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Project Modesty: How to Honor God With Your Wardrobe While Looking Totally Adorable in the Process
In a culture where modesty is viewed as old fashioned and totally out of date, it’s no wonder most Christian girls have lost their appetite for it. As young women growing up in America’s loose society, Kristen and Bethany have felt the intense pressure to conform. Instead of caving in to the modern trends, these sisters have learned that modesty and fashion can totally go hand in hand. This step-by-step guide will show you how to honor God with your clothing while looking top-notch-adorable in the process.
By reading Project Modesty you will…
• Understand the reasons behind why modesty is so important to God.
• See dozens of inspiring photos of Kristen, Bethany and their three sisters displaying fashionably modest outfits.
• Learn numerous tips on how to transform immodest clothing into something beautiful and modest.
• Hear honest thoughts from Christian guys about why modesty is a blessing to them.
By reading Project Modesty you will…
• Understand the reasons behind why modesty is so important to God.
• See dozens of inspiring photos of Kristen, Bethany and their three sisters displaying fashionably modest outfits.
• Learn numerous tips on how to transform immodest clothing into something beautiful and modest.
• Hear honest thoughts from Christian guys about why modesty is a blessing to them.
- GenresChristian
115 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2015
108 people want to read
About the author
Kristen Clark
13 books209 followersKristen Clark is married to her high school sweetheart, Zack, and has a background in Biblical counseling, young women's ministry, teen mentoring, online blogging, and is the co-founder of GirlDefined Ministries. She and her sister, Bethany, are passionate about fighting feminism, embracing gender distinctions, and empowering young women to live out their God defined purpose. You can read her weekly blog posts at girldefined.com or follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/girldefined.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 30, 2022
This book is absolutely buck wild. So much of this is based in bad theology and even worse assumptions of human nature. Not to mention that a lot of the points they make about modesty and how to be modest go against the philosophy they promote in their day to day life. It's a fascinatingly bad book that you have to read to believe but you should NOT actually read it.
Fair warning: the rest of this book is going to be me analyzing everything wrong with this book. It's going to be long.
Additional note: I'm not actually doing this because I hate these authors or what they stand for, and I am definitely not doing it to feed into their persecution complex of "oh no, the world hates us, aren't we suffering for Christ!" that these people often labour under. I am a Christian, although that should really be beside the point. I'm doing this to try and show that this is not actually Christianity and it goes against many of the actual teachings of the Bible.
Chapter 1
The first assumption these authors make is that every fashion store shares the same idea of fashion. They do not. Perhaps this is because of the beige-and-white box they've backed themselves into where every profile is a clone of the next. Either way, Bethany and Kristen assert that every store exists to promote the idea that clothes should be as skimpy as possible.
Um...have you LOOKED at a clothing store in the mall recently? Big sweaters are all the rage right now, and hemlines on dresses have actually been getting longer in the last few years. Anyway.
There's also a whole paragraph on how "undergarments are optional" nowadays. All I'll say is that in order to know no one's wearing underwear, you have to be looking.
A weird detour is taken through a lot of unconnected Bible verses (including one from Song of Songs...the most sex-affirming book of the Bible, heyoh!) to reinforce the idea that modesty is important for women because they are valuable, precious, made by God (all true), and "[having] the body of a female". Modesty, to these authors, belongs entirely in the domain of the woman because they alone are responsible for keeping men from stumbling.
Never mind the fact that in the section of quotes from men in Chapter Four, every quote talks about how it's the man's responsibility to not sin. Never mind that Jesus himself says "if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out." That is, if you look at a woman in lust YOU are the problem. Somehow, these authors completely ignore this in order to reinforce the idea that if women dress while showing any shoulders, collarbone, or leg above the knees, it's causing every man in their life to stumble. Gross.
Anyway, moving on the Chapter 2. This section of the book is weird. In this section, major theological jumps are made to justify modesty through the Genesis account. Why? God only knows.
The train of logic here is that because Adam and Eve sinned, they created clothing. Now, because each of us is sinful in the eyes of God, we wear clothing. "When we
cover up our bodies, we are stating through our clothing that we are imperfect sinners in
need of a Savior." If you have zero idea what, exactly, that means, then join the freaking club. As someone who lives in Alberta where it's 30 degrees C in the summer and -30 in the winter, I wear clothing to regulate my body temperature. I do not think about sin and redemption every time I put on a freaking shirt.
Not to mention that, because Jesus' sacrifice negates the sacrificial system in Genesis, according to Hebrews, then this asserted purpose of clothing disappears. If, in the view of this book, we wear clothes to state we are sinners, then, after we are redeemed in the eyes of God, why are we still wearing clothes? This is just irresponsible theology.
Moving past THAT, Chapter 3 is basically just a recap of the past two chapters, with an added note about how modesty is really about your intentions and not your actual clothing. Obviously, neither Bethany nor Kristen believe this after building their lives around setting the bar ridiculously high for others and shaming them when they fall short.
Chapter 4 is the aforementioned men's perspective. It's all right - there are a couple good points - but it's kind of creepy. The worst part is when the authors tell their readers to get their outfits approved by their husbands or fathers before leaving the house. Just...no. I feel so disgusted by this. Fathers should not be concerned about whether they will be sexually attracted to their daughters, whatever clothes they are wearing. And there's no mistake about this being sexual in nature, because that's the entire reasoning behind this. This entire book is shaming women because men might feel sexually attracted to them. Under a thin veneer of badly applied and out-of-context Scripture, this is nothing more than an excuse to make women feel bad no matter what clothing they wear, and make them bear the burden of any sin committed by a man.
Anyway, after that the rest of the book is practically all "advice" on what to wear. Basically, nothing that shows you have a figure, let alone makes you feel good about it, and nothing that could possibly be construed as appealing in any way.
Two notes on this. One, if you wear too many layers of athletic clothing at the gym, you can overheat. Therefore, wear what you want and if you're concerned about men go to a women's only gym. Two, loose swimwear is also dangerous. There's a reason practically all swimsuits are made of the same material, and it isn't because the designers are sexually repressed and have to resort to living out their fantasies vicariously through every single swimmer.
Look, I wouldn't be making such a big deal of this if I thought it was coming from a place of concern or making women feel better about themselves. But, it's not. This book is a thinly-disguised way to make the authors impose their standard of "Christian modesty" on everyone else and then feel superior when they're the only ones who can measure up to their absurd standards.
The Bible has things to say about that. And they aren't pleasant.
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matt. 6:1
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Matt. 6:6
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6: 19-21
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matt. 6:24
"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." James 2:1
"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." James 3:1
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you." James 5: 1-6
And, finally, this little beauty from Amos 5:18-24
Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Fair warning: the rest of this book is going to be me analyzing everything wrong with this book. It's going to be long.
Additional note: I'm not actually doing this because I hate these authors or what they stand for, and I am definitely not doing it to feed into their persecution complex of "oh no, the world hates us, aren't we suffering for Christ!" that these people often labour under. I am a Christian, although that should really be beside the point. I'm doing this to try and show that this is not actually Christianity and it goes against many of the actual teachings of the Bible.
Chapter 1
The first assumption these authors make is that every fashion store shares the same idea of fashion. They do not. Perhaps this is because of the beige-and-white box they've backed themselves into where every profile is a clone of the next. Either way, Bethany and Kristen assert that every store exists to promote the idea that clothes should be as skimpy as possible.
Um...have you LOOKED at a clothing store in the mall recently? Big sweaters are all the rage right now, and hemlines on dresses have actually been getting longer in the last few years. Anyway.
There's also a whole paragraph on how "undergarments are optional" nowadays. All I'll say is that in order to know no one's wearing underwear, you have to be looking.
A weird detour is taken through a lot of unconnected Bible verses (including one from Song of Songs...the most sex-affirming book of the Bible, heyoh!) to reinforce the idea that modesty is important for women because they are valuable, precious, made by God (all true), and "[having] the body of a female". Modesty, to these authors, belongs entirely in the domain of the woman because they alone are responsible for keeping men from stumbling.
Never mind the fact that in the section of quotes from men in Chapter Four, every quote talks about how it's the man's responsibility to not sin. Never mind that Jesus himself says "if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out." That is, if you look at a woman in lust YOU are the problem. Somehow, these authors completely ignore this in order to reinforce the idea that if women dress while showing any shoulders, collarbone, or leg above the knees, it's causing every man in their life to stumble. Gross.
Anyway, moving on the Chapter 2. This section of the book is weird. In this section, major theological jumps are made to justify modesty through the Genesis account. Why? God only knows.
The train of logic here is that because Adam and Eve sinned, they created clothing. Now, because each of us is sinful in the eyes of God, we wear clothing. "When we
cover up our bodies, we are stating through our clothing that we are imperfect sinners in
need of a Savior." If you have zero idea what, exactly, that means, then join the freaking club. As someone who lives in Alberta where it's 30 degrees C in the summer and -30 in the winter, I wear clothing to regulate my body temperature. I do not think about sin and redemption every time I put on a freaking shirt.
Not to mention that, because Jesus' sacrifice negates the sacrificial system in Genesis, according to Hebrews, then this asserted purpose of clothing disappears. If, in the view of this book, we wear clothes to state we are sinners, then, after we are redeemed in the eyes of God, why are we still wearing clothes? This is just irresponsible theology.
Moving past THAT, Chapter 3 is basically just a recap of the past two chapters, with an added note about how modesty is really about your intentions and not your actual clothing. Obviously, neither Bethany nor Kristen believe this after building their lives around setting the bar ridiculously high for others and shaming them when they fall short.
Chapter 4 is the aforementioned men's perspective. It's all right - there are a couple good points - but it's kind of creepy. The worst part is when the authors tell their readers to get their outfits approved by their husbands or fathers before leaving the house. Just...no. I feel so disgusted by this. Fathers should not be concerned about whether they will be sexually attracted to their daughters, whatever clothes they are wearing. And there's no mistake about this being sexual in nature, because that's the entire reasoning behind this. This entire book is shaming women because men might feel sexually attracted to them. Under a thin veneer of badly applied and out-of-context Scripture, this is nothing more than an excuse to make women feel bad no matter what clothing they wear, and make them bear the burden of any sin committed by a man.
Anyway, after that the rest of the book is practically all "advice" on what to wear. Basically, nothing that shows you have a figure, let alone makes you feel good about it, and nothing that could possibly be construed as appealing in any way.
Two notes on this. One, if you wear too many layers of athletic clothing at the gym, you can overheat. Therefore, wear what you want and if you're concerned about men go to a women's only gym. Two, loose swimwear is also dangerous. There's a reason practically all swimsuits are made of the same material, and it isn't because the designers are sexually repressed and have to resort to living out their fantasies vicariously through every single swimmer.
Look, I wouldn't be making such a big deal of this if I thought it was coming from a place of concern or making women feel better about themselves. But, it's not. This book is a thinly-disguised way to make the authors impose their standard of "Christian modesty" on everyone else and then feel superior when they're the only ones who can measure up to their absurd standards.
The Bible has things to say about that. And they aren't pleasant.
"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matt. 6:1
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Matt. 6:6
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth ... But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6: 19-21
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matt. 6:24
"My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism." James 2:1
"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly." James 3:1
"Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you." James 5: 1-6
And, finally, this little beauty from Amos 5:18-24
Woe to you who long
for the day of the Lord!
Why do you long for the day of the Lord?
That day will be darkness, not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion
only to meet a bear,
as though he entered his house
and rested his hand on the wall
only to have a snake bite him.
20 Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light—
pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness?
21 “I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
January 18, 2020
Wheter you indentify as a man, woman or other gender or none at all, everybody should dress they way they like best or feels the most comfortable. Do you like modest clothing? Good for you! Do you enjoy short shorts? Also, go for it! Do you enjoy long sun dresses? Enjoy them! It doesn't matter anyway. Have fun with clothing, it's not like we wear clothing for just the one goal of riling up all the menfolk or feel pridefull and vain. Clothing can be a fuck ton of fun, just look at cosplayers having a blast!
Don't let some pieces of talking white bread decide that dressing in a tight skinny jeans is making their Toddler-God angry.
There were some very disgusting and toxis passages in this:
Covering up is an opportunity for you to acknowledge your lack of perfection and
show your desperate need for a Savior.----Eww, I don't want to be part of a group of people that preaches this ass-shit towards impressionable young minds. So toxic, unhealthy and dangerous.
Keep in mind that we are fully aware of the fact that guys are responsible for their own personal choices to lust or not to lust.---yet if women do it, they are harlots. Fuck off.
'To lust or not to lust, that's the question.' ---Shakespeare probably after reading this.
Don't let some pieces of talking white bread decide that dressing in a tight skinny jeans is making their Toddler-God angry.
There were some very disgusting and toxis passages in this:
Covering up is an opportunity for you to acknowledge your lack of perfection and
show your desperate need for a Savior.----Eww, I don't want to be part of a group of people that preaches this ass-shit towards impressionable young minds. So toxic, unhealthy and dangerous.
Keep in mind that we are fully aware of the fact that guys are responsible for their own personal choices to lust or not to lust.---yet if women do it, they are harlots. Fuck off.
'To lust or not to lust, that's the question.' ---Shakespeare probably after reading this.
January 11, 2020
This book had some many great chapters about the philosophy of nudist and how to embrace the human form. I burned all my clothes after reading. Very helpful.
February 24, 2021
When it comes to modesty, most girls don’t want to think about it. We have all had fights with our parents about the appropriateness of our outfits. We all want to be beautiful and attractive without regarding the consequences. So many of us have bought into the lie that modesty and fashion do not go together and therefore, we can’t honor God and still keep up with the latest fashion trends. Our culture is trying to sell to us that the less clothes we wear, the more attractive and empowered we will be as women. All the while, as we reveal more of our body on the outside, we also expose our struggles with attitude and selfishness on the inside. These leaves so many of us caught in the tension of wanting to honor God, but not wanting to dress like our grandmothers. It makes us ask the questions: What does God think about modesty? Is there a way to dress modest and fashionable?
In the book Project Modesty, Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird share a biblically grounded perspective about the importance of modesty in the life of a Christian woman that wants to honor the Lord with her life. They walk through the problems with our culture’s views on how much we can take off and then they walk us through the reason why we even have to wear clothes, tracing it always back to the Garden of Eden and the first sin. They help us understand that modesty isn’t about rules; it’s an act of obedience to God and shows gratitude for all Christ did for you. They even bring in the opinions of a few guys to help us understand the importance of making modest wardrobe choices. After they walk through the reasons, they actually demonstrate what modesty looks like, and how you can still be fashionable in the process of being modest.
They devote about half the book to walking through their personal modesty standards in several different areas of clothing, and then showing you how you can wear things modestly but including dozens of full-color pictures of Kristen, Bethany, and their younger sisters modeling their fashionably modest outfits. In the end, you are left with a powerful challenge to honor God in your wardrobe choices, but you are reminded that you can still dress fashionably in the process.
I love how theological sound and straightforward this book is. Bethany and Kristen pack a lot of great truth into this ebook and this is one that I highly recommend.
In the book Project Modesty, Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird share a biblically grounded perspective about the importance of modesty in the life of a Christian woman that wants to honor the Lord with her life. They walk through the problems with our culture’s views on how much we can take off and then they walk us through the reason why we even have to wear clothes, tracing it always back to the Garden of Eden and the first sin. They help us understand that modesty isn’t about rules; it’s an act of obedience to God and shows gratitude for all Christ did for you. They even bring in the opinions of a few guys to help us understand the importance of making modest wardrobe choices. After they walk through the reasons, they actually demonstrate what modesty looks like, and how you can still be fashionable in the process of being modest.
They devote about half the book to walking through their personal modesty standards in several different areas of clothing, and then showing you how you can wear things modestly but including dozens of full-color pictures of Kristen, Bethany, and their younger sisters modeling their fashionably modest outfits. In the end, you are left with a powerful challenge to honor God in your wardrobe choices, but you are reminded that you can still dress fashionably in the process.
I love how theological sound and straightforward this book is. Bethany and Kristen pack a lot of great truth into this ebook and this is one that I highly recommend.
April 19, 2022
While I support women (and people in general) embracing modesty and their convictions regarding it, this book is not an example of this. It is theologically flawed and is very judgemental. Modesty is very personal and individual for each person so trying to set black and white standards is ridiculous. I would like to think that this was not the intention, but the way they discussed modesty and people with more relaxed views than them seemed very mean girl in tone and I did not appreciate that. This book was not for me and I think it has the potential to be damaging to others.
March 1, 2022
"Just because the culture has the loudest voice out there about fashion doesn’t mean they’re right. Just because the fashion industry pressures us to take off more
clothes, doesn’t mean it’s best. Just because famous movie stars and singers wear
micro-minis doesn’t mean we have to.
We are here to throw a flag on the field of modern fashion and say enough is
enough. They’re feeding us lies. They’re cheapening our value. We are women
created in the image of God with dignity and worth and it’s time we started living
that way. It’s time we, as Christian women, started asking God what He thinks
about our clothing.
It’s time we started living according to the Word and not the world."
Great book! Very encouraging and I love how they're not afraid to speak the truth no matter how unpopular the world thinks their opinions are. ❤
clothes, doesn’t mean it’s best. Just because famous movie stars and singers wear
micro-minis doesn’t mean we have to.
We are here to throw a flag on the field of modern fashion and say enough is
enough. They’re feeding us lies. They’re cheapening our value. We are women
created in the image of God with dignity and worth and it’s time we started living
that way. It’s time we, as Christian women, started asking God what He thinks
about our clothing.
It’s time we started living according to the Word and not the world."
Great book! Very encouraging and I love how they're not afraid to speak the truth no matter how unpopular the world thinks their opinions are. ❤
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews