SEXY AND SAVED: Does What We Wear Really Matter?

By Ann-Marie Davies:: EEW Magazine Fashion

Spring is in full swing and it’s heating up everywhere, right along with the fashion. As the sun beams, more skin shows for the ladies around my way.

But should women of faith be different from the general population of women in our fashion choices? There are some Christians who scoff at the notion that you have to tone down your sexy factor to turn up your Jesus factor.

In 2012, Meagan Good's choice to put on a burlesque performance for her bachelorette party at Las Vegas's Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Saloon had people talking online. Some felt it was too much for a Christian woman to show all that skin and play up her sexiness publicly.

But Mrs. DeVon Franklin has gone on the record saying there's nothing wrong with being sexy and saved.

Is there a such thing as going overboard?

I had an experience some years ago that helped shape my perspective.

It was our first time going out on a date and I really wanted to make a good impression. I was about 20 at the time when a cute guy from my job asked me to hang out at a family cookout.

I had been eyeing him for a while. We were both Christians, serious about our faith. I would often see him in the same church circles, at musicals, conferences, and other special events around the California region.

He was a drummer with really deep dimples. I was ready to get to know him better. Because I was very picky and hardly liked anyone, the fact that someone I had a crush on showed mutual interest was nice.

So I went to the mall to look for the right outfit. When I found it, I hurried home, got ready, and waited.

When the suave gentleman arrived, I opened the door to let him in. His eyes went up and down my body and then he frowned.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” he asked.

“Yes, why?” I smiled, waiting for my compliment.

“Well it’s a little revealing he said,” wincing uncomfortably.

“What’s wrong with what I have on?” I replied, gazing down at myself, feeling really insulted.

“Your shorts are really short and that t-shirt is kind of low cut.”

I could not believe what I was hearing! I wanted to slam the door in his fine face, but instead, I invited him to sit down on the sofa. When I went back upstairs to give myself another look in my floor-length mirror, even though I was fighting mad, he had a point.

I did have on daisy-dukes and a form-fitting tee. But what guy doesn’t like a little skin?

That guy didn’t, so I swallowed my pride and changed my outfit.

When we got inside his car, I was silent, still nursing my wounded feelings.

“I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t offend you” he broke through the quiet. “It’s just that you’re a church girl, a woman of God, and I thought you would dress differently than that.”

He explained that he had never seen me outside of regular services, where I was always dressed conservatively. He was shocked by my flesh-baring getup.

Although he and I didn’t work out and only ended up going on a few dates, I never forgot his words to me. Whether I liked the truth serum he gave me or not, I thought he had a good point.

As a woman of faith, even my fashion choices should reflect who I am because what we wear helps others form opinions about my character.

For me, toning down my sexy factor has nothing to do with a legalistic approach to style, with a bunch of “thou shalt not’s attached to the "acceptable clothes" memo.

It's moreso about representing Christ in all areas, which includes knowing what and what not to wear.

What are your thoughts about Christian women and being sexy? Is there anything that should be off limits to us?