4 Ways To Teach Teens How To Dress Modestly

In a culture where teen girls are so often wear super short skirts and exposing midriffs, how do you raise teenage girls to understand the importance of modest fashion and self-respect? Teaching modesty certainly can feel like a challenge sometimes! However, there are many benefits to choosing modest clothing and dressing conservatively. Here are four ways to teach teens how to dress modestly.

How To Teach Your Daughter To Dress Modestly

For this mom, modesty and self-respect go hand in hand. However, girls growing up these days constantly sees sexuality and immodesty in music videos, on television, online, in fashion, and in the behavior of their peers.

That’s why it is important that we talk with our daughters about modesty, sexuality, and self respect. I also tried to nurture her self-confidence by exemplifying modest dressing in my own life. Furthermore, I enroll her in activities that help teach her how important self-respect is. Here are four methods that I chose to educate my daughter on the values of modesty and self-respect.

I am not saying that she has to only wear long skirts and high necklines. But, I do want her to demonstrate a modest dress code with timeless style. I don’t want to her to feel that she has to meet peer or societal pressure to dress skimpy. I want her to know that her outward appearance is important in attracting the right kind of people into her circle.

1. Be a model for how to dress modestly.

How to teach your daughter to dress modestly, begins with how you dress. Even when my daughter was young, I was always conscious about what I wore in my daughter’s presence. I know that my appearance says a lot about me and my own self confidence. Now I don’t think of myself as a prude or a reserved person at all. However, there is a difference between wearing a short skirt that shows off your legs and boosts your self confidence. Compare that to a skirt that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. I try to wear things that will look flattering on me but without any feeling of inappropriateness. I want her to be proud of her mother just as I want to be proud of herself. How you dress yourself will go a long way towards teaching teens how to dress modestly.

How to talk to your daughter about clothes. Tell her she can dress conservatively and still look fantastic. She can wear fitted tops without wearing skin-tight tops. Reassure her she can wear v-necks without the v dipping deep to reveal cleavage. Her skirts can be short without being mini skirts.

2. Talk about what modesty means to you and why it is important to dress modestly.

You may be wondering how to explain modesty to a teenager. Teaching modesty is about teaching fashion tips for teens that don’t go too far. Where that line is can be a matter of opinion. However, it starts with the idea that we should always be fully covered. We also don’t want to appear that at any moment we may be exposed if we bend over to far or if our wardrobe malfunctions.

I’ve tried to stress that fashion is way to express more than just the physical. It can also be a creative way to let your inner personality out. Fashion choices can showcase your wit, your ethics, your heart, and your creativity. It’s sad, but true that appearance directly causes people to judge you. This affects how you are perceived at school, among peers, professionally when you go to a job interview, and when you meet people for the first time.

My daughter and I have discussed that dressing provocatively draws a certain type of attention from men. If you take it too far, you’re suddenly drawing attention from the kind of male that’s not interested in getting to know you beyond your body. I’ve also discussed the way that, unfortunately, provocative dress can be a safety risk for a woman. It’s a sad reality but provocative dress can call unwanted attention and sometimes put women at greater risk of sexual assault.

Your teen may be thinking, “Yes, but do guys like modest girls?” If the guy is only interested in women baring too much skin, then his intentions seem fairly obvious. Absolutely, good guys like modest girls because they recognize it is a sign of self-respect. That is a desirable quality in a person that you don’t intend to use.

3. Teach healthy ways to gain attention

I believe the main reason that teen girls resist urges to dress modestly from parents is that they desire to assert some sort of individuality. They may assume that provocative dress shows maturity or independence. While that can be true, I tried to instill that idea that individuality can also be exercised in other ways. For instance, I taught my daughter how to sew at an early age. This was so she could modify and make alterations to her own clothing to show her distinct personality.

I also planned special events and outings that focused on enjoyable craft activities that incorporated fashion—for instance, jewelry making, screen printed t-shirts, and hair accessory crafts—that taught her to focus her creativity via fashion in a healthy way. Most days, as a teen today, she wears neutral layers with statement making accessories that she created herself. For instance, she makes her own jewelry, knits scarves and hats, makes hair accessories, and handmade belts.

How to dress decently as a girl is often most challenging when it comes to formal dresses. So many are so short these days that they can’t even bend down without the dress riding up way to far. Your teen should understand that potentially exposing herself is not the right sort of attention. There are many beautiful fabrics and colors which can also draw attention. Even lower necklines are fine if everything is securely stowed away.

4. How To Teach Modesty Without Shame- Show Some Trust

My daughter does have a babysitting job though and she’s allowed to use some of those earnings to purchase her own clothing. When she goes shopping with friends, I’ve learned to trust her fashion choices. That means she respects my opinion (and even seeks it out) when she gets ready for school or a social event. She even asked my opinion on homecoming dress styles for an upcoming formal event.

Yes, I agree that our kids and teens need some guidance from parents when it comes to being taught age-appropriate dress. However, too much oppression can lead to extreme rebelliousness. Therefore, I talked openly with my daughter before she started high school this year about the general guidelines of what she could wear. I let her know that I hope she makes choices to dress modestly. But I also let her know that I respect her decisions. So unless she does something completely inappropriate, I let little things slide.

Dressing Appropriately Conclusion

When talking to your daughter about clothes and modesty, it helps to focus on confidence and self-expression while encouraging thoughtful clothing choices. By showing her that modest apparel, relaxed fits, or modest dresses can still create a stylish and comfortable look, she’ll see there are many different ways to express her personality without feeling restricted. Whether it’s pairing crop tops with layering pieces or adding statement necklaces for flair, young women can explore new ways to balance individuality with the importance of modesty. Ultimately, the goal is to help her feel both authentic and confident in what she wears.

Teaching young girls to dress modestly should be a process of open communication without body shaming.  We want to them to feel confident and not feel like they will only be noticed if they show too much.  They need to learn to respect their own comfort level. I hope these tips help with teaching teens how to dress modestly.

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