Collide Issue 30: The Middle

M
photo courtsey of creativecommon
if they are not fully human, as if
they are objects, not people.”
While men are often targeted
for objectifying women, research
shows that women look at and
objectify other women just as
much. In another study done in
2013 by University of Nebraska
Lincoln, psychologists fitted 65
college students with eye-tracking
devices to test how men and
women viewed images of females.
They found that women had strong
visual patterns suggesting they
objectify other women. When they
looked at both men and women’s
“overall dwell time—how long
they focused on each body part,”
the exact same effects were found
for both groups.
For junior music major and
international student Hector
Vega, modesty is embedded in his
cultural upbringing. Vega defines
modesty as “the style of clothing
that shows respect to yourself
and doesn’t provoke the opposite
gender.” Vega’s upbringing in
Mexico paved the way for culture
shock when he came to the U.S.
for college.
“It was an uncomfortable
distraction. In Mexico it’s harder
to find women wearing short
shorts,” said Vega.
20 • Collide • March 2016
Junior music major, John
Christiansen, was raised in a
conservative Christian home in
which his parents taught him not to
objectify women. In conversation
about what is distracting in the
classroom, Christiansen said, “It’s
short-sighted to blame women for the
sin of man. I believe a woman should
dress modestly for the right reasons.
If she feels like her relationship with
God suffers because she dresses
immodestly, then she should dress
modestly.”
Modesty at APU
While some professors find dress
codes effective, associate professor
of journalism Brooke Van Dam is
open to discussing modesty in other
ways.
“I don’t believe you can legislate
morality, if you even consider the way
people dress a moral issue. I’m all for
having a discussion about modesty,
but I’m not sure dress code is going
to facilitate that conversation,” said
Van Dam.
Elaine Walton, director of the
Women’s Resources Center, hears
from APU’s campus about important
issues and create events that seek to
explore those issues in-depth.
“I would think if students find it
[modesty] problematic, that might
give rise to some good conversation
and exploring what it means to
have a dress code,” Walton said.
Walton explained that the
Women’s Resource Center
promotes modesty by being good
role models.
“Our goal is not to impose what
we think is right, but to help every
woman come to a place in their
relationship with God so that their
dress reflects that,” Walton said.
Modesty is also addressed through
the Office of Residence Life. Sarah
Brackbill, junior psychology major
and Adams Hall resident advisor,
acts as a role model in what she
wears, while also having grace
on her freshman girls who are
undergoing a transition of fitting
in.
“As a staff, we talked about
making sure girls in Adams dress
appropriately. For my hall, I put a
sign that says, ‘Modest is hottest,”
Brackbill said. “I have to remind
myself of how I dressed in high
school and give them grace. They
are learning still. I tell them, ‘it’s
okay to dress your body how you
want, but think about the message
it sends to people.’”