Beach Season just passed! What's not to love? It was the time where us locals actually want to soak up the sun and swim in the sea, travelling to beaches far beyond the shores of Sunny Singapore.
Aside from deciding where to travel to or what water activities to try out, the biggest struggle i believe for young Christian women as myself, would be on determining how much skin, is too much skin. It is one of the most controversial topics and one of the grey areas of our belief with the world influencing our ways, are we compromising or are we still in the white area? So, before i delve in to the nitty gritty of how i view this, i would just like to declare beforehand that this post is purely written based on my opinion and perspective and it should in no way be deemed as the "right thing to do" nor should it make your decision for you without further thought on your own. This post is written because of my own recent dilemma, and I just wish to share my opinion and hope that it helps someone out there.
I firmly believe that our body is a sacred temple of God and that it is gifted to us by Him and we should treasure it and keep it pure. This is where one side of the argument reigns, where people are convicted to cover up and wear decent clothing. Now, I'm not saying that it is wrong, nor does it advocate prudes who do not want to have fun. Much of this argument is about personal convictions and our motives, as most arguments of grey areas in Christianity do. It would be ridiculous to wear jeans and a turtleneck at the beach, but yet a string bikini isn't appropriate in any circumstance. So where do we draw the line?
Women were created to be naturally sensuous and beautiful and we grow up knowing that this ensnares men and attracts their attention. As Christians, we are taught not to be a stumbling block to our fellow brothers, to be modest in clothing ourselves, so as to not induce lustful thoughts and to guard ourselves and them from sin. When we show skin, it is always thought of a negative thing, to seduce men, or to attract their attention in a sinful way; As a consequence of that, bikinis, crop tops, spaghetti tops, bustiers and many more clothing if worn alone, have been condemned as "ungodly clothing". I for one believe that clothing are a practical way of expressing one's creativity, now do not take this out of context, I love my Creator and I respect my body, in no way am I saying "Go! Be free to express yourself and not cover up." That would be insanity.
The questions that you should ponder upon here are, are your motives for covering lesser skin right? Is it necessary for me to wear what I am wearing?
When it comes to the beach, I want to be free to have fun and feel the sun and wind caress my skin, I want to be able to feel free to move in what i wear. I wear lesser clothing not because I want to attract men, but because i feel good in my own skin and I love what my Creator has given me, I don't flaunt it for others, instead I want dress up, or wear something because it makes me happy. I of course understand that i shouldn't stumble others so I usually opt for more covered up bikinis and i don't prance around in just the littlest pieces of my underwear. If my guy friends are around I wouldn't even take off my top. While I do wear bikinis I usually cover up either my top or bottom depending on the activity I would be doing. I rarely peel off my shorts, but when I do, I make it a point to cover up on top. If I wear a bikini top, (which would be most of the time) I would never take out my shorts. My point is, I know where to draw the line according to my own convictions, and if I feel wrong about it I wouldn't do it no matter how much i want to. The Holy Spirit dwells within us to help us discern right from wrong, so heed the prompting and the convictions.
So now, other questions to ask yourself are, what are your convictions? What do you think is right? Am I showing more than I should be? What am i being prompted to do?
Tanning, is also one of my favourite activities and I would hate to have weird tan-lines, therefore i opt to wear a bikini top most of the time. But as i said, string bikinis are a definite no-no for me, so what then you ask? Well, we are blessed with the creative minds of the Fashion industry so why not use it? What are the options out there?
I mentioned above that there are more modest bikini tops out in the market that i prefer to use in public beaches and these are a few out of the many types of 2 piece swimwear out there. (I apologize for the weird formatting it went crazy.)
The Tankini
PHOTO: from Pinterest Venus Swimwear
The High Waist Bottom
PHOTO: from MBSFW White Sands
PHOTO: from Forever 21
The Racerback
PHOTO: from Billabong
PHOTO: by Modli Summer 2015
The Cropped
PHOTO: Cropped bikini top from Forever 21
PHOTO: Halter swimwear by Forever 21 and Victoria Secret Swim
PHOTO: from Mara Hoffman Swimwear
And if all else fails, try a One piece, there are some pretty ones out there, it just takes a bit more money and patience to get the right one.
Modesty, practicality and style may seem like a hard mix to swallow, but in reality there are many options out there waiting to be found by you. Women should be able enjoy themselves as much as remain Godly and pleasing in our Father's eyes. So, do take a moment today, to ask yourself the questions above and decide where to draw the line according to your convictions. I am aware that all that I have mentioned are arguable and some of you may even have ready and strong retorts to what i have typed out above. Therefore, I want to remind all of you once again that this post is purely on my opinion and I am open to hearing from all of you. Enjoy the beach season while it lasts!
Love and God bless,
Cheryl Tomato
Any questions could be posted below and at http://ask.fm/cherrietomato or you can follow me at cherrietomato on Instagram or @toppingoflife on Twitter
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