“That skirt’s a little short, isn’t it?” My mom eyed me as I readied to leave the house.
“What are you talking about?“
“You’re going to to Jim’s parents’ house, right? That doesn’t seem appropriate.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, they can just deal with it.” Then I flounced out of the house, wondering why anyone would bother holding onto such outdated ideas about dress. It’s the 21st century. If people can’t keep their eyes and minds to themselves, that’s their fault, not mine. Besides, I had great legs, and I was young. This wouldn’t last forever. I needed to dress like this while I still could.
Fast forward fifteen years and I cringe thinking back to just how short that skirt was. But mostly I cringe at my mistaken understanding of what it meant to express my femininity. In my teens and into my twenties, I thought tight, short, and revealing were the ways to go. I was a tease – putting out there to the eye what few would actually get to have. It was an awfully sinful game, and I loved it.
When I got married and had children, I was still very confused about femininity – torn between what I thought it was and between what I actually thought was appropriate vs. inappropriate. I felt like less of a woman because I couldn’t and wouldn’t dress as I once had done.
Truly, the woundedness and confusion around my own femininity didn’t begin to heal until I moved towards Catholicism. Theology of Body and Humanae Vitae were mind-blowing, life-altering reads that started that process.
If expressing my femininity didn’t fall in the “short, tight, and revealing” bracket, where did it go?
One of my biggest inspirations during this conversion of heart and mind came from Megan Madden of @a_mothers_lace, who embodies a gentle and beautiful femininity and through that, brings such peace. Happily, Megan joined me recently for an episode of The Catholic Mama podcast to discuss how to outwardly express femininity through dress and demeanor and how to stave off the sin of vanity in doing so.
Download the episode below or listen to it on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or anywhere you normally access podcasts. The Catholic Mama is there!
Also be sure and connect with Megan on Instagram @a_mothers_lace , where she offers beautiful timeless images and inspiration on authentic Catholic femininity.
DISCOVER TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC FEMININITY GUIDED BY WONDERFUL CATHOLIC WOMEN
AT THE 2021
CARITAS CONFERENCE
Did you know…? Soon we’ll be kicking off the inaugural Caritas Conference, a unique and FREE virtual conference designed to equip Catholic women for the war on femininity. If you found this episode inspiring, you’ll LOVE Caritas! Join us March 19-21, 2021 and learn more at CaritasConference.com. Hope you see you there!
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Other Episodes of The Catholic Mama Podcast that You Might Like
EP 184: The Apostolate of Holy Motherhood with Emily Fossier
EP 172: Finding Peace in Your Vocation with Lauren De Witt
EP 181: How Radical Feminism Betrayed Maternal Love with Kimberly Cook
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