Decline of Modesty

There are many cultural similarities I've observed between that of my youth, growing up in Canada during the 80's, and that of today. Movies, television, fashion and music all had a significant impact on social lives then just as they do now. Older married adults have always tended to conform to a fairly modest, stable and low-key standard of dress whereas teenagers and young adults have always been more susceptible to the various fashion trends, themselves reinforced and shaped by the media, celebrities and cult movements.

There were various styles associated with various types of music. Where there was a fashion and young consumers, there was money to be made so industries naturally took advantage of the situation, promoting style-associated products and people wherever they could. The headbanger look was associated with heavy metal music, the mod look was associated with mod music, the punk look was associated with punk music, the pop look was associated with pop music, the gangster look was associated with rap music, etc. Music and style would act as a means to the cross-pollination of various commercial industries.

Some opportunists realized they could build a large following by creating controversy, breaking taboos and pushing societal boundaries since rebellion has always resonated with the impulsive-spending preteen and teen target demographic. Within the popular music industry, Madonna was perhaps the most notable of boundary-pushers, owing most of her success to her immodest approach. This became an archetypal formula that would later produce the likes of the hyper-sexualized Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.

When impressionable children look up to popular celebrities, it's not unexpected that they would try to emulate them. Those who are less inclined to pop culture are nonetheless subtly influenced by the dress and attitudes of their peers so the effects can be pervasive in redefining norms. It would be foolish to claim that entertainment and fashion industries are solely responsible for the immodesty we see today in society but there can be no doubt that they have played a large part. Besides industry and pop-consumerism movements, ideologies like feminism have been hijacked in efforts to help rationalize the diluted standards of modesty among today's youth.

Maybe I'm getting old, but from what I can see, the attitudes and dress of teens and young adults today is not the same as it used to be. Females wear shorter skirts and shorts, tighter and skimpier pants, shirts and dresses as well as lower cut tops in an effort to look sexier. I don't know the stats but my impression is that casual sex for the mere sake of sensual experience is an encouraged attitude common among many young women. Back when I was growing up, people had more self-respect and such attitudes were considered skanky - apparently being a skank isn't such a bad thing anymore.

I know I'm not alone in my concern for the deterioration of decency and chastity. There are religious and non-religious critics alike on this matter. Muslims are not fond of the permissiveness that has been promoted in Western culture; I suspect that the general decline in modesty witnessed in the West is in part responsible for the revival of the hijab in the Middle East over the past few decades. Ironically, I've grown so accustomed to seeing half-naked young women wandering the malls and the streets during summer that it's now women who wear hijab that catch my attention. While the intent of the head-scarf is presumably to repel eyes, I often find myself fixated on and attracted to women who wear hijab. It's certainly true that a hijab helps emphasizes the beauty of a face but I think perhaps the greater allure is in the holding of higher values and reverence for life's treasures.

Any thoughts on this?