"Oooh, I like those jeans. Good color."

"Let's go look at them."

"They're SUPER low rise! I do not feel a desire to show my body to the entire world!"

"Yeah, but you can't find normal jeans anywhere."

"This is ridiculous! Where have all the good clothes gone?"

It's almost impossible to find cute, decent clothing these days. When I'm forced to buy low rise jeans, I pull them up to my waist and buy a belt to keep them there. Luckily, I'm short, so I can pull this off without making them high water pants. And it's not just jeans, either. The tops are skimpier. Skirts and shorts are shorter. As young Christian women, it is difficult to find clothing that is modest, yet stylish.

Recently a friend of mine picked up my People magazine and exclaimed, "Elizabeth, these people are practically naked! I can't believe they wear this stuff." That statement was a wake up call for me. Had I gotten so used to current styles that I didn't even recognize how revealing they had become? I certainly don't dress that way, but I wasn't as shocked to see it as I should have been. It is difficult, especially as young women on a college campus, not to be won over by what we see every day.

My campus church friends all bemoan the lack of decent clothing available and express a concern for dressing appropriately out of respect for themselves and their Christian brothers. Last winter's retreat topic was "Sex, Marriage, and Relationships." Girls and guys anonymously exchanged comments and concerns with each other by writing them on cards and placing them in a bag. The married couple leading the activity read the comments to each group. The guys most frequently wrote, "Girls, we know you want to look beautiful and we know you are beautiful, but remember that no matter how hard we try not to be, we are visual creatures. Please be conscious of your dress and how it might affect us." These comments showed us the importance of modest dress.

On the cross, Jesus Christ was stripped and beaten. He endured the shame of nakedness in order to forgive our sins. When we are baptized, we are clothed with Christ. Out of gratitude for His great sacrifice and out of love for our brothers in Christ, we clothe ourselves with modesty, humility and decency. We do not dress to entice or impress. We do not make appearance our main focus. The world, of course, scoffs at this. But we are clothed with Christ, so that His honor is reflected in our dress and our conduct.

Elizabeth Meckler is a Senior at the University of Iowa majoring in English. She is finishing her application to Concordia Seminary, St. Louis for the Deaconess program.