Juniors and Seniors of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls spent a fascinating and illuminating morning on Thursday, March 10, contemplating what goes into dressing modestly. Sponsored by SKA’s MACS (Modesty Awareness Committee by Students), part of the school’s LEV (Living Enhanced by Values) initiative, the program was a resounding success in many ways.
The SKA students were privileged to hear from Liza Sakhaie and Danielle Immerman, founders of the website, the-reflective.com, an online curated marketplace that seeks to make modesty mainstream. In a session moderated by Mrs. Sara (Bienenstock) Ghouri, the two women answered questions about how they came to dress modestly on their journey to Orthodoxy, sharing their struggles as newcomers who wanted to be fashionable while maintaining tz’nius standards. With professional expertise from their work in marketing and business strategy, they created a marketplace for women of all religions to dress modestly and stylishly.
Oohs and aahs filled the SKA auditorium as several students walked the “runway” dressed in lovely tz’nuah outfits coordinated by Liza and Danielle. Showcasing brands and trends, the innovators noted that sometimes it takes creativity to make an immodest outfit into a modest one, but it can certainly be done.
It was the introspection behind the women’s decision to become religious and modest that really captivated the students’ attention. Augmenting the morning session, the students attended small MACS workshops to discuss the presentation and the messages they heard, especially Liza’s, who said, “Clothing can and should be an expression of who that soul is on the inside.”