7th January 2025
Written by Dr Anna Walsh
What’s all the fuss about fig leaves?
Why does this book by Fr Pius Mary Noonan, ‘Fig Leaves Are Not Enough’ evoke such a strong reaction from Catholics? Could it be, as Fr Pius observes, that many Catholics simply do not have a love for chastity? At first, such an accusation seems offensive, but after sitting with it for some time, I accept that many women seek something good when dressing and behaving immodestly, but it is in fact a deception. To accept we have been deceived and have hurt ourselves and others injures our pride, and so it is easier to deride this remarkable book than to face the sting of our conscience and consider amending our behaviour.
This book’s message rests on a premise about the impact of our fallen nature. Man has a natural curiosity to know more about a woman’s body and if she chooses to display her body immodestly, it can lead to struggles with impurity on his part. Arguably, our common experience should lead us to accept this premise, but it is the nuance with regard to our intentions that seems to confuse the issue. What is her intention in behaving this way? She has a weakness in seeking attention, admiration and affirmation from men and is deceived into thinking that openly lustful responses from him are signs of being honoured by him.
As Fr notes, even if a woman has good intentions towards men, she cannot place her intention in dressing or behaving immodestly in order to be affirmed, admired and attended to, above its effect on men. This then is the nub of the problem. Were she to accept that struggles with lust are likely to ensue by her choice to dress or behave immodestly, then to continue to behave this way makes her an accomplice to vice rather than a helper in virtue. Essentially, she fails at love and places her needs above her neighbour’s. This is a heady charge indeed for Catholic women and is likely to be an obstacle to accepting this book’s message.
And what of him? He deceives himself that the lustful attention he gives her is a compliment which pleases and is good for her. However it neither helps her to become a virtuous woman nor to cultivate strong friendships with other women. As Fr Pius notes, many men refuse to see their slavery to enjoying the sight of a woman’s bodily beauty which he has not earned the right to see and know. Courting and marrying a woman requires concerted effort. There is no effort required when he can surround himself with weak female souls who voluntarily display what ought to be preserved for one’s spouse in exchange for his transient attention.
The bottom line is that immodesty is unbecoming to a woman who is the daughter of the King. As all women are daughters of the King, immodesty is unbecoming to all women. She must be honoured rather than exploited and it is critical that she know the difference. His intellect must recognise that to love is to will the good of another and he should ask himself if he honestly knows what this means and how it translates into how he interacts with women. Without addressing these hard questions, both will continue to be deceived, to grasp at low hanging fruit and to suffer the effects of this form of slavery.
The fact that catechised Catholics fail to see their shortcomings in this area should not be surprising. Society does not value the virtues of modesty and chastity, but as this is derivative of the state of the Church, the remedy should come from its members. Women readers moved to re-assess their choices in dress and behaviour should not expect that men will automatically love and honour them in an appropriate way, but they can experience the self-respect which comes from acting in conformity with God’s law. This has to matter more to her than being the pleasing object of the male gaze.
None of this is to say that modest women cannot also be physically beautiful. Indeed, a woman with self-respect spends an appropriate amount of time maintaining her bodily health. There is no doubt this book is controversial and for many it will be hard to read because it requires one to desist from actions that gives them pleasure. However, it is an important call to women to acquire a more complete understanding of human nature and do the hard thing. The burden does not solely rest on her, but out of a genuine love for the men around her she will have to take the lead and then let God’s grace do the rest.
Click here to acquire this book
Written by Dr Peter Kwasnieski
“Dom Pius Mary Noonan, OSB, prior of Notre Dame Priory in Tasmania (and a friend of mine — I enjoyed the blessing of a visit to his monastery in remote Tasmania a few years ago and gave some conferences to the monks), has written what is, hands down, the best, most detailed, most sympathetic, and most insightful treatment of the question of modesty in dress that I’ve ever seen: Fig Leaves Are Not Enough: Open Letters On Modesty in Dress.
We’re talking light-years ahead of any other book out there. The reason is quite simply that Dom Pius pushes the question deep into the realm of theology and spirituality, which most popular authors are not capable of doing, and writes with a pleasant, clear, non-confrontational style, without ever mincing words or backpedaling on the conclusions that follow from his unarguable premises.
I believe this book would be a game-changer, or rather, a life-changer, for any woman (especially young woman) who reads it. Men will also benefit from it, because Dom Pius’s explanation of the differences between masculine and feminine psychology illuminates a host of problems that otherwise seem inexplicable or downright bizarre. Having been wearied by interminable online debates in which Catholic traditionalists and Catholic feminists make superficial arguments back and forth, irritating each other and getting nowhere, I can say this book is a breath of fresh air. It would undoubtedly offend feminists, but the key point is this: Dom Pius provides a full argument, starting from Scripture and philosophy, and takes you each step of the way to the conclusions. So, if you disagree, you will see what you are disagreeing with, and why it matters.
For most readers, however, the reaction will not be irritation, but relief at finding a luminous explanation of modesty (with detailed advice, not vague generalities!), and an accompanying delight in knowing the truth and being set free by it.”
