Ladies, you need to listen to what Christian guys tell you to wear

[pokerfan]

because we guys can't really be held responsible if your immodest dress drives us to do something we might regret.

They're Christian, so you can trust them to have your best interests at heart. The Modesty Survey is a bizarre instrument created by asking young Christian women to put together heartfelt questions about their clothing ("Are bikinis immodest?" "Are jeans immodest?"), and then teenaged Christian boys are surveyed to get their opinions. Because, of course, the girls need boys' advice.

I get a Taliban tingle just reading it. It's a far more generous document than anything Islam dictates — young Christian men do not want young Christian women to wear burkas — but in principle, it's the same thing. It's men declaring ownership of women's bodies and telling them what to wear, with the the threat of justifiable sexual assault if they do not obey.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/07/ladies_you_need_to_listen_to_w.php

[JuniperLea]

1. Amazing how far backward we've gone...

This is so disgusting... I have no words... a rarity.

[marmar]

2. The Talibangelicals would love to have a version of Sharia law over here.....

nt

[PassingFair]

3. Nike!

http://laughingthroughthechaos.blogspot.com/2009/05/lesson-in-defrauding-from-duggars.html

"Nike is the codeword for a defrauding, immodestly dressed woman. So, when the boys hear someone yell the code word, they all walk with their heads looking down until someone yells, "All clear!"

Michelle explained that the eyes are the window to the heart, and that her boys need to learn self-control, so this is why such practices are put in place.

Now, the Duggars are Christians, which means they follow the teachings of Jesus. If I'm not mistaken, there's a whole story in the Bible about how Jesus was tempted. Temptation is out there. Her boys can still learn self-control even if they are tempted by looking at a woman in a tank top."

[Bolo Boffin]

5. What a weird safe word.

But that's the point of a safe word, I guess.

[PanoramaIsland]

20. It's funny to think of a Quiverfull family as having a safeword, but that's just what it is...

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Echoes of US History... and as long as they remain

JUST DAMN ECHOES....

Back to the past indeed.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. I had fun reading the comments after this article. Blindfolds for men

and plucking their eyes out if they cause then to think sinful thoughts were pretty good.

[pokerfan]

7. I had fun reading the digression re: assless chaps

Spoonerism. He meant "chapless asses." That's what the lube is for.

And the castration subthread...

My cat is an eunuch. It keeps him from roaming and getting into fights as much. He really is much happier.

This was good:

[Curmudgeoness]

8. LOL. That was funny...the original, and your mistake. nt

[darkstar3]

9. I heard shit like this so much growing up...

The church youth group used to go on various trips involving swimming at least a few times a year. Before each trip, a lecture was given on modest dress. These people are absolutely terrified of the human body, and that fear permeates even the mainstream faiths. My wife was raised Lutheran in a much bigger congregation and in a much bigger city, and sat through the very same lectures.

Do you think that Christians in Europe get these stupid-ass lectures?

[jeepnstein]

10. Funny you should mention that.

I recently took a group of Boy Scouts to a public pool for some water safety and swimming activities. We arranged to have time in the pool after hours and the life guards were on duty but came down from their chairs. One life guard decided she would remove her white t-shirt/red shorts uniform and soak up some rays. Wow. Simply wow. To say she was beautiful would be an understatement and her bikini certainly had a way of catching the the boy's attention. We couldn't get a darned thing done. It was the first time I've seen them speechless in quite a while. I finally asked her nicely as I could to put her "uniform" back on so we could get something done. She honestly didn't notice the effect she was having on that bunch of Boy Scouts. She kind of blushed and then got dressed. I appreciate a beautiful woman as much as the next guy but give me a break some times, will ya?

Kids these days get bombarded with sex so much it's just unbelievable. Some of them don't get a chance to be just kids anymore. I can see where a church youth group would bar bikinis, Speedos, wife beaters, and shorty shorts at church events. Our culture spends so much time defining us in terms of sexuality that we lose sight of our humanity. When we want a youth group to focus on being brothers and sisters in Christ, well, turning down the sexual tension a few notches isn't always a bad thing. The only time many girls hear the words "I love you" are when someone wants in their pants. That's just all sorts of messed up.

Women should be in control of their own bodies, as should men for that matter. They should also not have to be constantly put on parade like some kind of plaything just to fit in. But what do I know? I used to hang out with Deadheads and Hippies who had a healthy attitude about life as well as more decency than you see at a Hannah Montana show.

[darkstar3]

11. Why should the lifeguard have ever been asked to cover up?

These were Boy Scouts. If they didn't have enough discipline to carry on their activities while she minded her own damn business then someone wasn't doing their job right.

"Oh, but it's distracting!!" I say, people with mature and healthy attitudes about sex wouldn't lose all self control and discipline in sight of a bikini or a speedo.

[jeepnstein]

12. And she could have easily refused.

The whole point of a bikini or speedo is to get someone to lose a little control and take notice. That's the fun of it. I can't imagine a woman going through all the time and trouble to be able pulling off wearing one in public unless she didn't want a bit of attention. There's nothing at all wrong with that. It's what we do after all. I just don't think we need to do it all the time. Apparently she agreed with me.

[PassingFair]

13. You missed a teaching opportunity.

And that's all I'm going to say about your story.

[onager]

15. Too bad the lifeguard wasn't a lesbian atheist.

Merit badges in Stoning all around!

[darkstar3]

17. I'm not entirely sure where to start here...

Let's start with "attention" being the goal of a bikini. Do you happen to realize just how incredibly sexist that is?

Let's step back and examine the clothing options of a female who wishes to swim comfortably, shall we? I defy you to find a one piece bikini, a racing suit, or any other swim apparel made for women that you personally wouldn't consider attention-seeking. Then I defy you to find a piece of women's swimming apparel that a group of 14 year old boys wouldn't try to ogle without proper guidance.

Once you've found the website for modest Christian swimwear and noticed just how Amish those people look and how uncomfortable they must be, you might come to realize that this whole idea of "modest dress", of asking women to cover themselves because YOU can't be troubled to use or to teach a little discipline, is fuckin' sexist.

Or maybe you won't learn anything. Nothing surprises me anymore.

[Jim__]

14. "...people with mature and healthy attitudes about sex wouldn't lose all self control and discipline

They're boy scouts. They're too young to have a mature and healthy attitude toward sex.

[darkstar3]

16. But their Scoutmaster isn't, and he is ultimately responsible for shaping them,

and for managing their behavior. If he couldn't keep them on task, that wasn't the fault of the woman minding her own damn business.

[PVnRT]

19. ...and why didn't the Scoutmaster get their attention?

Every time I've helped with getting Boy Scouts a merit badge, it's the Scoutmaster's (or another chaperone's) job to keep the kids in line and focused. Yeah, they're preteens and teens, but they should also learn that ogling hot chicks with their jaws dropped is rude, and should learn some self-discipline.

[PanoramaIsland]

21. You say that kids are "bombarded with sex" as though they don't have any sexuality themselves...

...which is ridiculous and completely false. Just because they're not old enough or mature enough to act on it doesn't mean they don't have it.

[Odin2005]

18. That is fucked up.