Dress & Grooming
In the “God’s Love” book, p.56 paragraph 11, it
says, “An outward indication of the spirit that impels a person is his dress,
grooming, and hygiene.” When thousands of people go by us every day at the
public witnessing stand, which spirit do they see impelling us? We are happy to
say that overall, people see a joyful and dignified appearance with our
participants.
Sadly, though, society in the Vancouver area
generally has extremely low standards when it comes to appearance. And this
lack of propriety could influence our thinking at times. Careful
self-examination can help us to spot any problems in this area.
At 1 Timothy 2:9, 10 we are provided principles
that apply equally to men and women. It points out that our appearance should
reflect modesty and soundness of mind, in the way that is proper for those who
profess devotion to God. This is not saying that we cannot dress in a stylish
manner. But we should consider the feelings of Jehovah and those around us. A
truly modest person does not insist on their rights.
We ought to ask ourselves: Do my appearance and
personal hygiene draw undue attention to me? Do they embarrass others? Do we
want any passers-by to associate us with worldly trends? Do we recognize that
we could draw unwanted attention from people if we aren’t careful to remain
modest? Do we realize that immodest attire could affect our qualifications for
sharing in SMPW?
Of course, none of us should impose our personal
opinions on others. As long as people dress in a tasteful, clean and modest way
there is much room for variety. And Jehovah doesn’t expect uniformity in this
matter.
So, while we do not wish to impose rules on
participants in this area, it has become necessary to point out some things
that are clearly unacceptable. Please note the inappropriate
examples pictured below. We should not see such things in this public, formal
setting. If you click on the links provided, they will also show you good
examples of acceptable choices in clothing pictured in our articles.
Examples of
Acceptable Dress & Grooming
w15 11/1 p.11
w15 11/15 p.29
w15 9/15 cover
w15 4/15 cover
Examples of
Inappropriate Dress & Grooming
Tight clothing/Metrosexual look
w17 1/15 p.24
Revealing top with plunging neckline;
short skirt
Overly casual: denim skirt, beach
sandals
Unusual hair colouring