I believe that Vashti was truly an exemplary sovereign. In standing her ground, she acted as a righteous steward over the God-given gift of her body. She understood its sanctity, thereby understanding its power. Vashti understood that she, herself, was the seat of great power and that her action communicated deep integrity on the part of her belief. In this way, Vashti teaches us that true and sustainable modesty grows out of sovereignty.
We should tell our girls, first and foremost, that they were designed to have sole proprietorship over their bodies. We should teach them that God intends for them to care for and possess their gift that is wrapped in skin.
Although her appearance in scripture is a short one, we suffer a great loss when we omit her from our narrative. This is true because while Esther may be the preeminent queen of the Old Testament, Vashti is the preeminent sovereign. Her story has a great deal to teach us about feminine modesty precisely because it teaches us so much about feminine power.
We would never fault Vashti for refusing the king if he truly wanted her to parade in the nude for his drinking buddies. We might even praise her for her modesty! Why then would we withhold our praise when she refused to appear clothed? And here lies a valuable kernel: modesty is more than skin deep.
No tells us that Vashti saw through the distortions of ancient misogyny. It tells us that she was converted to the truth about herself, which enabled her to act from an empowered place. Queen Vashti understood that she was designed to be autonomous, to have sovereignty over her body. Borrowing the words of David O. McKay, Vashti understood that she “should be queen of her own body.” She could decide what was comfortable, what was safe, what was right, and she could say no when a given circumstance conflicted with those personal standards.
With sovereignty as our foundation modesty falls into its proper place because it becomes self-defined and self-owned. As women come to love and understand their instruments they will naturally begin to love and understand the instruments of their male counterparts. In turn, they will understand how each yes and each no creates ripples in the pond. Yes, female bodies are powerful. Yes, female bodies affect men—men who also possess an innate ability to make choices—but the female body belongs to the female. That is what God intends.