using conservative dress to allow the beauty of their mind and soul to shine forth.  At the same time, removing attention from physical beauty protects what should be private, and most importantly, treasured. (Photo Credit)

The prospect of modest dress has been endorsed by feminists too.  True feminists are those chaste young women who are defending their individuality and defying group-think and social convention.  The end of the last century  has shown a change of face in fashion.  Material seems to be scarce, and styles extremely suggestive.  What message are victims of such dress codes trying to give?

“All the time the aristocratic Suffragette is vehemently asserting that she will no longer be a toy, a doll, a dancing-girl, a merely ornamental thing, a pleasure, she is dressing more and more as if that were exactly what she was.”

-G.K. Chesterton, “Fashionable Suffragettes and the Truly Feminine,” The Illustrated London News, 1912

It is no wonder more woman are being subject to various forms of harassment.  Therefore, many opt for covering up.

Guidelines for modest dress existed well before the advent of feminism, for the same reasons and more.  Judaism appreciates the beauty of a woman, and dictates laws of modesty to protect and nurture her being.  A Jewish woman is considered a Bat Melech, a daughter of the king, G-d, and considered precious to Him.  The same way we protect our precious jewelry (in jewelry boxes), G-d has given us guidelines to protect ourselves.  Dressing in accordance underlines our self respect and dignity, and incidentally, modestly plays a role in women being taken seriously as well.

Dressing modestly does not mean letting go.  Rather, it is important to maintain a level of self-respect and choose clothing that is both aesthetically pleasing yet tastefully modest.