Local blog popularizes modesty

Liberty senior Sarah Joyner advocates for the adoption of holy dressing through fashion website

Who said girls can’t be fashionable and modest at the same time? According to the blog Fearlessly Chique, girls can keep up with the latest trends without giving into the media’s lies that midriffs should show and necklines should plunge.

Senior Sarah Joyner said she felt a passion to reach young girls for Christ by stressing the importance of modesty after she gave her life to Christ. According to Joyner, she talked with her professor, Ruth Gomez, about the idea to start a modesty blog, and Gomez agreed to help her with the project.

“My sophomore year in college, God revealed to me during my quiet time that he wanted me to reach young girls for him,” Joyner said. “Before I met Christ I lived immodestly, but now I know that how I dress is a reflection of my character, and I want other girls to take hold of that truth.”

Fearlessly Chique provides fresh ideas for making current styles work for girls who desire to be modest in their wardrobe, such as pairing a cropped top with a high-waisted skirt, turning a revealing midriff piece into a workable, modest outfit.

“While fashion is important and fun, I feel I have totally missed the mark if I did not include the spiritual aspect of modesty on the blog as well,” Joyner said.

In addition to the blog’s fashion posts and videos, the site features daily devotionals that aim to encourage and grow young girls spiritually.

“Girls need a healthy balance of knowing who they are in Christ first, and living in fear of the Lord, yet fearlessly before men,” Joyner said. “That idea is actually where we got the idea for the name of the blog.”

Several Liberty University students have utilized the blog as a resource for fashion, and sophomore Lindsay Lewis is one of them.

“Some girls say they can’t find anything modest to wear,” Lewis said. “This blog gives some simple and practical tips on dressing modestly and fashionably as well. I especially like the section on guys’ thoughts about the issue because so many girls are naïve about how guys think.”

According to Joyner, a panel of guys was recently asked what modesty means to them, and their responses were posted on the blog. The guys each took turns discussing how modesty is much more than clothing choices and how it is a reflection of holiness.

“It is important as Christian women that we watch out for our brothers and do not wear anything that would cause them to stumble,” Joyner said. “I think for girls to hear from a guy that modesty really is a big deal, it helps them to understand they need to dress respectfully for God, and out of respect for themselves and their brothers in Christ.”

Joyner said she hopes that in the future this blog will become the main source that girls turn to in order to get fashion advice, as opposed to the magazines and movies that feed lies about how girls should dress.

“Modesty doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process of surrendering to God and knowing that the outside body will all eventually fade away, but a girl’s character and heart will last forever.”

Fearlessly Chique is hosting an event called “We are the Light” April 19 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. where Shari Falwell will speak on Matthew 5 about how Christians are supposed to be the light of the world. The seminar will be followed by a time of worship and a fashion show of all the latest trends for Summer 2012.

For more information, visit Fearlessly Chique’s blog at fearlesslychique.blogspot.com.