"Pure Fashion"

by Kirk M. Wellum@ http://redeemingthetime.blogspot.com

"Fashion" was once defined by C.H.Spurgeon (who was certainly not known for it) as "the collective opinion of fools." And I am well aware that anyone who tries to comment on it runs the risk of offending someone somewhere. Yet, the other day I came across some information on an organization called "Pure Fashion" that I thought was worth mentioning in spite of the aforementioned risks!

"Pure Fashion" in its own words is "a faith-based program that encourages teen girls to live, act, and dress in accordance with their dignity as children of God." It is a "celebration of style and virtue" that seeks to provide an alternative to clothing that deliberately sexualizes young girls and women. This latter kind of clothing is everywhere and young women (and older ones too) who want to appear attractive and contemporary are often duped into buying and wearing things that unnecessarily draw attention to their physical attributes as women more than anything else. All of which is most ironic in a day in which women are battling for recognition alongside men as persons of value and significance.

Dress codes are notoriously difficult to devise and enforce, and those who are determined to flaunt themselves will find provocative ways to dress no matter what guidelines are put in place. I do not believe in stifling creativity nor do I think that women have to wear clothing approved by the Taliban (or any other fundamentalistic regime) in order to be modest. I fully realize that some of the complaints that one hears about immodest dress say more about the hangups of the people making the complaints than it does about the women wearing the clothes. But somewhere there is a balance. Surely it is possible to look good and to be modest at the same time! To this end I applaud the efforts of "Pure Fashion" and I hope it is the beginning of Christians and others taking responsibility for what is available in the marketplace and giving women (and men for that matter) a realistic alternative to the sleaziness that characterizes so much of what is foisted upon them today.