As far back as I can remember into my childhood, I’ve always loved Fashion and all things related to the infamous Anna Wintour. As a teenager I had my mind secretly set on taking over her position at Vogue Magazine, and somehow dominating the fashion industry in New York City, or some other hard-to-afford place. There was always something about Wintours’ domineer that I felt I could relate to. She was classy looking, and she had that old money look that I think is impossible to go out-of-style. Even though she had her moments of controversy and was even portrayed as a villain in, The Devil Wears Prada, I was inspired by her work ethic and her astonishing quite, yet impactful influence. Not because I thought that’s who I was but because its who I saw myself becoming.
Regardless of my long years of admiration towards this old money style icon, vogue magazine (and magazines like vogue) no longer reflected what I always adored, modesty and class. Fashion magazines like Vogue have turned into the liberal medias partner in promoting some of the most unbiblical ideologies- but who can blame them, it sells. Pop culture is so far from what God has established in his word, and for someone that genuinely enjoys reading feature stories and articles about fashion icons, and stylish influential people, it had turned into a dreadful experience. I suddenly started walking away from some of these articles genuinely concerned for these authors and for the young women it would influence.
Eventually I stopped reading mainstream vogue magazine and ended up canceling my vogue subscription.
To my surprise, the past year I stumbled across a refreshing new digital publication, The Conservateur, which was created by Jayme Chandler Franklin and Isabelle Redfield, to directly compete with Vogue. Franklin and Redfield saw a gap in the fashion magazine market and tailored their content for fashionable conservatives. They saw a major need to feel represented, and ever since they have launched their platforms, it’s been a big hit! Their Instagram alone has generated over 44K followers of like mind individuals that are highly engaged with their content.
I don’t always agree with everything The Conservateur posts, but it’s been a breath of fresh air to see Christian girls represented in a fashion oriented digital platform. Suddenly that old money style that I so intensely admired in Anna Wintour, is back! Not only that, but they also write about the Christian Faith and topics related about our culture that I think make Christ followers feel seen and understood. I’ve even noticed that women who are not necessarily pursuing a relationship with God, have also gravitated towards these traditional biblical ideas.
Today’s mainstream culture tells us that we can dress however we want, and it praises styles rooted in promiscuity and beauty only achievable by spending hours in the mirror contouring your face and getting eye lash extensions. Young women today are overly appearance-focused and suddenly, inner beauty is not a priority. The bible prophesizes this cultural change during the end-times. 2 Timothy 3:1 says “in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will be lovers of self and their money. They will be boastful and proud.”
Naturally, this is causing a cultural shift in dating, friendships, how we value ourselves as women, and most importantly where we place God in our lives. The truth is, even though fashion and beauty are wonderful ways to boost our self-esteem, when we idolize ourselves and others based on physical beauty or material items, it undervalues our identity. Our religion and our spiritual need to have a certain outward appearance becomes the thing that we praise in ourselves, and others- that’s what we worship- and not God.
SO how does God want us to dress, and does he not want us to enjoy fashion? No- I think it’s more about a heart check moment.
1 Timothy 2: 9-10 says,
“They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive the good things they do.”
1 Timothy 2: 9-10
When we hyper focus on our appearance to bring attention to ourselves, it demonstrates the need to be validated by the superficial items. It doesn’t mean that we can’t wear beautiful clothing or that we must resemble hyper religious communities like the Amish. However, I think it’s a heart posture. Are you more focused on the value that a man can give you when he sees how beautiful you look? Or are you putting on a cute outfit for the hope that someone will notice, and if they don’t are you left disappointed? We should be more focused on what we do and the good fruit that we produce in service of others.
In every aspect of our lives, we should be determined to represent ourselves in a classy way that will honor God and honor our families. As Maya Angelo wrote, no one is going to remember what you wore, but everyone is going to remember how you made them feel? Well, she didn’t say it exactly like that but I’m sure she would agree. When we focus on acts of service for community we start to act according to our beauty and that’s where our value comes from.
How should we dress as a believers and followers of Christ?
Modest and like Christ. Fashion is an art can hold many different intentions according to where we may be going. When we go into the office, we want to dress professionally out of respect to the collogues the work culture, and the overall expectations set in place in that environment. As an office worker there is a routine in picking out the outfit and knowing that it represents your professional career. Similarly, as a Christian we should be thoughtful about what we are wearing, knowing that we are representing Jesus. The big difference here is that it’s a style that you will adapt in every aspect of your life to honor God, not just at work or at church.
God made us perfect in his image and I’m excited to share natural beauty and fashion tip ideas for everyday life events, that will enhance your beauty and not masquerade it. I know that it can be difficult to live in a society the values and portrays itself by filters and make up trends. Young women are suffering because of this, but I’m here to say that we don’t have to. God has our best intentions, and his direction can empower us to feel that inner beauty that a beautiful outfit can not replace. I hope I can help you to start looking outside of the Vogue magazines out there, and instead inspire you to draw from biblical TRUTH.
How do you honor and represent your Christ-like spirit in how you dress?
Let me know your thoughts on what a Christian women should wear and how you think about your personal style as someone that wants to represent Jesus. I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment down below to get the conversation going.
