This is in response to *the tweet*

This is in response to *the tweet*, swipe to see the second slide if you don’t know the tweet I’m talking about here.

I wasn’t going to weigh into this talk AT ALL because I find it really strange that I, a 44 year old dude drawing pictures in his basement, would have anything to opine about what anybody else should wear.

But the more I dove into the modesty topic I found two things to be very true:

1. Some women have specifically carved out a practice of modesty and it’s not patriarchal and it’s not subjugation; they’ve taken control of their appearance and what they will or won’t project to the world.
2. Some women have experienced serious damage from having purity culture forced on them. Through forced dress and actions they’ve had their bodies sexualized in a way they didn’t ask for at a place or by people who they once believed to be safe.

As an artist (is there a more pretentious way to start a sentence than “As an artist?”) I’ve found that there is a stark difference between a sexualized body and a non-sexualized body and it has very little to do with what someone is wearing.

1 Thessalonians 4 tells us “each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor” but also goes on to say “one must not transgress and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner.” There should be a positive recognition for those who choose modesty; If there’s anything that I’ve found with my Christian walk is that discipline and sacrifice are noble goals. On that same token, the note to “not transgress” is addressed to the transgressor. These two ideas can exist in the same argument.

This quote stuck with me for a while because I never saw the other side of this coin. In reading the full article, Lynda Carter thought she would be an inspiration to girls; not a lustful object for boys. I’m not saying there’s never a time to address what someone is wearing. What I am saying, in specific relation to this tweet, we’d do well not to sexualize situations that are not sexual. Women swimming, working out, giving birth, shopping, existing, etc are not invitations for sexual thoughts. Let’s not take advantage of a sister in this manner.