Modesty: What's the Controversy?

Why am I Talking about This?

Just to give you some background on why I decided to write on this topic and help you see where I am coming from:

1. I am LDS, meaning I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (more commonly known as Mormons). Mormons firmly believe that our bodies are a gift from our Heavenly Father and should be treated as such. Because of this, one of our standards is to dress modestly. This entails always having sleeves on your tops (as well as not displaying cleavage for women), not baring your midriff, and not having any shorts/skirts, etc. go above your knees. These standards apply to both the men and women of the church.
2. There have been a lot of news articles about girls being shamed at school for their clothing choices, or school yearbook photos getting edited for modesty violations.
3. These articles lead my sister-in-law to write a blog post on modesty. I agree with most (maybe all?) of what she says, but some of my amazing friends made some important points:
1. "These are some good and important thoughts, but I do want to point out that we are NOT biologically hard-wired to respond to revealing clothing sexually. We are culturally hard-wired. There are cultures all over the world where people spend their entire lives revealing bare breasts, bare buttocks, or even genitals without anyone responding sexually (think tribal villages). I think what a lot of people who are "against modesty" are trying to change the culture of how we see the human body—as more than a sexual object."
2. "Bodies are not meant to be treated as sexual objects, but the fear instilled in humans by their culture to dress appropriately to "avoid temptation" teaches implicitly that bodies are unavoidably sexual and serve no other purpose, which is false."
4. I don't like to post on social media (or talk for that matter) about hot button social issues. I tend to either get hot headed or talk without thinking/having all the information. But what my sister-in-law said really resonated with me and my friends comments made me think a little deeper on the issue.
5. I like to look at both sides of an issue and usually find it really hard to make a decision. Both sides always have valid points, so my opinions/responses often seem wishy-washy or immature. This particular issue, I feel, is an important one and I do have an opinion I'd like to share.

So What Do I Think?

One of the first points that my sister-in-law brings up is the one I find the most important, and that is regarding the issue of respect. I think this applies to modesty in the following ways:

1. Our bodies are amazing gifts, whether you believe they are a gift from a Father in Heaven or just some random cosmic gift, and should be treated with all due respect.
2. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Not to be naïve, but we're all sharing this human experience together and your actions (whether or not you want to admit it or believe it) do effect those around you. It doesn't hurt to take others into account.
3. This also means that we should NEVER disrespect someone for their choices. We should never criticize someone for what they wear or criticize someone because they have a sexual thought when they are presented with a sexual image.

The point that my friends bring up is valid and extremely important. As a society, we need to stop viewing the body as a sexual object to be objectified. Plain and simple. We need to teach men (and women!) to see the individual and to control their actions when those sexual thoughts arise. However:

1. I do argue the biology vs. culturally learned nature of those thoughts. Yes, there are cultures where the people are surrounded by bared breasts/buttocks/genitals without responding sexually. But the key word here is "responding". Is there maybe a process occurring (biologically) in the brain that is telling that person that what they are viewing is sexual but another (culturally learned) process in the brain is telling them that they shouldn't respond sexually? Perhaps the way tribal societies don't respond sexually is culturally hard-wired rather than biologically.
2. Differentiating between learned vs. inherited traits/behaviors is very hard, and often there is not enough research to prove either. I was able to find a study by James H. Greer & Susan Head recorded in a textbook called "Handbook of psychophysiology" that studied the "behavioral processes in association with physiological activation of the sexual response system". The focus was on physical context, social context, and inferential context but I could only get hold of the abstract. It certainly opens to the door, however, to the idea that it could be biological and not just cultural. I really want to buy the book but it's $180 and not required for any of my classes so I can't justify the purchase.
3. Not to get overly religious (which is why I made the above points first), but God kind of created our bodies to respond sexually when presented with sexual images. It's part of what gives us the biological drive to procreate. The leaders of the LDS church in 1995 issued a proclamation to the world, and in it they state: "The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force."
4. Just like it's damaging to instill the fear to dress appropriately, it's damaging to tell someone that they are wrong/disgusting/horrible for having sexual thoughts when shown a sexual image. Sexuality is part of human nature, and it's important that we teach our youth that it's not out of the norm to have those thoughts, you just need to learn how to properly control/respond/react to them.

Long story short, respect yourself and those around you. Let's all just get along and hold hands!