Girls Gone…Mild? :

Not everyone thinks it’s cool to flash your boobs on camera, show the world that you don’t wear underwear or behave like a drunk and spoiled brat. Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and the thousands of shirtless girls on the Girls Gone Wild videos are guilty of such antics. But, there is a new “modesty movement,” one built on fashion and attitude, which is rebelling against what has come to be considered normal and acceptable ways for young women to act and dress.

One of the first and most vocal supporters of encouraging young women to revolt against this current “sexual revolution” – “an age where pornography is mainstream, teen clothing seems stripper-patented and ‘experts’ recommend that we learn to be emotionally detached about sex” is Wendy Shalit. Her first book, A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue, was written in 1999 and argued that young women should exemplify modesty, intelligence and integrity. Her second book, published in June of this year, is titled Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It's Not Bad to Be Good. Shalit defines “girls gone mild” as teens and young women who reject promiscuous bad-girl roles and resist pressure from the media and one’s peers to be sex symbols; they are, instead, reclaiming their individuality. “Mild girls” tend to be religious, cover up, impose curfews on themselves, promise to stay virgins until they’re married and even choose to bring their moms on dates.

Shalit, herself deeply religious, has also founded two Web sites that host online forums where young women who don’t have a voice in the mainstream media can come together. ModestyZone.net is “for good girls in hiding, everywhere.” This Web site chastises female celebrities for saying or doing something to earn the title of “unlikely role model,” recommends pieces of literature and sells T-shirts, mugs and hats. ModestlyYours.com is a group blog.

Wendy Shalit is not the only one perpetrating this new movement. Web sites selling modest clothes have launched, fashion shows featuring fully clad women are held, and magazines are being published, all in support of encouraging this lifestyle.

Web Sites, Fashion & More
The following sites themselves are all very simply done; almost amateur-like. Some sell a good product, others don’t. Surf them and see what you think.

ModestbyDesign.com is a site that offers prom and homecoming gowns, bridesmaid, flower girl and mother-of-the-bride dresses. What appears to classify them as modest is that none are strapless, and there really are some nice, fashionable choices. Skip the “Casual Wear” section, though.

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