Lived Theology

Fashion

Through each of these pop culture mediums, the purpose is to decode the clues to understand what lies beneath the surface. Fashion appears to be the most personal when it comes to displaying the values believed about oneself. And when juxtaposed with theology, the clarity that fashion brings reveals a “lived theology.” It serves as a platform for great dialogue when I engage my step-daughter about her eyebrow piercing or my son-in-law’s tattoo, as long as I ask with a spirit of curious inquiry and not judgment.

But because of it’s personal nature, I find it difficult to separate out how it affects me in order to communicate with others about what it says of our culture. Once I start talking about what to wear, how to look, I find myself becoming very defensive. Does it matter? Why should it matter? What’s more important, the heart or the way I look? I don’t want to have to worry about those things, there is already too much with which to concern myself.

Yet as one who wants to listen to Jesus’ concern for the whole body/soul/mind, I realize I can use fashion as a means by which to engage in deeper conversations. Just the other day, I was convicted by my daughter’s belief that clothes made by sweatshops are no longer an option for her (even J.Crew, her favorite). Maybe if I step away from the overexposure of fashion that dictates an unrealistic view of the body, I can focus on the value of wearing a statement of how to care