Why I added sleeves to my prom dress

*I just want to explain that I am not trying to be preachy or self-righteous by writing this. I am simply explaining.*

As most of you know, I am a devout Mormon. I was raised in a home that teaches self respect and modesty. Prom dresses don't always scream modesty.. sometimes they scream quite the opposite. Most of my friends of different faiths wore strapless or sleeveless dresses with low cut chest lines. I am not trying to chastise them for their dresses, but merely explain why my dress looked a little different. I even have some LDS friends that wore these types of dresses, which further confuses my non-member friends. So here is why I added sleeves to my prom dress. 

The LDS church does not teach women to hide their bodies or cover up out of shame. It is quite the contrary. We are taught that our mortal bodies are the most precious gifts we receive. To show respect to God for our bodies, we wear modest clothing that is not too revealing. We try not to show excessive cleavage, shoulders, or wear short shorts and skirts. One thing I want to emphasize is that women aren't modest simply for men! Some people try to say that we should be modest so we don't tempt men. This argument always kinda ticked me off. In my opinion, it's a man's choice to be looking at a woman inappropriately. Jesus said if one of your eyes is offending you, cut it out. I think it is a good gesture to dress appropriately because some men may struggle with inappropriate thoughts and feelings, but that is not the sole reason to be modest. But I'm going off on a tangent and that's not the point. I am modest because the Lord has asked me to be. I am so grateful for the body I was given and I am proud of how beautiful it is. To show my gratitude, I will dress modestly. It is also a way to show to others that you are a disciple of Christ. Mainly, being modest invites the Spirit to dwell within you. 

Something that has always confused me about a portion of the Mormon culture is the idea that you can select occasions to be modest. Some girls wear modest clothes all the time but wear a very revealing bathing suit to the pool. The most popular occasions to ditch your standards seem to be homecoming and prom. The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet states, "Never lower your standards of dress. Do not use a special occasion as an excuse to be immodest." 

I bought my beautiful dress when I was in England this summer. The dress was absolutely stunning without sleeves (all it had was thin spaghetti straps). I was really worried that we would ruin it by trying to add sleeves. I repeatedly put it on for almost a full year without the sleeves on. It looked beautiful on me and I felt beautiful in it. But it just wasn't me. I didn't even necessarily feel uncomfortable in it (probably because I only ever put it on in the privacy of my own room). But I had been raised to dress modestly, regardless of the occasion. I'm not sure if my parents would've let me wear it without the sleeves, but I didn't even ask. At the end of the day, it was my decision to make. I decided that I wanted to be modest. I wanted my kids to look back at my senior prom pictures and see that I was modest. I wanted to feel like myself and keep the standards close to my heart on a night when not everyone around me would be making good choices. 

It was so simple to add the sleeves on. Actually, you can ask my mom if it was simple... It looked simple to me. It only took a few sittings to get them just right. 

I felt beautiful and confident all night. I never worried that too much was showing or that something was gonna pop out. I had a wonderful night and I will always look back at those pictures with fondness.

(The sleeves are light to match the dress and I realize that they don't show up extremely well in all the pictures.. which would make this entire post pointless... haha.... it's the thought that counts right?)

I just want to say again that I am not writing this to be preachy or self-righteous or to chastise or scold anyone! I just want to encourage my fellow ladies to be modest all the time to show respect to yourselves and to God. I promise that if you are modest, you will be blessed with the confidence and happiness that you all deserve.