Crosses, Rosaries, Buddha and the Evil Eye have all been religious symbols we’ve seen appearing in our trendy clothing stores and have lead to controversial religious debates within the fashion industry. Fashion is art, and art is a way to push boundaries to create timeless beauty and to provoke reactions. However, to which extent should religious limits be crossed?
Both fashion icons, Lady Gaga and Madonna, use religious symbols like crosses and rosaries in their music videos and everyday wear. Other Hollywood stars like Taylor Momsen and Miley Cyrus also use religious symbols to make fashion statements. With that said, as fashion icons and public figures, it is obvious that our own wardrobe will be influenced by their fashion choices. However, we need to realize that they do not always make the ‘best’ decisions, considering they often want to shock and provoke in order to get recognized and talked about; that is the whole point of the entertainment industry.
Because of globalization, we encounter a multitude of people of different ethnicities who vary in both cultural and religious backgrounds. Each nation has their own cultural identity that influences the way they think, act and present themselves. This determines fashion in our everyday life, but we need to consider these cultural differences to maintain respect towards one another. In Canada, as a multicultural population that strives off the acceptance and inclusion of other cultures, we often interact with people of different religious backgrounds who express themselves in a plethora of either extreme or minute fashion statements.
Our own university campus is filled with international students from around the globe. Their views vary, which is why we need to know what it is we are portraying with our clothes. Otherwise, the risks of upsetting others can be very high. We do not live in a singular world, but in a multicultural one.
Today, we can find more then 2 400 registered religions that portray similar and different values. We can think of Buddhism, Islam, Wicca or even Scientology. New or ancient, they have a strong impact on our society. By seeing these names, we can already have a brief superficial idea of what the believers stand for. To many, the beliefs and symbols are fascinating, which is why many designers do not shy away from the opportunity to use their designs in their creations.
However, according to many blogs like Chictopia, they sometimes go too far and many can feel insulted and outraged by this abuse of religious symbolism. A lot of people have started wearing rosaries as a fashionable accessory. This can be insulting because it is not meant to be worn as a necklace and chances are, the person wearing it does not even know the prayers associated with every bead. Furthermore, when it comes to people wearing these religious pieces that seem ‘cool’ and ‘fashionable’, they can often send the wrong message.
We often buy seemingly innocent pieces of clothing, but in reality, knowing the meaning of the symbols can be quite shocking. The upside down cross on shirts seems to have made a drastic appearance in designer’s creations. However, this is a symbol used by Satanists to oppose Christianity. Atheist or not, some people can take this more seriously than others. Some will say the upside down cross actually represents the cross of St-Peters, which represents humility. In that case, the person wearing it should be able to explain the meaning of what he or she is wearing. More often than not, people cannot. They do not know what they portray, which will lead to others making their own assumptions about them.
Since last spring 2012, there’s been an important comeback of fashionable turbans. We’ve seen them in Goergio Armani’s and Jason Wu’s fashion shows and worn by the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Moss. This exotic trend has made quite an appearance, especially with the Iphone app Turbanizer. Usually worn by Islamic and Indian men, it is yet another religious symbol played with by fashion.
We wear these religious symbols because we like the designs, but we have always been adamant on the fact that clothes are a way of expressing ourselves. Do we even know how to use these tools of communication? Some will say it shouldn’t be taken so seriously, others will think otherwise. Some can make the distinction between the aesthetic value and the symbolic value, others cannot. It is very subjective since it depends on religious background and upbringing.
However, some people often get insulted and cry out ‘cultural racism’ a little too easily, making self-expression a lot harder. Some might feel too strongly about these symbols that, to be honest, vary from person to person. Some may have a personal reference to a certain symbol that might be catalytic to a religion. We should maybe take them as what they originally are: designs.
In my opinion, the concern is that people haphazardly wear these trends without fully understanding the significance of the messages they are portraying. Even so, there are no rules to abide by, so the only thing left to do is to wear what we think is right. At the end of the day, we express ourselves the way we want to. We just need to be certain that what we are telling others really is what we believe in and what we are portraying is who we are.
Photo Credits:
http://www.supre.com.au/ProductDetails.aspx?element=31&category=1&PKID=95903&c=275&s=2
http://stealherstyle.net/tattoos/miley-cyrus-tattoos/page/225/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/nikoguy1/20-bad-ass-scenes-of-lady-gagas-alejandr-5xy