Where Has Modesty Gone?

Last night, I went to the 4th class of a 7 class series of womens' classes. The topic of the class was on tznius, loosely translated as modesty. First, the instructor showed us various pictures of models (men and women) in various states of undress; it was shocking how much some of these pictures looked like pornography; the sad thing is that we have become us immune to this. This is what happens when you see pictures like that all the time.

We also discussed how tznius applies to both men and women; even though women get the short end of the stick when it comes to guidelines for dress (knees, elbows, and collarbones have to be covered), men also have it rough as well in their own way. When a man becomes observant, he can forget about watching the next Britney Spears video!

The last part of class was about hair covering, a good percentage of the women who take this class are engaged or married. When a Jewish woman gets married, she is supposed to cover her hair. The point of view behind this is that hair is a very alluring part of a woman's body, and when you're married, you don't want to be showing that off to anyone else but your husband. Some women buy hats or scarves and others get a sheitel (wig) to cover their hair. Even though I am not currently in a relationship, it was interesting to hear other womens points of view on this topic, it is an intense decision for a women to cover her hair.

Most TV shows and music videos are low on modesty. One TV show that is currently gaining popularity is called "Pants Off Dance Off", it airs on the Fuse Network and it is a pretty self-explanatory concept. Various people of all ages and sizes dance to music videos and take their clothes off for $. I have caught glimpses of this show and I have found myself watching more than a few minutes of the show; I compare it to driving on the highway and seeing a multi-car pileup, even though you know you shouldn't watch it you are compelled to watch. I seriously want to know what is the mindset for people who dance on this show; do they want their 5 minutes of notoriety, is it some weird way of letting go of body insecurity, who knows?
Do they not understand that there are people who watch this show? What if you are on a job interview and you happened to dance on the show awhile back and let's say the person who interviewed you happens to flip channels and catches you on the show? How embarrassing would that be?

Seriously, it is a sad comment on society that a show like "Pants Off Dance Off" is popular, and I will do my small part by simply not watching the show, even for a glimpse.