FASHION AND PASSION When the first man and woman - Adam & Eve - fell, they lost

their innocence and shamefully covered themselves. But when the modern man and woman lost their innocence (brouhgt abt. by modernism, enlightenment and atheist humanism), they fell shamelessly uncovered themselves. That is the great irony of our present society. We have lost our sense of decency. Morality is out of fashion and this is reflected in the fact that fashion has run out of morality. Times have changed. All the taboos of old were mere social conventions.Sex has become a trivial pastime. Fashion is clothing with style and elegance. We dress up to protect ourselves from cold or hot weather, hide our physical intimacy & appear in a dignified and presentable manner. But passion, sensual passion, has reconfigured fashion by ignoring its second essential element. Thus, instead of protecting privacy, today's dresses bare the body more and more, leaving very little, if any, for wild imaginations to uncover. "The more you show your body, the more you sell." That is the unwritten philosophy behind today's fashion. It affects us all, but esp. the girls and the women. Mini skirts, tight-fit jeans, see-through, long slits, backless, low waistlines, undersized blouses, low-necklines, and spaghetti straps. How far the "human creativity" can go to tantalize the eyes and fan lusts, we do not know. It is as unpredictable and whimsical as fashion itself. The only clear trend is the progressive exposition of the flesh. Modesty is the moral virtue that regulates one's actions and external bearing in sexual matters. It concerns most esp. propriety in vesture, controlling one's behavior so as to avoid undue sexual arousal in oneself or others. Modesty is one of the perfections formed in us by the Holy Spirit:" But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control." (Gal. 5:22-23) An integral part of the virtue of temperance, modesty " protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves towards them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity...It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet." The problem is people go with the fad and buy whatever is showcased in the shops & malls. To begin with, there is not much choice. In a sense, the society forces on each of us a vain and frivolous lifestyle. Even the poor share in the frenzy to be modish because moral apathy has descended on all levels of social strata. Immodest dress is symptomatic of a certain inferiority complex. Many times it is a forcible attempt to make up for one's lack of qualities (natural or acquired) by catering to another's animal instincts (blind to the true worth of an individual). The result is often a grotesque appearance of the tempter, not to say of his or her spiritual corruption and the scandal caused on others. A young girl was reproved by her older brother for wearing a rather suggestive outfit. He warned her of the scandal she would likely cause on others, esp. the guys. "That's their problem, she retorted." Poor girl! A survey showed that many of the women who were sexually harassed or abused provoked the incident by their immodest dress and coquettish manners. Some even follow a manual on flirtation to enhance their power to captivate. This is not to exculpate the masculine world of any responsibility.

But, as one fellow said, " perhaps Adam wouldn't have eaten the forbidden fruit if Eve didn't drag him into the serpent's hole.