Skip to main content
Intellect

Author of "A Return to Modesty" at BYU lecture Jan. 15

Wendy Shalit, author of "A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue," will discuss "Modesty: The Last Taboo" at a free lecture Wednesday (Jan. 15) at 6 p.m. in the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium on the Brigham Young University campus.

The lecture will be followed by a question-and-answer session as well as a book signing in the JSB foyer hosted by the BYU Bookstore.

The public is welcome to attend all events.

In her ground-breaking book, Shalit argues that modesty and honor are virtues that all men and women should treasure, and explores the history of modesty and how it has been misunderstood.

"As long as we've been human, both men and women have needed to protect their sexual vulnerability," Shalit says. "The reason for modesty is not shame, but to safeguard the preciousness of intimacy and the dignity of humanity itself."

"Wendy Shalit advocates that the 'sexual liberation' movement has done far more to enslave women and men than liberate them," says BYU religion professor Brent L. Top. "She also advocates a return to traditional virtues, and believes that society would be better as a result."

"We're pleased to have her on campus because of our parallel beliefs on the importance of virtue," he said.

The address is sponsored by BYU Religious Education, Student Life, and the College of Fine Arts and Communications.

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

BYU research: Mega wildfires can actually be a good thing

November 04, 2025
BYU professor Sam St. Clair is the principal investigator on the first study to show positive impacts of megafires (fires greater than 100,000 acres) across different forest types. Megafires can help some forest communities thrive — especially in areas where chronic browsing by elk, deer, and livestock has hindered tree regeneration, a widespread issue that often leads to forest regeneration failure.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Improving future crop varieties: New BYU research in Nature decodes oat genetics

October 29, 2025
BYU plant and wildlife professors Rick Jellen and Jeff Maughan, together with an international consortium of researchers, have taken a major step toward unraveling the complexity of the oat genome. Their new research — published today in Nature and Nature Communications — ushers in a new era for oat genetics and breeding.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Why children became useless: Faith and the future of the family

October 28, 2025
Catherine Ruth Pakaluk, a renowned economist and recipient of the Acton Institute's Novak Award, addressed the BYU campus community on Tuesday. She applied her expertise in economics to highlight a shift in the value of having children.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=