Ladies, Is Your Purse Strap Stoking Lust?

Sociological Images posted the results of the Modesty Survey a project of a Christian website where Christian girls quizzed 1500 Christian guys about their standards of modesty. Not guys’ standards for their own dress and demeanor, mind you, just about the standards they use to judge women.

This survey just some thrown-together Quizilla poll. The creators of the Modestly Survey evidently went to considerable trouble and expense to compile this exhaustive questionnaire and display the results online.

The creators describe final product as a discussion rather than a scientific study. There’s no particular reason to assume that the results are representative of any particular population, but it’s interesting that someone undertook to compile an exhaustive compendium of male rules for female modesty.

Of course, the usual suspects like mini skirts and halter tops fell squarely on the whore side of the virgin/whore dichotomy for most respondents. The survey also threw some a few curves, or you might say a few curves threw some guys: Forty-eight percent of respondents agreed that “a purse with a strap across the chest draws too much attention to the bust.” Thirty-nine percent believe that tights with patterns on them are immodest. Forty-four percent thought that decorative stitching on jean pockets was unduly provocative.

Instead of praying to God for guidance, young women are expected to follow the fashion edicts of random dudes on the internet. As far as the creators of this survey are concerned, modesty is about women’s responsibility to police everything from their wardrobe to their walk, lest they lure a man into lust. The poll is really more of a brainstorming session to throw out as many lust-triggers as possible. If women don’t know that purse straps are inspiring lust, they can’t be blamed for flouncing about in such a state. But now they’ve been told, and knowledge equals guilt.

Some guys even think floral prints and lettered sweatshirts are for hussies. Just so you know.