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True Girl Announcement

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Dear True Girl subscribers,

Many of you have been with us since the very first issue of True Girl in December of 2005; others joined the TG family more recently. We hope that all of you have enjoyed reading and praying with over 5,000 girls just like you across the country. Your letters tell us what an important part of your lives True Girl has become, and it is such an enormous part of ours, as well. That's why it is with great sadness that we must inform you that publication of True Girl will be disconstinued with the August/September
2007 issue.

Due to extremely high production costs and increasing amounts of time spent away from our families, we have come to the difficult decision to cease publication. We thank you for your support of our ministry and for your many prayers; it is all of you who helped make True Girl a success! We especially apologize to our newest subscribers. However, subscriptions may be fulfilled with your choice of back issues available on our website free of cost.*

We will continue to pray for all of you. It is our hope that each of you will remain a True Girl forever, sharing the joy of being true to God and to yourself with everyone you meet!

Blessings,

Brandi Lee and Stephanie Murphy

*You will recieve a post card in the mail with details regarding back issues. Please visit our shop for FREE back issues, $5 t-shirts, $1 lip glosses, and $1 wristband sets. Internet sales only. Shipping and handling fees apply. Offer good only while supplies last.

August/September 2007 Issue

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Due to computer problems beyond our control, the August/September 2007 issues mailed approximately 2 weeks late, so please do worry if your issue does not arrive when it usually does! To make up for the inconvenience, we have placed all of our products (t-shirts, lipgloss, and wristbands) on sale in our shop! Check it out! Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Standards of Modesty

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The word �modesty� comes up a lot around the offices of True Girl. I know it�s important to our readers, too, and it�s a hot topic on our online bulletin board: Where can I find a modest bathing suit? How can I make the latest trends fit my parents� ideas of what�s acceptable? It�s often difficult to be modest in a world where less is more!

But before we can discuss modesty, it seems we need to define it. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines modest as �observing the proprieties of dress and behavior.� Well, that doesn�t really tell us what length our shorts should be. What�s a Catholic girl to do?

I have a real problem with trying to define modesty, with trying to set some kind of rule, law, or even guideline for dressing. I�m assuming the Catholic Church has a problem with it, too, because She also has no rules telling us how we should dress.

Yet every once in a while an email makes me realize how very different concepts of �modesty� really are. There are those who believe women should not wear jeans because it draws the eye to area between our legs. Others have adopted specific regulations for the lengths of shorts, cut of shirts, etc. I think this can be dangerous territory. If we say �don�t wear shirts that are cut less than 4 fingers below the collarbone,� what if my fingers are bigger than yours? What if 3 of your fingers equal 4 of my fingers? Why are we showing collarbone at all? There was a time, after all, when only prostitutes showed their ankles.

Although I do not personally agree with such rigid rules of dress, I do absolutely promote modesty in dress, speech, and behavior. I think we can all agree that a string bikini IS immodest. Conversely, I think we can also agree that the burka worn by many Muslim women is unnecessarily modest. So where do we draw the line? And who gets to draw it? Is it the fashion designers? The actresses, models, and musicians? True Girl magazine? Hopefully, you and your family have had a discussion (or many ) about what is and is not appropriate clothing for YOUR family. These discussions may or may not have been prompted by outside resources, like True Girl. But it is ultimately your parents who, for now, define for you what is modest. When you reach adulthood, you will define it again for yourself, hopefully in a way respectful of your parents and your Church. But for now, understand that the Church gives us plenty of room for varying standards of modesty. Certainly some girls will see us as too conservative in dress and others who will see us as not conservative enough. The trick is to respect those standards set in your home (honor your mother and father) as well as the standards set in other homes (love your neighbor).

The Catechism states that �teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them a respect for the human person.� We need to keep this respect for the person in mind when we discuss modesty, too. Too much attention to the exact standards of dress can detract from seeing and loving the human being wearing the clothes. It would us good, wherever we fall on the issue, to read Romans, chapter 14.

In My Town

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Here's another great way for you to get involved in the magazine! We've added a feature called "In My Town." You can submit pictures of you and your friends wearing the latest fashion trends around local spots in your town - your school, the coffee shop, the theater, the town square. What do you wear that is unique and different? If you wear a uniform to school, how do you let your personality shine through? Send high resolution pictures (at least 300 dpi) via email or hard copy to Brandi at brandi@truegirlonline.com or P.O. Box 874, LaPorte, IN 46352. Make sure to request a model release from Brandi.

Shoppers Beware

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In the June/July issue of True Girl, we included a new page called "In My Town," which features a real girl wearing the real fashion of her town. The featured shirt is from Hollister, a store which I just found out is owned and operated by Abercrombie and Fitch. For those of you who don´t already know, A&F is a known supporter of pro-choice causes and pornography. I am sure that the True Girl we featured was not aware of this association, as I myself was unaware. I only want to draw your attention to the situation so that you can consider your beliefs before you shop!! Our dollars are very powerful - spend wisely! Peace, Brandi

Check It Out

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I´m sure many of you have seen some wacky videos on YouTube, but did you know there is Catholic stuff on the site, too? Check out "Vocation Stories" - real sisters who share their stories about choosing religious life! Too cool! Here´s a link to Sr. Mary Gabriella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHxOkK82Kfc. There are similar videos on the right worth checking out, too. WARNING: not everything on YouTube is True Girl approved!! Be careful while you surf!

Welcome

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Welcome to the True Girl Blog! Check in here to see what´s going on behind the scenes of the magazine, find out about upcoming contests or opportunities, and just to read what we´re doing or thinking. As always, we love to hear from you, too, so if you´d like to share, check out our Bulletin Board or email Brandi at editor@truegirlonline.com. God Bless!