F A S H I O N V. R E L I G I O N
If you consider yourself a fahionista or simply appreciate the art of fashion, I’m sure you’ve noticed its revolution. Sometimes I sit and ponder, how can any creative mind steadfastly, persistently yet progressively invent such beautiful, chic, trendy, brilliant, mystical statement pieces? It goes beyond just clothes and accessories, it’s a lifestyle. It’s art. It’s a living, breathing form, that has a huge influence on all mankind rather they know it or not. Fashion is indeed power. You begin to interrupt and analyze ensembles past adjectives and begin declaring them as nouns because they make that much sense as so.
If you take fashion as seriously as I or simply an individual who looks past the surfaces of things, it becomes crystal clear that fashion has further developed its human like features. Yes, it’s true! Fashion speaks…and it is a very controversial converser. 1969, in Tinker V. Des Moines two high school students adamantly expressed their 1st amendment rights and their fashion freedom by deciding to wear anti-war bands around their wrist to school in protest of the Vietnam War. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the students…in favor of fashion! Miley Cyrus at the 2013 Video Music Awards laid at the mercy of fashion when she chose to wear a skintight leather two piece ensemble and a funky punk rock hairdo. Her performance as well as her fashion choices that night obviously displayed her freedom. Fashion is freedom. Fashion spoke the word “limitless” that night.
Fashion is controversial, possessing no rules. The more rules broken, the more powerful it becomes. I may only be a 90’s baby, but I have watched its evolution…an evolution that has grown rapidly. Maintaining a steady pace, yet keeping society anticipative is challenging. Although fashion is powerful, we are even greater… just easily manipulated. I did a little research and found a peer reviewed article from the Journal of Media and Religion providing research on the theory that advertising relies on religious imagery to ensure profitability. As much as I love fashion, it still is a market driven exchange that operates through advertising. Advertising is persuasion and manipulation at its finest. Recent religion inspired trends in fashion has lead me to believe these findings.
According to the article “From the Sacred to the Profane: A Critical Analysis of the Changing Nature of Religious Imagery in Advertising,” religion and religious imagery are being used interchangeably with social norms of sex, profanity, nudity and violence among advertisers to achieve “shock value” in selling secular products. This particular use of “shock value” has become very popular due to the fact that consumers have become less responsive to the habitual use of sex, profanity, nudity and violence, making it challenging to surprise any of us. Religion is the next best thing, generally evoking emotion among most people. Movies and shows such as The DaVinci Code and The Book of Daniel are prime examples. The study further suggests “secularization has turned religion into just another cultural referent in the creative idea bank.” So is religion expanding from a cultural way of life, to just a cool new trend? Is the art of fashion greater than what billions of people consider their sacred spiritual belief? According to the article, “Some sociologists argue that using religious themes is, if not offensive, problematic in that it devalues religious beliefs.” I couldn’t agree more, but after interviewing a women’s campus minister from Georgia State University, I was exposed to another point of view on the issue.
Mackenzie Albert believes that “People have a misconception of what it means to be a Christian. They do not realize the lifestyle Jesus called His followers to have, and most people don’t look further into this trend, than it simply just being a trend.”
So does this mean because Christians don’t understand what it means to be a Christian and are not offended, then this trend is ultimately inoffensive?
Mackenzie concluded her interview by making a very profound statement, “A Christian is not defined by what they wear, but by the life that is lived, because Christianity is a lifestyle.”
Mackenzie isn’t the only individual who hinted at the idea that society is blindly accepting controversial trends, Kwassi Byll-Cataria, owner of MODA404 further reiterated the same. The highly acclaimed and super trendy menswear boutique sits in the ever so thriving Buckhead Community in Atlanta, Georgia. It attracts a prestigious cliental interested in very daring, high-end, fashion forward menswear. Kwassi and I conversed more on the dark side of the trend; upside down crosses, goat heads and subliminal messages. He believes the new trend is a sign of rebellion, which is deeply rooted in our music and entertainers. He also believes that sporting the new trend isn’t anymore sacrilegious than a rapper rapping provocative and explicit lyrics while sporting an iced out chain of a cross or an individual who has religious tattoo. These new religious based trends are particularly popular in MODA404 and customers spend a pretty penny on the merchandise. Why?…because its a “cool pattern.” “I’m not here to judge other people and their self expression…if you like it, it’s up to you. Everyone just wants to be cool now days. I’m not selling evil, I’m not selling ‘666’, I’m selling cool. The 80’s are back and its just another form of it.”
I tried my hardest through out this writing process to not voice my opinion but state facts, provide creditable information and just provide food for thought, but I must say that I am disappointed in fashion. I admired fashion, its bold and innovativeness, but I was genuinely let down when it fell to the mercy of darkness. Once upon a time, the person underneath the garments did the talking and the clothes were an accent to personal style and personality, but now the clothes do the talking and the person underneath are mummies, blind and unaware of offensive messages they are promoting, which is alarming! Where are we headed as a society…if sacredness is being deliberately dishonored is ok. If we dismiss common standards within our society such as religion…what’s next to be dismissed?…Laws? Government? In this battle of Fashion v. Religion, Fashion won.
Mallia, K. (2009). From the Sacred to the Profane: A Critical Analysis of the Changing Nature of Religious Imagery in Advertising, Journal of Media and Religion.