It is an interesting discussion and one I have often thought about. I think it is true that, 'What matters is the context, the intention, and whether you see another person merely as an object for your own pleasure rather than as a human being with inherent dignity.' It depends a lot on context. The Cure of Ars used to give off to women from the Pulpit and even go down to talk to them in his Church. That would have been way back in the 1850's. From what I have read Parish priests in Ireland and other places would have been doing the same thing back then. But our cultures have radically changes since back then. I think we have to take that into account. I mean we can;t expect women (and men) to dress as they did in the 1850's that would be unreasonable. A woman a woman wearing pants back then would probably have been arrested. But now no one gives it a second thought. Also I think immodesty in men is different for that with women. A good example of immodesty for men would be shown in the Gay Pride Sodomist events. So we do need to nuanced about all this. When I used to travel in the East in places like Cyprus or even Southern Italy or Jerusalem I saw that there were different standards of dress expected from both women and men when they entered a Church. That is there culture, there place and we must respect that. It is the same with men and women and athletics. Of course they must dress differently because of what they do. The danger is if we adopt a one size fits all standard we will simply cause people to switch off judging us to be Puritans or Zealots. I would say one thing I personally have noticed is that women who wear longer dresses are more beautiful to me. Also men in Gay Pride events who wear grotesque clothing appear to me to be repugnant.
A lot of things concerning modest dress requires common sense. But there is nothing so uncommon than common sense.
I'm struggling with this whole discussion. It started with this wonderful boxer who stood on the world stage after a big success and gave glory and thanksgiving to God. I personally don't like boxing but I give credit to those who complete the difficulty preparation and training for such a discipline and have the courage to face their opponent and perform within the guidelines set out. It's a difficult sport and requires a lot of discipline. Boxing has been the saving grace for many young people growing up in difficult circumstances. It's ridiculous that the recommended attire worn by the athlete is now being used to judge him and all athletes. We have the command 'thou shalt not kill'. Christ did not condemn soldiers who in an army may be called to do just that. He never asked them to give up their jobs. If I remember He asked them to be satisfied with their pay. He didn't abolish slavery but asked master and slave to respect each other. We are asked to be the salt of the earth. That means to me to bring love into all situations and to respect the dignity of others. I'm not sure where I'm going with this. It's early in the morning and my brain is slow. Common sense is a rare gift it seems.
