False Advertising

William V. Beasley
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

At last our government is showing interest in consumer protection. One area of interest is advertising. The F.C.C. is questioning the truthfulness of the creations of Madison Avenue. In a few cases the claims and/or the product have had to be changed. Has anyone seen any Carter's Little Liver Pills, lately?

It is good to think that the government is fighting false and misleading advertising, but this is not the false advertising of which I write. The modern dress of many women (mini-skirts, hot pants, bra-less, see-through blouses, etc.), besides not being chaste (Tit. 2:4, 5), is a form of false advertising.

When Tamar dressed in inappropriate apparel, she was thought to be a harlot (Gen. 38:14, 15). The way we clothe or unclothe our bodies reveals traits of character.

Most of the women who go about all but naked in public would be highly insulted if a man, after a visual examination of the merchandise, propositioned her with an offer off five or ten dollars. They might even relearn the lost art of blushing at being mistaken for a prostitute.

Many, many women today, even among members of the body of Christ, look as if they have done their advertising and all they need is a price list to go into business. Even among "faithful" congregations the problem is acute. Sincere Christians bemoan the lack of teaching on modest apparel (I Tim. 2:9), but to no avail. Why? Daughters of the elders and/or preacher dress as does the world.

Parents, especially fathers, with pre-teen and teenage daughters need to take a long hard look at the way their darlings dress. Look at them, not as a parent (father), not even as a Christian, but, if memory and even more important honesty remains, through the eyes of a citizen of the kingdom of Satan. The majority of the people with whom we come in contact are not Christians, but are citizens of Satan's kingdom.

Brethren, if you permit your wife or daughter to dress so as to call attention to the body, why be shocked when the advertisement takes, and your loved one is treated as a prostitute, and this because of her own false advertising.

TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 12, p. 10
January 27, 1972