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This month’s question comes from a perplexed mother who wants to know the rules about clothing:

Here is my reply:

I appreciate your concern about the current clothing styles – there are many mothers and grandmothers out there who feel the same way. One wonders if our children are practicing for hard times!

I’ll first address your second question about clothing donations to charitable institutions. I called an executive at Deseret Industries, the LDS Charitable organization, about any policy they have regarding clothing that may be so worn out that it’s unacceptable to them. He said they take everything and anything, as long as it’s clean. If it isn’t good enough to sell as clothing, they turn it into rags. Standards of acceptability may be different at other organizations. You may want to contact those in your locality and learn their policies.

Now, in answer to your first question, my personal definition of clothing that is too “worn out” to be used, except in emergencies, is when it has holes, it is frayed, the fabric is breaking down, the seams are coming apart, buttons are missing, zippers don’t work, it’s faded, and otherwise shows signs of hard use.

Certainly, our appearance and our actions are most often closely related. In other words, how we dress usually has a direct affect on what we do. Sloppy clothing frequently leads to a sloppy performance.

I have a friend who is a fashion consultant and speaks and writes professionally about modesty and appropriate attire. Upon my request, I received the following information from her.

Clothing is being “deconstructed” – as are language and literature, manners and morals. We’re talking about social modeling and trash fashion, clothing that is purposely faded, dirty, stained, ripped, worn backwards or inside out, unhemmed, and uncoordinated in opposition to beauty and harmony. It is the purposeful anti-statement being pushed in defiance to beauty and harmony and in defiance to what mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, the principal, the boss, or the bishop wears or wore. Tell your reader to go to www.ldsimageintegrity.info for related reading, with more to come in the weeks ahead.
– Judith Rasband

As an observer of LDS women, I notice that many girls and women are dressing “deconstructively,” some in conscious rebellion and others because they are blindly following the trends. Nevertheless, it is a significant lowering of standards and cannot help but affect their attitudes, activities, and general spiritual well being.

Their example may give some who are weak the license or permission to dress likewise and eventually succumb to other, more serious temptations. Dressing inappropriately can give the adversary an opening through which to lead them and those around them further astray. I believe that putting on “the whole armour of God,” includes dressing appropriately so “that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).