Femininity, beauty, and dignity
A Christian style consultant on how we can adorn ourselves according to God’s design, for His glory (Guest Post)
Hey ladies,
I’m really excited to bring this unique and God-honoring view of style to you today, from my dear friend Liz. She is currently (through today, Thursday, August 24) giving away a free color and style analysis on Instagram, so make sure to go visit her account for instructions on how to enter and win!
The androgynous nature of fast fashion has no regard for femininity, beauty, or dignity.
What the world deems fashionable is usually outrageous and scandalous (like an bright orange feathered dress that only covers 1/16 of one’s body) or basic and uninspired (like a white tee and jeans that lack any kind of personality or proper fitting).
As Christians, we are called to reflect the glory and majesty of our Creator King. If He created nature (and our bodies) with such order, design, and loveliness, is it not our privilege and responsibility to echo that in the way we dress?
Beauty is not strictly a feminine quality, but there’s no doubt that it is inherent in the female form.
Of course, much of that beauty is to be hidden, set apart in its purest form as a gift. But the essence of each woman’s beauty is to be displayed as a visible declaration of God’s glory.
Unfortunately, many women associate femininity only with pink, frilly dresses, cottage core, or pearls and lace. Still others picture biblical womanhood as ankle length, shapeless dresses, a lack of jewelry or accessories, and stern faces.
What a picture Christian women can portray to the world, when we are first adorned with a gentle and quiet spirit, and then stand out as lovely, well-dressed, dignified image-bearers!
It's so evident and exciting to see God's design in our bodies. He creates each uniquely, of course, but adds harmony and similarity within our features. Your facial features, for example, echo the bone structure/rugosity and proportions of your body. Your hair, eyes, and skin color create a specific amount of contrast, and have a similar hue and chroma.
There's so much to explore about how God created you, both internally and externally, yet we think so little about what we put in it and perhaps even less about what we put on it!
Throughout history, women have either sewed their own clothes or had them tailored specifically to their tastes and measurements. In today’s society, however, low quality clothes that look exactly the same as everything else are considered the height of fashion. Consequently, most women don’t know how to dress THEIR body.
They are either swept up by trends and aesthetics that change every second, or turned off by the idea of fashion and feel safer in plain, unassuming clothing.
The key to building an elegant, practical wardrobe as a wise steward is to understand what works for you and why.
That’s where personal color and style analysis proves useful.
Color and style analysis helps you understand how God created you —your skin tone, your skeletal structure, your proportions, etc.
This then enables you to dress in harmony with how you were designed, instead of grabbing the cheapest thing off the rack or adding things to your cart just because it looks cute on the model. You don’t want to look or feel like you’re dressed in someone else’s clothes.
You can learn how to avoid colors that clash with your skin tone or drain the color from your face. Outfits that are restricting or hang awkwardly off your frame. Clothes that sit in the back of your closet, never making an appearance in your daily outfits, because they don’t fit right, are uncomfortable, or aren’t suitable for your lifestyle.
Shop with purpose, dress with dignity.
We as Christian women and homemakers strive for order and beauty in every part of our homes-but rarely in our wardrobes. Is your closet filled with pieces that enhance your complexion and embody your personal style? Does it prioritize quality, neatness, and creativity? Is it cohesive and functional for your lifestyle?
We can practice good stewardship by only purchasing clothing that makes us look and feel our best. When you buy pieces that follow your color palette, clothing lines, and personal style, you’ll have a stripped-down closet, not an overflowing one! You don't have to sacrifice modesty or individuality or spend lots of money when it comes to fashion.
I’m a firm believer in accentuating one’s God-given beauty — without the help of regular salon visits, makeup, filters, perms, or tanning (not that any of these things are wrong).
But finding your best colors and clothing lines revolutionizes the way you dress because your outfits now harmonize with your complexion and body type instead of creating a harsh contrast or looking like a costume.
As Christian women, we are called to something higher than a frumpy, disheveled, or ultra-casual appearance, and immodest, garish clothing.
There is a better way.
Dressing with dignity, whether at home (don’t your loved ones deserve the honor of seeing you dress beautifully for them too?) or in public (yes, even to run errands—I guarantee it’ll lift your mood and change your mindset regarding mundane, boring tasks) is a radical decision in a messed up world, but well worth it.
I urge you, pursue beauty, not for beauty’s sake, but for Christ’s sake.
When the love of Christ captures and transforms our hearts, we can reflect His glory externally and represent Him well to the world around us—ultimately pointing to the Author of beauty, whose supreme majesty and radiance outshine all else.
Elisabeth Bennet (IG: @elisabethjbennet) is a personal color and style analyst catering specifically to the Christian community, as she prioritizes reflecting the glory of God through dignity and elegance in fashion.
“They are either swept up by trends and aesthetics that change every second, or turned off by the idea of fashion and feel safer in plain, unassuming clothing.”
Gosh, this is so real. Halfway through this piece but I’m setting it aside to give it a closer read this afternoon.
This is really interesting. I dress in athleisure basically every day, except the rare occasions I work in the office, or Sundays for church, or going out to eat. In the last 5-7 years it’s not that I stopped caring, but it became exhausting for me to try to maintain my wardrobe and all the things. And I like to be comfortable. But this has given me a different perspective to consider. I still find it extremely hard to find clothing pieces I like and feel comfortable in, and fast fashion is everywhere!!