A lot of teens push the boundaries on social media, wearing fashions the reveal a lot of skin.

Sophomore Saige Pierce has taken things in the opposite direction. She posts pictures of herself in fashionable but purposefully “modest” clothes. Over the past year, she has even become an influencer for an athletic clothing company that makes modest outfits people can wear to the gym.

“I want people to know it’s ok to be different,” she said. 

Saige’s mom started dressing her modestly from a young age. She comes from an Apostolic Pentecostal family. 

“I was born into it,” she said.

The church has “holiness guidelines” that many of its members follow, believing doing so separates them from the outside world and brings them closer to God.

“It’s not like you have to do this to be Apostolic,” she said, “but a lot of people do like to be modest.”

Saige said she went through a phase when she didn’t want to dress how her mom told her to, but “as I got older, I chose to.”

“Honestly, I do it for myself,” she said.

Saige developed a confidence about looking good when dressing modestly and started posting photos of herself in typically a long dress or skirt with a loose fitting blouse on social media. 

“A lot of friends really support me in it,” she said. “They don’t really act different toward me because I dress differently.”

Occasionally, someone will give her “hate” she said, but “no discouraging comments on my social media…mostly just positive.”

At the beginning of last summer, Snoga Athletics reached out to Saige after seeing some of her social media posts. The company was started in 2015 by Candice Safdieh, an Orthodox Jewish mom of three from Brooklyn, NY, who wanted to give women who dress modestly fashionable, well-made athleticwear for the gym. One of the company’s most popular sellers is a skirt-legging combo.

“She feels it’s a higher calling to build Snoga Athletics into a global leader that supports and unites woman,” according to a New York Post article about Ms. Safdieh. “Although Snoga women are from different races, cultures, religions, and they vary in size, age, and other demographics, they are all part of a greater identity…womanhood.”

Saige said she was nervous about collaborating with Snoga.

“That’s really putting myself out there, letting the world know that I’m different,” she said. “I was scared.”

Her older sister, who had actually collaborated with the company before they reached out to her, convinced her to do it.

“She really encouraged me to say yes,” she said. “It’s hard, but once you know what you believe in, it’s really cool.”