I recently converted to the Catholic faith and lately I've been going through my possessions and getting rid of what doesn't fit with my new life. Today I was cleaning out my closet and I found lots of immodest dresses and tops. The majority are short and cleavage bearing while the others cling to the body too much. I felt really guilty getting rid of these because I feel like I've spent so much money on them so I was thinking that I could sell them. The problem I have is that (1) I don't want another to be wearing these and (2) I feel as though this is a new beginning and I just want this part of my old life to be thrown out.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Do you think it would be sinful to sell them because I might be leading another to sin? Would it just be better to throw them out?

Thanks!

   I am not sure about this.But perhaps you can keep them and wear them only at home in front of your husband, children, parents etc. when no stranger is around.
   I don't know if it is catholic or not, as I am myself a covert.  

Welcome to the Church, to the Mystical Body of Christ !

I would get rid of these clothes.  You could offer up the sacrifice of having lost your money over them, and it would please Our Lord very much.  If you sell them or give them away, you could end up being a material accomplice in others' sins against purity for years to come.  I would feel much more guilty about that than over having lost or wasted some money.

May God bless you.

With the blue jeans, you could donate them since it's not sinful for a woman to wear blue jeans.

A woman could wear them while gardening at home, for example. You don't want to destroy or damage good skirts/dresses. I'm sure back in the day, women wore skirts for everything, but I'm sure they were capable of making their own skirts back then as well. Today it's hard to find good modest clothing for women, especially if you're not a popular size.

Even on clearance they cost $15 or more, and that's not exactly pocket change! Brand-new ones cost $40, $50 or much more if you go after fashionable brands.

I think preserving your good clothes for "most of the time" would be most practical. By most of the time, I mean over 99% of the time.

I'm using my own experience as a guide here -- at the Seminary we all wore Cassocks, which is the proper dress of the cleric, but when it was time to chop wood we wore blue jeans and other work clothing. Same for sports.  In some cases we had "work cassocks", but not everyone had them. And even then, I think only 2 seminarians out of 50 wore their cassock while playing soccer.

But seminarians, priests, and women should all take note: If you find yourself repeatedly taking off your clothing of state, you should question yourself on whether it's proper for you to be doing that activity in the first place. If the answer is "yes", then proceed.

Matthew

For the sake of frugality, I would consider each item and think if it could possibly be modified or used in combination with something else to make it modest.

A friend of mine had a trim added to some dresses she had to make them long enough. Even if you had to pay someone to do this, it's very easy and wouldn't cost much.

I had a few shirts that came my way, but I haven't been them wearing due to the neckline. I was recently given an assortment of plain-colored shirts which I am now wearing with these as another layer. It looks great, so I'm glad I held on to the original shirts.

I also taken dresses that had "top" issues (low neck, no sleeves, etc) and worn them with a shirt in a skirt/shirt fashion (you wouldn't know it was a dress from looking at me). If I could sew, I would just cut the top off and add some elastic to make a skirt.

From what you describe, you'll probably have to turn most of your old clothing into rags, but it's worth a moment to consider possible modified use.