The One About Fashion

Fashion can matter to you.
It doesn’t have to.
But it doesn’t have to not.

When I was younger I took everything so seriously that style was not allowed to matter. It was a waste of time and energy that could be spent SHARING THE GOSPEL.

(Obviously I was a very fun highschool hang.)

But then in my twenties, fashion felt fun. I felt free and comfy. I liked my body and my style. Playful, colorful, a little bit Thrift Quirk, anything I could equally roller skate or read in.

I didn’t always look cute, but I FELT great. I remember latte colored ballet flats that laced halfway up my leg, and a lavender purple twirly skirt, a Doors tee, a bright embroidered dress to my knee…I felt like my clothes were so me.

And sizes go up and down. There’s no moral value to the size of our bodies. Our dear bodies, that work so hard for us. What busted-up precious gifts! They tell all these stories about our lives.

The stress in our gut, the cleft chin like Grandad’s. The babies we bore, and lost, and ache to hold once more. The chicken pox scar from 20 years ago. The weight we gained anxious snacking mid-pandemic. Cancer scares, first Communions; God meets us in our bodies. “Don’t you know that your body is a temple?”

And it is a temple, a physical place God built to meet with His darling. Me. You.

Also? God seems to enjoy adding a lot of flair to His world. I’m not saying He would hate a navy and beige #capsulewardrobe. I’m just saying He seems more like a maximalist. Have you ever heard of SUNSETS?

Unnecessary beauty isn’t dumb. God likes nonessential delight. Beauty might even stir an ache for the divine.

I can imagine fashion becoming an idol. But what can’t become an idol - marriage, gaming, activism, parenting, golf, even (gasp) ministry!!?

They all get Baal-y when made primary. They’re all things that make terrible masters but can be delightful, even meaningful buddies.

So who knows what could happen if I offer my closet to God?

Maybe He’ll have some fun ideas.

Maybe He’ll delight in how He made me, and how my clothes express that.

Maybe you should send me your Barbie outfit ideas.