Conservative view on Modesty

QUESTION

Dear Rabbi,

Is there a Conservative view on tzniut [modesty]? I noticed that it is quite 
big in the orthodox world but everything I ever read about it in a 
conservative context is that every woman must know for herself what she considers modest. How about the issue of cross-dressing? For me it's an important issue that my clothing reflects my being an observant Jew, but I don't really know how to live it in a Conservative context.

Thank you,
Shana tova,
Hana

ANSWER

Dear Hana,

Thank you for your question.

On our "ask the Rabbi" site http://www.schechter.edu/AskTheRabbi.aspx?ID=141, you will find an answer to your questions in the responsum written by Rabbi Diana Villa (Tzni'ut I). You will also find on the Schechter site a responsum specifically about women wearing pants written by R. Chaim Weiner, see http://responsafortoday.com/eng_index.html, Va'ad HaHalakhah English Summaries, volume 4.

The conclusion is that the notion of modesty is culturally conditioned and changes with time and places. For instance, nowadays pants are not exclusively a man’s garment, and women wearing pants is considered normal and not immodest.

I concur with Rabbi Villa's view on how a religious woman should appear: "private parts should be covered (particularly the sexual parts of the body), by avoiding low cut dresses, very short skirts or shorts and the like," but besides this, you can use your own judgment and feelings and adapt your clothing to circumstances (work, synagogue...).

Shanah Tovah,

Rabbi Monique Susskind Goldberg

August 2010