Ready to Wear: Christianity
When thinking about Christian religious art and icons, one may look to European Renaissance paintings, sculptures, or the stained-glass windows displayed in Cathedrals. The creation of these art pieces are associated with religious devotion and are often rooted in certain historical, political, and cultural contexts. However, Christian art and symbols can be easily found in popular culture. When looking at clothing in North America, Christian references, symbols, and art appear to be separated from its religious meaning. Instead, these images are manipulated, advertised, and sold in the fashion market.
Christian references may be found in American fashion as Christianity is strongly associated with American culture. For instance, Bruce Forbes states that Christianity is prominent in the interaction between religion and American culture (Forbes, 17). Furthermore, Santana and Erikson note that America is centered on the Jesus figure rather than scripture or doctrine (Santana and Erikson, 55). This interaction can be seen in the following image:
This shirt removes the name Jesus from it’s religious context and places it into a witty phrase associated with a part of American culture: Rock & Roll music. From this perspective, Jesus is used to portray an all-American image, which is then marketed and sold to youth.
However, Santana and Erikson also state that America is obsessed with 3 things: money, sex, and religion. Thus, desires related to God’s love, power, social status, and wealth are often used in advertisements to sell product (Santana and Erikson, 55-56). This concept can be seen in the following image:
This image depicts Christian art and imagery on the runway. As mentioned earlier, Christianity was influential in historical, political, and cultural spheres. For example, historically, Christianity was intertwined with many governments. Thus, Christianity was, or still is, a tradition with great wealth. For example, many Christian churches and Cathedrals are built using expensive materials (e.g., gold, marble). Therefore, designers may have used Christian imagery to designate wealth and power (as seen in the use of the crown in Image 1). Furthermore, the idea that Christian symbols may designate wealth and power is also reinforced in the fashion industry. For instance, these garments that feature Christian imagery are created by designer fashion labels where typically only the wealthier populations are able to obtain these garments.
It should also be noted that there may be conflict between Christian imagery and the fashion industry. The fashion industry is often critiqued for being superficial and emphasizing beauty, sex, and attraction. This may cause tension in regards to Christian views of modesty. Placing Christian images on the body, or manipulating these images to showcase the body, may conflict with traditional Christian principles.
Therefore, the intersection of religion and pop culture can be seen in the example of Christianity and American fashion. In the first example, Jesus as a figure may be used to portray an American image. In the second example, Christian images may be used to symbolize wealth, power, and prestige. Also, the idea of using Christian imagery in clothing may tap into the issues of sexualization in the fashion industry, which might conflict with traditional Christian values. In addition, the use of Christian imagery in retail stores demonstrates the relationship between commerce and religion.
