Clothing is a form of language. It is a “social message,” a fashion “statement.”
Wikipedia defines fashion as “a prevailing mode of expression.” The report acknowledges that “every article of clothing carries a cultural and social meaning” and observes that “humans must know the code in order to recognize the message transmitted.”
American fashion designer Rachel Zoe said, “Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak” (goodreads.com).
Feminist writer Virginia Woolf said, “Clothes change our view of the world, and the world’s view of us” (Orlando, chapter 4).
French designer Jean Cocteau said, “Style is a simple way of saying complicated things” (goodreads.com).
Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada said, “Fashion is instant language” (“Interview: ‘Fashion Is How You Present Yourself,’” Wall Street Journal, Jan. 18, 2007
The knowledge of this is the engine that drives the fashion industry, and the child of God needs to understand it, as well.
I need to ask myself what message is my clothing broadcasting? Does it conform to the moral principles of God’s Word? Does it glorify God?
SKINNY JEANS AS A LANGUAGE
There are many names and styles of slim pants. They are called skinny, super skinny, skinnies, drainpipe, and cigarette pants.
What message do they speak? For this we will simply let the world speak.
Skinny jeans speak rebellion.
They were created by rock & rollers in the 1950s and have always been associated with rebellion.
“Tapered jeans became most notable with ... the birth of rock and roll in the 1950s, when Elvis Presley donned slim-fitting jeans and shocked the country. Drainpipe jeans and rock ‘n’ roll were inextricably linked to create the ‘bad boy’ image that remains today” (“Slim-fit Pants,” Wikipedia).
“Skinny jeans became renowned for their ‘bad boy’ rock n’ roll image. The 1970’s saw the British punk rock movement, where self-proclaimed ‘scenester’ bands like The Clash The Sex Pistols and The Ramones put a notorious punk spin on the growing skinny jean trend” (“How to Wear Men’s Skinny Jeans,” TheIdleMan.com).
“Skinny jeans are a statement piece for the ‘young and rebellious’” (“Say no to Skinny Jeans,” RealMenRealStyle.com).
“This style is all about appearing effortlessly cool” (“How to Wear Men’s Skinny Jeans,” TheIdleMan.com).
Skinny jeans speak unisex.
“Usually worn by girls but indie/emo/scene,skater/punk boys also wear them” (“Skinny Jeans,” urbandictionary.com).
Italian fashion designer Miuccia Prada says, “Basically I’m trying to make men more sensitive and women stronger” (brainyquote.com).
Unisex is clear rebellion against God’s will and creative order. It is God who made them “male and female” (Genesis 1:27). It is God who designed marriage and made Eve for Adam., the male and female having distinctly different roles in this world and being fashioned according to that divine plan.
For a man or woman to “wear that which pertaineth” to the opposite sex is disobedience to God (Deuteronomy 22:5). This principle is repeated in the New Testament when Paul taught that men and women are to be distinguished by hair length (1 Corinthians 11:3-15).
The unisex movement of the 1960s paved the way for the homosexual rights movement of the 1990s. The pantsuit was invented in 1966 by homosexual fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. The breaking down of the created distinction between male and female in the pop culture has, in turn, greatly encouraged the homosexual movement.
It is all one package of end-time rebellion against God’s created order. Psalm 2 prophesies that the people of the nations will rage against God’s holy laws in the last days. They will “take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,” referring to Jehovah God of the Old Testament and Christ of the New. Their counsel is against the God of the Bible. They will say, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.” Bands and cords refer to God’s laws, which are considered “restrictive.” So you have the “free love” movement, the feminist movement, the unisex movement, the homosexual rights movement, and every other form of humanistic rebellion.
All of this end-time rebellion is reflected in clothing fashions.
Skinny jeans speak immodesty.
“This daring piece of clothing is great for showing your figure” (“How to Wear Men’s Skinny Jeans,” TheIdleMan.com).
“Women and men who like to flaunt their curves and figure go for Skinny Jeans” (“Difference between Skinny Jeans and Carrot Jeans,” differencebetween.net).
“Skinny jeans ... were known for their thigh hugging, form-fitting silhouette, which created sex appeal” (“How to Wear Men’s Skinny Jeans,” TheIdleMan.com).
Skinny jeans are so immodest that we cannot repeat many of the things that are said about their effect and about what parts of the body are emphasized by this fashion. There is nothing modest about them when measured by a biblical standard.
In the Bible we read about “the attire of an harlot” (Proverbs 7:10). How could a harlot find a more immodest attire than skinny jeans, unless it would be no jeans at all?
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