Writing about a collection of modest swimwear offered by WholesomeWear (Life, etc. section, July 17), a Washington Post writer accuses women who practice public modesty with having no appreciation for the beauty of their bodies. She couldn't be more wrong.

Modest women know that our bodies are beautifully designed to be attractive to men. They are much too special for cheap, wholesale, public display. We reserve our bodies instead for the joyful, God-approved, exclusive sexual relationship of marriage.

This choice has absolutely nothing to do with repression, insecurity or "a skewed self-image." Only a confident, strong woman is willing to dress to please God rather than her culture.

Claudia Barba

Garner