Shorts?

[fadedfirefly]

Hi my name is Alana and I was baptised into the church last Saturday. I feel very confident in everytihng I have learned but I do have a question? What is the appropirate length for shorts for working out/sports? I am trying to find longer shorts but do they need to be as long as the skirts I wear to sacrament? I am guessing that conservative one pieces are ok for swimming. I was watching some of the Mormon messages and noticed girls in cheerleading skirts that were shorter than I would have thought they would be. I went to a private baptist high school and the cheerleading skirts went to our knees, but I'm getting off topic. It's easy to know what is considered modest with everyday clothing, but sports and swimming seems a little bit different. Alos I see girls weraing skirts that are a bit shorter at sacrament with leggings under them. I was thinking I could always throw leggings under my old work out shorts to make them longer. Can anyone give me some insight here?

[Jennarator]

For workouts I would wear short-ish shorts, maybe midthigh....

I wouldn't do the top with the mid-drift showing tho.

One piece swim wear is pretty much the norm and is reccomened for swim. I do wear a two pieice that covers like a one piece, not mid section showing.

That's what I do, tho others opnions differ.

For sports like cheer & track (those are what I did in high school) I wore the given uniform. I think since out cheer skirts wear special ordered I did add an inch or two the the length of mine, and nobody said anything. But I think the point is that we wear what is appoprate for sports, no need to over heat or be too bound by clothes, but no need to wear less than needed, either.

[RipplecutBuddha]

Generally the attitude I think is to use your best judgement.

For example. for workout clothing, being as modest as possible while maintaining comfort is the general idea. Not that you need to wear a t-shirt, since sleeveless tops are quite common. This is a specific activity and thus it's assumed you wouldn't necessarily spend all day in them. Wearing leggings under workout shorts seems a bit layer-ish, but if you feel comfortable in it...go for it.

Same goes for a swimsuit or cheerleading outfit. Both activities require specific outfits (granted the cheer outfit is more for tradition than practicality...) and thus it's not required to hold to LDS standards of modesty. at the same time our personal judgement should be in use.

We don't require one-piece swimsuits, however a micro-string bikini is taking the liberty a bit far IMHO. For the guys the same idea goes. Nothing's wrong with a speedo if you're in competitive swimming, but the looser board-short style is not required either.

[lizzy16]

I watch a women in my wards kids while she trains for a marathon. She wears a tank top and short running shorts. She's endowed which means she wears garments and just changes right after shes done showering.

Swimsuits that are two piece can be more modest then 1 pieces. Just make sure the bottom of the shirt and top of the bottoms meet. Theres nothing wrong with a sliver of stomach while you awkwardly reach for something but there shouldn't be 3 inches when you lift your arms above your head :)

I have skirts that are a little short of the knee. I wear them with tights or by themselves. I feel like leggings are just an excuse. Same with shorts. Although, today I'm making a very big change in my life. I'm getting all my shorts that are an inch and a half from the knee and above and i'm tossing them. I've never been modest with shorts. I'm going to byu-idaho in the fall and i'd hate to leave all my inmodest clothes here and have my sister wear them. So, i'm tossing them. It's a rather big moment for me.

[Backroads]

I attended BYU-Idaho which really ended my shorts career. 4 years there and they no longer appeal to me. When renting shorts in the gym I had issues because they were the "old style" which were ridiculously short and I was thrilled when they started selling a longer style.

When working at Boy Scout camp I wore Scout/Venturing shorts because a) too hot for pants and b) The Scouting outfitters have yet to make women's pants that are flattering. When I became Aquatics director I spent most of the day in a pair of men's swim trunks. All shorts here I felt were modest.

During this time I had ONE pair of shorts that were mid-thigh. They were shorter than anything else I had but modest by the fingertip rule. I felt I looked great in them, but I gave them to my little sister when I received my endowments.

But as far as excercise clothing... all of my pants are at least knee-length. I no longer own exercise shorts because a) I'm no longer attending BYU-I with the gym's uniform and b) My preferred exercises are yoga/pilates/similar and I just don't feel as comfy in shorts for such exercises.

[RVaSydney]

I think sports clothing are one of the few exceptions to LDS modesty rules focused on garment lines. If you google pictures of BYU athletes, you can see that the BYU cheerleaders wear skirts far above the garment line, track team wears very short spandex shorts like all the other runners, basketball players wear sleeveless shirts, etc. Basically, wear what is appropriate for the sport. Wrong athletic attire that is too loose or long can be dangerous. I don't actually like to wear short shorts while exercising, though I think they're fine. My workout outfit is spandex/lycra capris and a racerback tank. However, when it comes to a leisurely day on the beach, I always wear tankinis that cover my entire stomach and cute swim shorts or skirts. I'm also careful about choosing tankini tops that don't expose too much on top. My favorite store is Lime Ricki, they have very cute modest swimsuits.