Question
Dear Gramps,
I want to know what the church policy/standard is concerning females wishing to pursue a career in modeling? What guidelines can young women following with regards to fashion when on the runway or shooting pictures? Desperately needs an urgent answer to help my young women.
Shirlette
Answer
Dear Shirlette,
It is undoubtedly very difficult to explain to young people some of the principles of the gospel that do not conform to the social standards of the day. One of the problems in this case is that there are models and also there are models. The thing that must be guarded against at all costs is not to display the body itself rather than the clothing with which it is adorned. It is true that although both the intentions and the heart of the model may be pure, she nevertheless lives in a very impure society, and any public display of the body would be contrary to the scriptures and to the spirit of the gospel. As recorded by Paul in 1 Cor 3:16-17—
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
The key here is that our bodies themselves are very sacred and holy. One of the reasons for this is that they are composed in the very image of God, and therefore they are not to be used to incite emotions or to be displayed as a matter of pride.
It seems to me that it would be extremely difficult for a young person to restrict herself to modeling only appropriate clothing that does not unduly expose the physical form. It is perhaps a more difficult thing to do than to refrain from playing in a college sports competition on Sunday.
Also, why would any young woman want to choose a career as a model? Would it be that the pay is good and the opportunities to advance in the profession are excellent? Would it be that she would be contributing to the welfare of society, relieving human suffering, or advancing the frontiers of knowledge? I believe that a bit of introspection would reveal that the overriding emotion motivating such a desire would simply be a matter of pride–the desire to display and show off a well-shaped figure and a beautiful face.
If we only could help our young people to realize who they really are, and what their potential really is–not just in this life, but in the eternities, I imaging that the desire for a modeling career would plummet to near the bottom of the list.
Gramps
