Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1960s Versions Text of The For The Strength of Youth
1960s Versions Text of The For The Strength of Youth
1960s Versions Text of The For The Strength of Youth
APPENDIX I
1966-1969 EDITIONS WITH CHANGES INDICATED
IN ITALICS
Dress
Church standards regarding the appropriateness of dress should be a constant
guide to the youth of the Church wherever they are so they will always be comfortable,
knowing they are within the realm of good taste.
It is difficult to make an over-all statement concerning modest standards of dress,
because modesty cannot be determined by inches or fit since that which looks modest on
one person may not be so on another.
Whether youth are at school, attending a sacrament or other church meeting,
dance, athletic, or sports-camp activity, at home or away, church standards require young
men and women to be appropriately dressed. Modesty is a protection for the youth of the
Church and is one of the Lord's ways to help them live clean, wholesome lives.
Girls should dress to enhance their natural beauty and femininity. Clothes should
be comfortable and attractive without calling attention to a person's body; for example,
skirts should be long enough to cover the kneecap, and they should not be too tight
fining. Dresses should not be cut extremely low at the top. Strapless dresses and spaghetti
straps are not acceptable either on sun dresses or evening dresses. Few girls or women
ever look well in backless or strapless dresses. Such styles often make the figure look
ungainly and large, or they show the bony structures of the body.
When at home working in the yard, hiking, traveling to the mountains, camping,
or participating in active sports, girls or women may appropriately wear slacks. However,
they should not be too tight. Pedal pushers, knee-knockers, bermudas, capris, or any pants
which reach just above the knees are acceptable. Of course, those who have been through
the temple are expected to wear clothing of appropriate style. Pants for young women are
not desirable attire for shopping, at school, in the library, in cafeterias or restaurants. Any
apparel that suggests a house robe should not be worn in public but only in one's home or
apartment. Tight-fitting sweaters and figure-hugging clothes of any kind are not
appropriate LDS dress.
Any bathing suit which immodestly exposes the body, such as bikinis and those
with bare midriffs, should never be worn. Swim suits are fashioned for a particular
purpose and should not be worn as casual dress for summer, but should be worn only for
swimming. While traveling to and from the beach or swimming pools, young men and
women should be fully dressed or at least their swimming suits should be covered with
outer clothing ..
It is not appropriate for young men to wear extremely tight-fitting pants. When
driving around in cars, working in the yard or elsewhere, they should wear appropriate
trousers and shirts. Shorts may be worn during actual participation in active sports.
Young men should always dress appropriately for the place and the occasion. For special
school or church dances, they should wear a suit with dress shirt and tie, but never tennis
shoes or "T" shirts. Sports jackets or dressy sweaters are appropriate apparel for the more
casual dances ..
Shorts or athletic costumes of any kind should not be worn in the chapels of our
Church. Wisdom and good judgment should be used in choosing appropriate clothes
which are in good taste.
Itt-Fining Clothes, Curlers, Hair Fashions
171
172
All events planned for the regular weekly MIA night are no-date events. Fil'C8irie8
tIfId Dances held on other occasions may be date affairs for those over sixteen years of
age. Younger members fourteen to sixteen years of age may attend but should come in
groups without dates. In such cases, the boys and girls should be brought by their leaders
or selected parental chaperones who should remain with the group during the dance or
social and return the youth to their homes at the conclusion of the event. Young people
twelve to fourteen years of age are not invited to attend these events.
Steady dating during the early dating years should not be practiced. If steady
dating is carried on in the late teens, regardless of worldwide customs it should be with
full observance of the customs and manners of polite society, moral behavior, and church
standards. All dating should be an opportunity to broaden one's circle of friends and
companions. The selection of a life's partner can be made more wisely when many
associates are available during courtship.
Necking, petting, intimacies, and improprieties of every kind should not be
indulged in at any time in dating or in courtship. Love and affection are precious, and
virtue must never be placed in jeopardy.
Acceptable Dancing
Youth together with their parents, their auxiliary wa,'fi. s.take. and priesthood
leaders must be united and conform with church standards as contained in this standards
booklet. tkeirie what is 6feh!il'e.~ slelltltwtlelltl whet is flat when e tfflnee ispel':larmetl.
Church standards prohibit dancing that is suggestive or sensual in any way. The dance
should not be a grotesque contortion of the body such as shoulder or hip shaking or
excessive body jerking. As members of the Church, it is imperative that youth use
wisdom in establishing and adhering to church dance standards so that good taste in
dance is exemplified. ffld-Dances should be evaluated in terms of acceptable dance
standards.
The following should be observed
1. Good Posture
This is the hesis fOr tieing a,l{thi,ltJSwell ill dellt i'!;f;. If one
concentrates on good posture, 11l88tfatl many dances can be danced in a
manner which will meet LDS standards. Some examples of these dances are
the waltz. fox trot. tango, rhumba. cha-cha, samba. swing. and most of the folk
dances.
2. Dance Positions-When
dancing, young people should avoid crouching,
slumping over, trying to do a backbend, or having too close a body contact.
3. Body Movements-Members
of the Church should be good dancers and not
contortionists. Extreme body movements-such as hip and shoulder shaking,
body jerking. etc.-should be avoided, and emphasis should be placed more
on smooth styling and clever footwork.
4. Type of Music-The
kind of music that is played has a defmite effect upon
the actions of those participating in dance. With this in mind, those who are
called to serve on a dance committee should always review the music
suggested for use during the dance. This decision should never be left to a disc
jockey or others who may not be familiar with LDS standards.
173
Keeping this in mind, youth should live in a way that will enhance their purity as well as
their personal appearance.
All should lead by ceJ1lagieH example and help one another to enjoy the good life.
No matter how much one is enjoying himself, he must never forget who he is and how his
behavior is making other people feel. Gees TasTe is a mesesTy efThe miHs.
The world often judges the whole Church by the actions of its youth. The youth of
the Church are the finest on the face of the earth. They must live up to their
responsibilities as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being
kind, clean, thoughtful, refined, dignified, and obedient. Youth are on their honor to live
all of the church standards. Young people like to be trusted and must merit that trust.
Young people can have fun while being considerate and loyal to the Church and making
its standards an integral, happy part of their lives.