The recent controversy surrounding transgender influencer Rose Montoya’s toplessness on the White House lawn at President Biden’s Pride celebration has sparked a discussion about modesty. While some right-wing provocateurs have expressed admiration for Montoya’s actions, it’s important to consider the value of privacy and modesty in our lives.
Modesty is the choice to give oneself the gift of privacy in a world that often publicizes everything. On social media, we share personal information, boast about material possessions, and lament about the world’s problems. However, publicizing what should be private always has consequences, and modesty teaches us that doing the opposite pays off. It’s not to say that anyone deserves to face the repercussions, but all will face them nonetheless.
Teenage girls, for example, may fall into the trap of “clean eating” influencers and develop body image issues. They compete with an unrealistic standard of perfection and don’t realize that they can simply forfeit the match. Modesty encourages a life that’s about more than others’ attention and allows us to look outward rather than inward. Instead of fixating on our position in the rat race, we admire the beauty of the world around us and treat others with dignity.
Modesty applies to both men and women and reminds us that we’re precious human beings worthy of careful attention and time. The modest person converses thoughtfully, taking caution not to pry or judge. They know that what they learn about others is precious knowledge seldom shared. We can still enjoy material pleasures, but we should treat them with the dignity of privacy and not boast about them to the world.
In a world that often values shallow races, we can cultivate depth in kindness, generosity, and gratitude. We need not lament an immodest world, but we should have compassion for its victims and remind ourselves that we don’t always need to compete in the shallow races that seem to define so much.
