The Modesty Guru

I first met Judith Rasband nearly thirty years ago.  She was already a celebrity, having been on several national television shows to teach people about ways to maximize their wardrobes.  As anyone who has had contact with Judith or her educational materials knows, Judith is a multi-talented woman who has some remarkable ways of helping people re-think their dress and grooming habits to best support their "roles and goals."

One of the most valuable things I have learned from Judith is that effective wardrobing is considered dressing:  whether we intend it or not, each detail of our appearance and manner communicates messages about who we are -- and the messages we send influence us (the wearer), both directly (as we internalize the messages we send) and indirectly (as others are influenced and respond to us as message-givers).  In order for effective communication to happen, we need "wardrobe integrity," something that happens when the messages we send are consistent with the circumstances and are in harmony with who we are and what we value.

Judith's clearly-outlined principles, including those that my daughters and I have learned from studying her copyrighted "Style Scale," have been a blessing; rather than relying on some subjective feeling (and creating a personal attack) about the impropriety of an outfit, we have common language to identify reasons to change clothes or identify ways to alter an outfit to better suit our purposes.

The basics of Judith's Style Scale, available at http://ce.byu.edu/edweek/handouts.php?year=2007, might provide similar help for your family.  It is not overtly focused on modesty; modesty is a result of choosing to dress in a way that is consistent with a person's identity and needs.  Since many of her ideas have influenced mine, so I cannot take credit for them; I am sending you to the source!




Poppy photo from sxc.hu.  Used courtesy of giniminigi.