mytake (and others)…
Please forgive me for being a male, but let me give you this to think about…
We know that the Torah forbids a Moavi from joining (i.e. converting) to become a Jew.
Yet we know the famous case of Rut who came from Moav, returned with Naomi, converted to become a Jewess, married Boaz and became the grandmother of David, from whose line Mashiach will come.
How was this possible?
Because the Rabanim poskened that the halacha refers to a Moavi, but not a Moavi’a, i.e. only males from Moav, not females.
Why is this the case?
Because the Moavim were cruel to B’nai Yisrael, but this cruelty was NOT done by the Moavi’ot (the females).
Why not?
Because it was accepted practice, even among the people of Moav, that out of a sense of female modesty, women did not come out to deal with foreigners (i.e. Am Yisrael) when we made our request to the Moavim, so they were not involved in the sin.
Where did this accepted concept of tzniyut for a woman come from?
From Sara Eemainu, when Avraham told the 3 malachim (when they asked where Sara was) he replied “Heenai hee ba’ohel” -She is inside, in the tent.
So we see that it was this concept of tzniyut, originating with Sara Eemainu, that ultimately enabled Rut to convert to Judaism, and will ultimately lead to the birth of Mashiach tzidkaiynu!
So dear nashim tzidkaniyot, take this message to heart, realize the depth of the importance of dressing (and acting) modestly, and what it can lead to, and you will certainly understand how incredibly more important it is than the quickly passing pleasure of “feeling cute” in a too short skirt.