Modesty is like the U.S. dollar: the only reason it has value is because society agrees it does. If one removes that agreement, then clothing is simply a means for protecting the body against the elements. Yet for some, like Harrison Miller, clothing carries the great symbolic weight of Christian godliness and morality. In his most recent article, Miller laments that the world refuses to conform itself to his beliefs of “appropriate” dress code, sneering at those who dare shop at Target in a crop top. He espouses the importance of modesty, stating that dressing appropriately is the foundation for a civilized society.
The reality is, however, that modesty is an ever-morphing social construct that varies from culture to culture and person to person.
For example, in the Zulu tribe in South Africa, women use clothing to differentiate the different stages of their life. Young, unmarried women wear only a short skirt made of grass or beaded strings without anything to cover their breasts. As these women grow older, they will cover themselves more, indicating significant life milestones such as marriage or pregnancy. In Zulu culture, the breasts aren’t sexualized; instead, the back of the upper thigh is what their society deems “sexy” (Mhlongo, 2019).
In Afghanistan, under the rule of the Taliban government, women are forced to wear burqas in public, clothing that completely covers the body with just mesh to see through. Failing to comply with these laws can result in jail time (Fetrat, 2025). The Taliban, like Miller, uses their holy book to argue for the virtues of modesty, restricting women’s autonomy for the purpose of “godliness.” From bare breasts to banned eye contact, standards of modesty prove to be nothing more than cultural whims.
Miller also argues that dressing immodestly is a cry for attention, indicating that the women who dress “scandalously” only do so for external validation. I’d argue that most women who choose to dress “immodestly,” do it not for male attention, but for themselves. Many of us do not subscribe to these restrictive Christian values and wish to exercise our autonomy in peace, without being policed by people like Miller. Perhaps we like the look of our legs or the look of our cleavage. Some of us like the feeling of the wind on our bellies and the warm sun on our skin. In fact, women who want to show skin often choose to cover up not out of modesty, but to protect themselves from violence rooted in these old-world beliefs. When we are worrying about men’s perception of us, we’re worrying about the threat of harassment or harm rather than attraction.
When you aren’t restricted by Miller’s beliefs, fabric doesn’t dictate whether you are deserving of respect, and frankly, if the sight of a woman in a tiny outfit is enough to send you to therapy, then you must have the most delicate sensibilities. Instead of focusing on something as arbitrary as fabric and flesh, I’d argue that we should focus on more pressing issues we’re facing today. For example, 67% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck (Gibson, 2025). The United States government is $38 trillion dollars in debt and the current administration is going to add up to $3 trillion in the next decade (Ajovalasit et al., 2025). Big lobbying influences our representatives, drowning out the voice of the American people (Craig and Madland, 2014). Relative to all of that, a crop top is just a crop top.
Quit the pearl-clutching, Miller. We have bigger problems at hand.
Self-written bio: Madeleine is a Master’s Student in Mechanical Engineering. In her free time, she enjoys writing and reading about economics and political discourse.
Works cited
Ajovalasit, Samantha, et al. “How Much of a Threat to US Debt Sustainability Is Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act?” Bruegel, 19 May 2025, www.bruegel.org/analysis/how-much-threat-us-debt-sustainability-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-act.
Craig, John, and Madland, David. “How Campaign Contributions and Lobbying Can Lead to Inefficient Economic Policy.” Center for American Progress, 2 May 2014, www.americanprogress.org/article/how-campaign-contributions-and-lobbying-can-lead to-inefficient-economic-policy/.
Fetrat, Sahar. “Taliban’s Mandatory Burqa in Herat Assaults Women’s Autonomy.” Human Rights Watch, 19 Nov. 2025, www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/19/talibans-mandatory-burqa-in herat-assaults-womens-autonomy.
Gibson, Jessica. “Living Paycheck to Paycheck? You’re Not Alone—67% of People Are in 2025.” Investopedia, 2025, www.investopedia.com/living-paycheck-to-paycheck-youre not-alone-67-percent-of-people-are-in-2025-11812027.
Mhlongo, Gugu. “Traditional Zulu Clothing.” Eshowe, eshowe.com/traditional-zulu clothing/.
