originally published 7/1/1999

Wendy Shalit, author of A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue, discusses modesty in the context of the feminist movement’s history which initially promoted modesty and only later promoted androgyny. Shalit argues that this androgyny makes young girls into victims because it removes sex from the context of obligation and trust and exalts promiscuity. In the context of promiscuity as natural, women lose the leverage and power inherent in modesty, the power to say no and to keep sex within the context of commitment. In 2014, Shalit published a 15th anniversary edition of A Return to Modesty with a new preface that addresses current social and sexual norms in the context of digital media.

13 minutes

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