Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Sexily Modest

 Sexily Modest
type
FeatureClass
 Sexily Modest
label
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest
page
SexilyModest
 Sexily Modest
comment
It's no secret that one's gaze will fall on those parts of a person of the opposite sex (or whatever gender one is attracted to) that are exposed. That's why we have tropes such as I Have Boobs, You Must Obey! due to considerations involving a personal sense of modesty, a culture's notions of good morals, and a wish to avoid distractions, societies have endeavored to determine standards of what amount of skin is acceptable to expose. A simple example of this is the appropriate length for the hemlines of skirts at a given time and in a given place. Thus, in a specific context, an outfit may be considered as acceptably decent and appropriately modest.
In many cases, however, showing a certain amount of skin will be deemed socially acceptable or tolerated in said context, and flaunting just this permissible amount may end up almost defeating the purpose of modesty conventions. In fact, this tolerated margin of display may even be deliberately meant to make the outfit look somewhat sexy within acceptable limits. Exposure of skin is also not necessary to begin with, as a well-tailored outfit that is flattering and stylish can have its own appeal. It could also be a reflection that someone exceptionally attractive will remain exceptionally attractive whether they are baring almost everything with glamorous hair and make-up or rolling out of bed in loose fitting slacks and t-shirt.
Furthermore, fetish is something that works in wondrous ways. Being covered up can also be suggestive of what is underneath. In period pieces this is reflective of Deliberate Values Dissonance via tropes like the Old-Timey Ankle Taboo. May also overlap with Form-Fitting Wardrobe, Proper Tights with a Skirt and Sexy Sweater Girl. Compare Theiss Titillation Theory, where an outfit is rendered sexy by slipping off in areas which should be covered.
Please list only examples which are informed by the author or which occur in-universe. Examples that are limited to potential Audience Reaction do not quite cut it; examples should be listed if they are specifically relevant in context and not merely omnipresent in the work.note An example of omnipresence would be a work set in a time period where, due to the fashions of the time, "everyone" is dressed in a way that can convey this effect.
 Sexily Modest
fetched
2024-02-19T06:46:22Z
 Sexily Modest
parsed
2024-02-19T06:46:22Z
 Sexily Modest
processingComment
Dropped link to TamerAndChaster: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Sexily Modest
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Sexily Modest / int_1bdeba5a
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_1bdeba5a
comment
X-Men: Dust is a devout muslim teenager, debuting before Kamala, that wears a burqa and niq�b to preserve her modesty. Comic artists largely being western non-muslims that are geared more towards the Most Common Super Power than not, often sexualize her anyway by giving her a ribbon that cinches her waist and makes her curvy figure visible through the fabric.
 Sexily Modest / int_1bdeba5a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_1bdeba5a
featureConfidence
1.0
 X-Men (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_1bdeba5a
 Sexily Modest / int_2fc6ec9
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_2fc6ec9
comment
Josie And The Pussy Cats: In one classic installment, they had to go after Melody, who had wandered off in an extremely skimpy costume and was causing men to stare at her and have accidents all around. When they found her, they gave her a bedsheet to cover up with. But Melody managed to arrange the sheet over her to look like a form-fitting evening gown, so she simply couldn't help looking sexy.
 Sexily Modest / int_2fc6ec9
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_2fc6ec9
featureConfidence
1.0
 Josie and the Pussycats (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_2fc6ec9
 Sexily Modest / int_34882659
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_34882659
comment
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Katrina Van Tassel is described as "...a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms." This includes not only "the tempting stomacher of the olden time" (a rather sexy item as it probably raised the breasts and presumably showed some cleavage), but also "...a provokingly short petticoat, to display the prettiest foot and ankle in the country round.".
 Sexily Modest / int_34882659
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_34882659
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_34882659
 Sexily Modest / int_3b6e9a35
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_3b6e9a35
comment
Spanglish: During a heart-to-heart talk on a beach with John, Flor is shown wearing a loose-fitting button down blouse and a long white skirt; however, the night breeze flattens them out and shows off her VERY generous curves, causing John (who's developed a crush on Flor) to blurt, "Would you get out of the damn wind?!"
 Sexily Modest / int_3b6e9a35
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_3b6e9a35
featureConfidence
1.0
 Spanglish
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_3b6e9a35
 Sexily Modest / int_3eb3a36f
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_3eb3a36f
comment
When Bitch-Sensei in Assassination Classroom undergoes a Good Costume Switch, swapping out of short-skirt and cleavage-baring top for a modest sweater and Proper Tights with a Skirt. The male students actually find her far more attractive afterwards for doing so.
 Sexily Modest / int_3eb3a36f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_3eb3a36f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Assassination Classroom (Manga)
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_3eb3a36f
 Sexily Modest / int_411f49aa
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_411f49aa
comment
Fifth Business: In the second book of the trilogy, The Manticore, the protagonist, David Staunton, tells his psychoanalyst about the time he spent in the 1940s with Judy Wolff, his First Love. He describes her schoolgirl uniform in a way that actually succeeds in playing the trope despite the fact that it was revealing: the short skirt it came with was meant to suggest that the students were childishly innocent (at the time, a properly dressed grown woman would generally not have shown her knees), but as they were already teenage girls, it came across as sexy: "She laughed at herself about being fat, but of course she wasn't. Curvy. Those uniforms that schools like Bishop Cairncross's insisted on at that time were extraordinarily revealing. If a girl had breasts, they showed up under those middies, and some girls had positive shelves almost under their chins. And those absurd short blue skirts, showing seemingly miles of leg from ankle to thigh. It was supposed to be a modest outfit, to make them look like children, but a pretty girl dressed like that is a quaint, touching miracle. The sloppy ones and the fatties were pretty spooky, but not a girl like Judy."
 Sexily Modest / int_411f49aa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_411f49aa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Fifth Business
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_411f49aa
 Sexily Modest / int_468478ac
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_468478ac
comment
Eugénie Grandet: Mademoiselle Aubrion, the high-born young woman that Charles Grandet (the protagonist's cousin and love interest) ends up marrying, is devoid of natural beauty. Her mother teaches her a series of tricks meant "to counterbalance her personal defects", i.e. to make her appear passably attractive through artifice and guile; this includes teaching her "the manoeuvre of the foot, letting it peep beneath the petticoat, to show its tiny size, at the moment when the nose became aggressively red" and "high-pressure corsets".
 Sexily Modest / int_468478ac
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_468478ac
featureConfidence
1.0
 Eugénie Grandet
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_468478ac
 Sexily Modest / int_468bebb0
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_468bebb0
comment
Discworld:
In The Truth, Sacharissa is described as dressing modestly, even old-fashionedly, as befitting a proper young lady. Unfortunately, all wearing a corset and a regular dress does is emphasize her chest, to the point where Vegetarian Vampire Otto von Chriek has trouble maintaining his attitude because of her "heaving bosom"
Discussed in Making Money; Moist admits to finding his fiancee Adora attractive because of, rather than in spite of, her habit of wearing severe, old-fashioned dresses, noting that outfits that leave a lot to the imagination can be more attractive than outfits that don't, provided one has a good-enough imagination.
 Sexily Modest / int_468bebb0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_468bebb0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Discworld
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_468bebb0
 Sexily Modest / int_4e5b6428
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_4e5b6428
comment
Discussed in Making Money; Moist admits to finding his fiancee Adora attractive because of, rather than in spite of, her habit of wearing severe, old-fashioned dresses, noting that outfits that leave a lot to the imagination can be more attractive than outfits that don't, provided one has a good-enough imagination.
 Sexily Modest / int_4e5b6428
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_4e5b6428
featureConfidence
1.0
 Making Money
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_4e5b6428
 Sexily Modest / int_73d7930f
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_73d7930f
comment
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: The Ferengi Brunt is turned on by females wearing clothing, which is commented as being rather unusual. In the male-dominated oligarchy on Ferenginar, Ferengi females are not even allowed to wear clothing.
 Sexily Modest / int_73d7930f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_73d7930f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_73d7930f
 Sexily Modest / int_892aa56a
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_892aa56a
comment
Murdoch Mysteries: In the final scene of "Loch Ness Murdoch", Julia and Murdoch are at the beach in Edwardian swimsuits that are very modest by today's standards; Julia's has a skirt that covers the knees, pantalettes underneath, and socks. Suddenly, Julia decides to pull the socks off; Murdoch is taken aback, but she states that it makes no sense that women are expected to wear black socks on a hot day like that. Murdoch can't help but gaze over her calves. He replies: "You're being scandalous, young lady!" He then follows her into the water and they happily horse around.
 Sexily Modest / int_892aa56a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_892aa56a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Murdoch Mysteries
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_892aa56a
 Sexily Modest / int_a656a587
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_a656a587
comment
In The Truth, Sacharissa is described as dressing modestly, even old-fashionedly, as befitting a proper young lady. Unfortunately, all wearing a corset and a regular dress does is emphasize her chest, to the point where Vegetarian Vampire Otto von Chriek has trouble maintaining his attitude because of her "heaving bosom"
 Sexily Modest / int_a656a587
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_a656a587
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Truth
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_a656a587
 Sexily Modest / int_b3933a70
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_b3933a70
comment
Home Improvement: Discussed in "The Flirting Game," when Jill wants to avoid using flirting in a new job interview and strives to dress as professionally as possible. When Tim sees her in a conservative suit he reacts to it like a complete horndog, and tells her it'll just make men think about what she's covering up.
 Sexily Modest / int_b3933a70
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_b3933a70
featureConfidence
1.0
 Home Improvement
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_b3933a70
 Sexily Modest / int_d2bb929d
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_d2bb929d
comment
Invoked in Soul Calibur IV with the newly-introduced character Hildegard von Wolfkrone, a German warrior-princess clad head to toe in knightly plate armour (or alternatively a period-correct Elizabethan ball gown). As the series was becoming increasingly ridiculed by the time of the fourth entry for its penchant of putting its poster girls (Ivy Valentine, Sophitia, Seong Mi-na) in very skimpy and unusually ahistorical outfits, Hilde was Bandai Namco's deliberate response to these critics. With her auburn hair, large expressive brown eyes and lips to rival Scarlett Johansson's, Hilde is very attractive and the armour does nothing to impede her allure, in fact she's considered by some fans to be the most beautiful woman in the series precisely because she subverts the usual expectations. That said, players can use the Character Creator to put Hilde in something more risque, if they wish.
 Sexily Modest / int_d2bb929d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_d2bb929d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Soul Series (Video Game)
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_d2bb929d
 Sexily Modest / int_d6fa84c7
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_d6fa84c7
comment
Silicon Valley has Laurie Breem decide not to make an investment in Pied Piper and has Monica tell them but advises her to dress down because an attractive woman like Monica giving bad news to a group of guys may only make them feel worse. She then suggests a beige outfit Monica wore the other day. A Gilligan Cut shows Monica talking to the Pied Piper team in an off-white sweater with a high neck. Erlich sees through it, describing it as a common break-up tactic and adding that she's still gorgeous. Jared pipes in saying "It's true, you are a natural autumn."
 Sexily Modest / int_d6fa84c7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_d6fa84c7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Silicon Valley
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_d6fa84c7
 Sexily Modest / int_d870c809
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_d870c809
comment
Scarlet Witch: For a short time, Wanda ditched her skin-tight bikini outfit for clothes which included a leather jacket, pants, and boots. Artists still managed to make her as eye-catching as ever.
 Sexily Modest / int_d870c809
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_d870c809
featureConfidence
1.0
 Scarlet Witch (Comic Book)
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_d870c809
 Sexily Modest / int_e4501142
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_e4501142
comment
Ms. Marvel (2014): Kamala Khan's costume as Ms. Marvel is based on a burkini, a modest swimwear outfit designed for Muslim women. Some artists draw the suit to be formfitting akin to Sensual Spandex, which has been criticized as Kamala is a teenager and faithful to her religion.
 Sexily Modest / int_e4501142
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_e4501142
featureConfidence
1.0
 Ms. Marvel (2014) / Comicbook
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_e4501142
 Sexily Modest / int_f6eed39
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_f6eed39
comment
The Sopranos: Dr. Melfi dresses very conservatively compared to the strippers and mistresses that Tony and other members of the mob are used to spending time with. During one therapy session with her, Tony launches into a speech about how some women look more attractive when they cover themselves up more rather than flaunt their bodies. He uses Dr. Melfi as an example, and by the end of the speech, he moves to kiss her.
 Sexily Modest / int_f6eed39
featureApplicability
1.0
 Sexily Modest / int_f6eed39
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Sopranos
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_f6eed39
 Sexily Modest / int_f770f40
type
Sexily Modest
 Sexily Modest / int_f770f40
comment
Subverted in Bordello of Blood: When Rafe infiltrates the vampires' brothel, he's assigned a woman named Tamara who wears a modest, old-fashioned gown that completely covers her from the neck down. It completely mismatches her personality as a hardcore dominatrix, and when Rafe tells her to undress first, it takes about half a second for Tamara to strip and reveal her leather n' chains outfit underneath.
 Sexily Modest / int_f770f40
featureApplicability
-0.3
 Sexily Modest / int_f770f40
featureConfidence
1.0
 Bordello of Blood
hasFeature
Sexily Modest / int_f770f40

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Josie and the Pussycats (Comic Book) / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Spanglish / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Eugénie Grandet / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Fifth Business / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 The Legend of Sleepy Hollow / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 The Truth / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Assassination Classroom (Manga) / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Home Improvement / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest
 Murdoch Mysteries / int_56d2c759
type
Sexily Modest