President Hinckley stated, "Do not disfigure yourself with tattoos or body piercings. If girls or women desire to have their ears pierced, they are encouraged to wear only one pair of modest earrings." (For the Strength of Youth, 16)
What is a modest pair of earrings?
Dictionary.com defines modesty as:
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.
2. regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
3. simplicity; moderation.
Definition 3 may be instructive for what "modest earrings" means.
When women heard President Hinckley's statement did they think of the types of earrings they owned or just the number of earrings their wear at a time? Did they ask themselves if they had an immodest earrings?
Is a modest earring one that hangs from a hole one has punched in their body (ear) or that one has had someone else punch?