Editing Modesty (section)

{{Short description|Mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid encouraging of sexual attraction in others}}
{{About|body modesty|the concept of modesty in a broader sense|humility|the sculpture|Modesty (Corradini sculpture)|the 2007 Spanish film|Modesty (film)|other uses|Modest (disambiguation){{!}}Modest}}

[[File:Modesty Chambard cour Carree Louvre.jpg|thumb|upright|''Modesty'', sculpture by [[Louis-Léopold Chambard]], 1861]]
[[File:CaliforniaBeachc1905.jpg|thumb|Recreation on a California beach in the first decade of the 20th century]]
'''Modesty''', sometimes known as '''demureness''', is a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of [[sexual attraction]] in others. The word ''modesty'' comes from the Latin word ''[[wikt:modestus|modestus]]'' which means 'keeping within measure'.<ref name="Jennett, Sheila 2001">Jennett, Sheila. The Oxford companion to the body. Eds. Colin Blakemore, and Sheila Jennett. Vol. 7. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001.</ref>

In this use, revealing certain body parts is considered inappropriate, thus immodest. In conservative [[Middle Eastern]] societies, modesty may involve women completely covering their bodies with a [[burqa]] and not talking to men who are not immediate family members. In Christian [[Anabaptism|Anabaptist]] and similar sects, it may involve women wearing only ankle-length skirts, blouses up to the collar, and often a [[Head covering for Christian women|small head covering or shawl]]. Among both and others, a [[one-piece swimsuit]] may be considered modest while wearing a [[bikini]] is not. In most countries, exposure of the body in breach of community standards of modesty, as well as [[public nudity]], is considered [[indecent exposure]] and is usually punished by law.

Nudity may be acceptable in public single-sex [[changing room]]s at [[swimming bath]]s, for example, or for mass [[medical examination]]s of [[military personnel]]. A person who would never disrobe in the presence of the opposite sex in a social context might unquestioningly do so for a medical examination, while others might allow such examination but only by a person of the same sex.

Overall, standards of modesty vary widely around the world because of sociocultural and contextual differences and particular situations.

In 2023, global spending on modest fashion reached $254 billion, with projections estimating growth to $473 billion by 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Karpinska |first=Teresa |date=2025-01-20 |title=Is Modest Fashion a Trend With a Global Appeal? |url=https://www.voguearabia.com/article/modest-fashion-trend-with-a-global-appeal |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=Vogue Arabia |language=en-AE}}</ref>