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Show OPINIONS A5 Modesty is not for men A recent Ensign article highlights long-taught thoughts on modesty in Utah culture and the issues caused by shaming the female body By Brittany M. Plothow Opinions Editor @brittanyplo In the March 2014 Ensign Elder Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote of "The Lord's standard for morality." Elder Callister addresses a number of issues, including modesty for the women of the Church. Modesty in dress and appearance is not a new subject within the Church, nor is the way Elder Callister addressed it in his article. When I was in Young Women's as a teenager I can recall an innumerable amount of Sunday lessons as well as weekday activities dedicated to the subject of modesty. And sadly, the vast majority of the time it was stressed to me that I should cover my body because, heaven forbid, a boy might catch a glimpse of me and have a dirty thought or impure idea. I developed a woman's body pretty young in life. Because of that I've always been incredibly self-aware when it comes to my body. My mom would always tell me to pull my shirts up and I was always checking it make sure nothing was hanging out. I began to feel incredibly self-conscious about my body and felt like I needed to always be aware of it and how it appeared to others, mostly to the boys around me. I didn't want to be "walking porn" and cause a boy to sin. Just as my Young Women's leaders of the past, Elder Callister says that "the dress of a woman has a powerful impact upon the minds and passions of men...it may prompt improper thoughts, even in the mind of a young man who is striving to be pure." Sure, this is true. Equally true is that men have a powerful impact upon the minds and passions of women. When I see a shirtless man my mind goes there, if you will. If I see a man in a well-tailored suit, that's probably the equivalent of a lady in a low-cut dress. Women are sexual beings as well as men and are equally visually stimulated. Having a sexual attraction to a well-dress man does not make me a sinner, entertaining and acting of those thoughts do. And if I choose to act on those feelings after seeing an attractive or improperly dressed man the sin is mine, not his. He is not responsible for my sin, I am. The quote that got the biggest reaction out of me was when Elder Callister said, "In the end, most women get the type of man they dress for." This shames women and their bodies. Celebrity spotlight gives the public too much permission for belittling people who need help By Jimmy Hall Assistant Opinions Editor @Jimnnyrhall Celebrities and the public's feelings towards them is a mixed bag of praise, adoration and worship with a good helping of judgment, scrutiny and laughs. We give them awards and our money, but at the same time make them the butt of our jokes. Without them, magazines and other news outlets wouldn't have anything or anyone to write about. Yet, they are a vital part of our culture. No, we won't die if we don't have them. But they are talking points at the water cooler, our idolized figures and sometimes our moral compass. Every once and a while, either on a fateful Super bowl morning or a random day of the week, one of them sadly passes away. Whether by natural causes such as Harold Ratni's or drug-related as the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. If someone has even a little connection toward these celebrities, a little part of them passes as well. I firmly believe that men are better than we give them credit for. They are not wild animals who see the slightest hint of cleavage and turn into ravenous creatures who cannot control themselves. As a faithful and active member of the Church, I would say that my dress is rather modest. I dress well and cover myself as best I can. I do not flaunt my body or try to show it off. I can say that not once has my clothing been what attracted a man to me. If I attract a quality man I would sincerely hope it is due to my devotion to faith, my sense of humor, my kindness, my open-mindedness, my drive and ambition, and my compassion. In other words, who I am as a human being and not what I look like or my body because I am not my body. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA FOX Women are told that they should be modest to respect men or protect themselves, but there are better reasons. I am so much more than my body or what I look like. What young and not so young women in the Church need to be taught is that modesty is about respecting the body as a creation and gift from God. Modesty is really about reverence for the human body as a sacred and special thing. It is out of ownership and acceptance that I dress as I do. I don't look in the mir- ror in the morning and say to myself, "will a guy find me sexy?" I say, "I should look like a woman who loves and accepts her body and wants it to look nice." I firmly believe that men are better than we give them credit for. They are not wild animals that see the slightest hint of cleavage and turn into ravenous creatures that cannot control themselves. They are more than capable of self-control and restraint, as are the ladies. In the end, I am taking my body back. It is mine and I respect it, and if I respect it I treat it as more than a visual thing that may not be perfect but it isn't something to be ashamed of. My body is not to blame for the improper actions of another. Modesty is not about men. It's about self-respect. Frozen's "gay agenda": Let it go Recently a Mormon blogger outlined the "gay agenda" of Disney's box-office hit, "Frozen" By Mariesa Bergin Staff Writer mariesajbergin@gmail.com Self-proclaimed "Wellbehaved Mormon," Kathryn Skaggs refers to the same-sex marriage fight and counsels her readers, "Remember, that in today's liberal society allowing almost anything, even legalizing it, in the name of 'love' trumps sin - it's that powerful of an ideology. And that my friends, is exactly what Disney is selling your children, while you unknowingly standby and watch." Skaggs is not the only person to point out "Frozen's" progressive nature or recognize it as an allegory for the struggle with sexual identity. Slant Magazine published a film review highlighting the gay subtext in the film, and thousands of readers and bloggers have commented on Disney's newly crowned queen. The movie's main character, Elsa, spends a lifetime adhering to her parent's counsel to hide who she is (a woman with a unique magical power). When her secret is finally discovered, she runs away to finally free herself from her kingdom's disapproving eyes. Like Skaggs, I am a Mormon. Unlike Skaggs, I breathe a heavy sigh of relief as I see the parallels between Elsa and many LGBTQ youth. Thank you Disney for teaching our children that no matter what their friends, family, or society is telling them about who they are, they don't need to be ashamed of it. Finally children can look to a role model who is different, disapproved of, and yet still good. Elsa is a reminder that it's okay to be themselves, and it is possible that, like Elsa's parents, Celebrity drugrelated deaths What is it that is so threatening about children being taught that homosexuality exists? those in positions of authority can be wrong. Locking something away, because we don't understand it does not preserve us; it cripples us. Elsa's parents never understood her worth or power, because they were too afraid to discover it. Homosexuals have been taught to be ashamed of who they are throughout all of history. In a country that claims to embrace all cultures, preaches antidiscrimination, and reveres religious tolerance - we continue to openly speak out against a group of people ning to believe that the LGwho have no control over BTQ community is finally who they were born to be. being accepted as equal. We They are the brunt of jokes, are ever reminded that there teasing, murder, horrifically are those who shudder at the dehumanizing protests, and thought that people might not surprisingly have a sui- not be willing to smother cide rate that is 2-5 times their sexual identity. more likely than their het"Conceal don't feel, don't erosexual counterparts in the let them see." Is this how US according to the National those who are different are Strategy for Suicide Preven- expected to respond? tion in 2011. I am a friend and famPromoting acceptance ily member of several peoshould not be viewed as a ple who identify with the moral downturn for society. LGBTQ community. I have What is it that is so threat- watched all of them face ening about children being discrimination and disaptaught that homosexuality proval. It occurs at home, at exists? It is a reality for an school, at work and perhaps immeasurable amount of most frequently, in church. people. Continuing to shame It is time to stop discussing it away in front of our chil- whether it is right or wrong, dren will do nothing to pre- and start recognizing that we pare them for a nation that are all human beings deservis undoubtedly beginning to ing of love, friendship, and a embrace it. We have fought life free of public criticism or it and fought it and fought judgment. it at the expense of so many When it comes to combatinnocent lives. ing the media's agenda to norPosts like the one written malize what should have been by Skaggs are disheartening accepted as normal long ago, for all of us who are begin- I side with Elsa. Let it go. If anything should come from these tragedies it should be understanding. A common occurrence is when celebrities overdose on hard narcotics which makes their sudden passing both shocking and sad at the same time. What about the ones who don't die? Time after time again we see celebrities who dive head first into the drug scene that Hollywood is always happy to oblige in the aiding in their vices. Our reaction, as a public, is often mixed depending on the reputation of the celebrity that, to me, is alarming. In my estimates, there are three categories of celebrities who indulge and incite a different reaction from the public. One being the kind where they make an ass out of themselves with their drug use. It's a tabloid grabber and definitely an eye-roller. This is the Justin Bieber kind. Clearly he has trouble perceiving the consequences of his actions. And with a slap on the hand from a local judge he's free to go without any repercussions. We just laugh. The second is the kind where they undoubtedly have a serious problem. This is the Amanda Bynes and Lindsay Lohan kind. Multiple admittances into rehab assure us that this isn't something to kid around with. They became a butt of the joke and receive no help or sympathy. It's such a weird and alarming dichotomy comparing "normal" citizens' drug problems to someone's like Lohan's. Why is it that we give sympathy to, say, a friend's relative who is in CELEBRITY A6 |