The View From My Fishbowl

Wearing skirts is, to me, just second nature. I was raised in a home where we always wore skirts…for everything and no exceptions. Fine by me. As a little girl, I knew nothing different. As I got older, I started hearing some excuses my friends gave as to why they couldn’t always wear skirts. So I began to study it out for myself. Before long, I didn’t just wear skirts because that was what was required by my parents. I now wear skirts because I know that’s what God wants me to do. 

Maybe some day I can do some posts on why I believe in wearing skirts. But for now I just want to list some of the things that I have done in skirts. Many ladies today truly believe there are some things that can’t be done in skirts. More on this later, but here are some things I have done, always in a skirt. (Keep in mind that by ’skirt’, I also include split-skirt. This includes some types of culottes, but let me give a warning! Not all culottes are modest. If it is just an elongated pair of shorts, it is not considered a split-skirt. Split-skirt means that when you stand normally, it looks like you have a regular skirt on.) Some of these things may be obvious, but I hope you understand the point I’m trying to make.

-Cleaning and housework
-Painting and remodeling our 19th century house
-Climbing ladders
-Lifting and carrying boxes, laundry baskets, furniture, and all manner of things up and down stairs at home and at church
-Packing a house to be moved
-Roller-skating/blading
-Bikeriding
-Swimming
-Daily exercise
-Hiking (as in with no trail, up the side of the mountain, next to a waterfall, over slippery rocks…not a walk in the park ‘hike’)
-Snow tubing and sledding
-Playground activities such as swings, monkey bars, slide, hopscotch, tag, jumprope (as a kid, obviously )
-Canoeing, White-water rafting, Kayaking
-Fishing
-Sports such as volleyball, softball, soccer, etc
-Sightseeing
-Extended airplane travel
-Riding dirtbikes, horses, and elephants

I have never worn a pair of pants in my life. I don’t say that because I’m proud of it…just to make the point that it can be done. As of yet, I have never come upon an activity that I wished to do that I couldn’t do with a skirt. Everything I do is done in a skirt, yet I just listed those few things above because they are typically the things that people think can’t be done in a skirt.

There are a few things that I imagine would be difficult to do in a skirt. Skiing and rock-climbing come to mind…yet I personally know friends who have done those things in skirts (with pants on underneath). The only thing I can think of that you might not be able to wear a skirt for is scuba-diving. Would they let you wear a waterproof skirt over your suit? ) I guess the question then is this: Is it important enough of an activity to lower your standards just to do it? Is there ever anything that important?

I don’t understand when people think it is okay to wear immodest things for sports. “Well, I’m swimming, and this IS a modest bathing suit compared to most.” The principles of modesty do not change according to the activity you are doing. Recently I read this little ‘test’ and think it is very effective. Think about the thing you want to wear for this activity, for instance a ‘modest’ bathing suit. Now imagine yourself walking in that article of clothing down the church aisle during your pastor’s sermon. “Oh, I would never do that! It’s not modest enough for church.” Then I submit that it isn’t modest enough to be wearing at all!

I did not write this post to condemn anybody, make anybody feel guilty, or even change them to skirts-only. I only wanted to stimulate some thought on this subject. Are those things that you think can’t be done in skirts really that impossible? Is it possible to do more in skirts than you ever thought of before?

ETA: December 2008 – Why I Believe in Skirts-Only