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Thought I’d share this article about a Mormon music star who I didn’t know existed. She wore a dress to an awards ceremony and got major judgmentalism from Mormons about it being immodest. She served a mission, is in her late 20’s and to my knowledge is unmarried. Which is also a bit out of the norm for LDS people. Wouldn’t surprise me if she has occasionally thought about the same kinds of issues we do here, without the faith crisis… http://ldsliving.com/story/78969-lindsey-stirling-responds-to-criticism-over-modesty-of-her-billboard-awards-gown ” class=”bbcode_url”> http://ldsliving.com/story/78969-lindsey-stirling-responds-to-criticism-over-modesty-of-her-billboard-awards-gown Here is a typical work of hers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvipPYFebWchttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvipPYFebWc” class=”bbcode_url”> And an interview with a group of apparently traditional Mormons….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8mwveU8bDUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8mwveU8bDU” class=”bbcode_url”> I saw this a couple days ago “in the news.” I see nothing wrong with the dress at all. I saw a very similar dress at our school prom a few weeks ago and actually admired it for being modest. (FWIW there was only one Mormon girl at that prom and her dress was far less modest – I was surprised her parents bought it, actually.) Is it just me or is LDS Living getting a lot better lately? hawkgrrrl wrote:Is it just me or is LDS Living getting a lot better lately?
I think it really is quite a bit better. (I was very unhappy when the first three posts out of gate in the “Expand” section were all about justifying polygamy – of course, that’s my take – but I haven’t seen much on that topic since.)LDS Living is quite good now. Lindsay Sterling is amazing. Seriously, a stunning talent; one of my favorite musicians. She also has fought anorexia in the past and been open about it. I recommend her videos to anyone who’s likes innovative violin performances.
The dress was a perfect example of modesty. It was moderate – a great mix of modern fashion with a slip that didn’t expose a thing. I loved it when I saw it – and knew some of fellow religionists would go bat crazy and say stupid things.
I hope the backlash over the stupid backlash has a net positive result. I actually think it will, just like the good that came from the idiotic BYU-I testing center situation.
What I like is how she chastised the “Christians” for their judgmental behavior. How she defended herself as trying, but not perfect — like the rest of us. I’ve seen her interviews. She’s orthodox, although I have this feeling there is a current of unorthodoxy somewhere, to some degree. She talks often about being true to herself. And as we know, there is an art to that…in her case, it’s a bit reversed.
The entertainment industry is to her, what the church is to us. And the Church is to her, what our unorthodoxy is to us.
Here is Sister Osmond – also a performer, thrice temple wed (?) No judgement either. Just perspective. 
[img]http://www.hairboutique.com/blogs_p/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/MarieOsmond-5_250h.jpg [/img] 
[img]http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Donnie+Marie+Osmond+Headline+Flamingo+GHNjKV8BQvql.jpg [/img] 
[img]http://i.huffpost.com/gen/897849/original.jpg [/img] As to Lindsey Stirling. My kids love her. She is an inspiration. Her Moxie is part of her charm. Seriously, what should she have worn, a burka?
I have seen Lindsay Sterling videos before and was impressed but until now did not know she was LDS. A few weeks ago a came across a different modesty article on LDS living:
http://ldsliving.com/story/76839-lds-olympian-faced-with-modesty-dilemma-at-photo-shoot It was about a female LDS olympian that declines to wear a dress she considered immodest in a photo shoot. This got me to thinking. What an interesting turn of events that an Olympian that is seeking to stand on the highest peak of the podium with her anthem playing anthem playing and the croud adulating is now being praised not for her skill but for her modesty. It is just interesting that we use the word modesty in such a narrow way and completely ignore the larger definition. My dictionary lists as synonyms for modest: demure, diffident, self-effacing, shy, timid. She certainly isn’t shy or self-effacing. The definition about keeping to “conventional proprieties in behavior, speech, and dress” isn’t mentioned until definition #3. Even then – what behavior or speech would qualify as a breach of LDS modesty? I am not entirely sure. Is it immodest to go on a date before your 16th birthday? I feel like we focus on just the word “dress” from the 3rd definition to the exclusion of all other things.
When I was looking for that article I googled “Olympian” and “Modesty” and came up with a full search page of references to this photo shoot incident.
I find it ironic that we have a person that is famous for self-agrandizing about how modest she is.
But in the end a woman took a stand for her personal values. All other word definitions and such asside – Good…for…her.
But now we have a similar situation with some important differences. A fairly famous LDS Music Star goes to an awards show in a dress that she personally picked out and felt good in. She mentions how it was designed in such a way that she could both be modest and stylish at the same time. Is it head turning? Yup! But then we get into what it means to be a performer. What part of it isn’t about drawing attention to ourselves and making people give us a second look? Lindsay does so without depreciating her body by using it as a trading commodity. It must be a very fine line for her and I wish her strength in being comfortable with her personal deliniations.
In the words of Tayler Swift, “Haters gonna Hate … shake it off!”
The modesty thing in the LDS church fits very well the defintion of “twisted.” It needs to stop.
Old-Timer wrote:I hope the backlash over the stupid backlash has a net positive result. I actually think it will, just like the good that came from the idiotic BYU-I testing center situation.
What item are you referencing?For so long the church focus on modesty essentially banned anything that a woman could wear, say, or do that put attention onto herself. The official LDS definition of modesty banned women from standing out. Maybe a month ago, I looked up the Church’s official definition of modesty, copied it, and used it to respond to an LDS Living article about a dress that was worn by someone. I was trying to make the point that the church definition of modesty didn’t allow women to achieve or accomplish ANYTHING without being considered immodest. It used to annoy me because there was nothing about male modesty that included an equal definition. In fact, our young men are encouraged to accomplish and achieve in ways that make them stand out from the crowd.
Today, I went back to LDS.org to copy that definition again. It is gone. It is completely missing from every area of LDS.org, and the definition has been changed to something a little more nebulous . I am stunned and I am pleased. Progress is being made. Someone in a position of power finally “got it”. I am totally and completely thrilled.
amateurparent wrote:For so long the church focus on modesty essentially banned anything that a woman could wear, say, or do that put attention onto herself. The official LDS definition of modesty banned women from standing out.
Good point Amateurparent. As much as I dislike the topic of hemlines as it relates to modesty – I suppose it would be even worse if modesty was emphasized as how women can blend in with the furniture.
Old-Timer wrote:This one:
http://religiondispatches.org/byu-skinny-jean-controversy-sexism-sizeism-or-standards/ Thanks. I had heard about the issue flaring up, but didn’t hear that it had been “corrected.”
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