Clothes

CLOTHES - We all wear them but have we thought about how our clothing choices can impact both ourselves and also those around us? Clothing can be functional, fun and it can help us express our personality to others. Clothing can identify us with a particular group or organisation. It can also identify us with a culture, mindset or peer group. Clothing can be used to gain acceptance with or place social distance from others.
 

Like it or not, the clothing you choose to wear and how you choose to wear it can have an impact on how others perceive you and also on how you perceive yourself. This can be either positive or negative. As Westerners we often have the luxury of choosing the clothing that we would like to wear. With this luxury comes responsibility. We are responsible for ensuring that we steward ourselves, our resources and those around us well.
 

The bible speaks about loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. The way we choose to dress can express how we feel about ourselves. Drab, sack like, bland clothing MAY indicate a person is not feeling worthy of notice or that they dislike their body. Provocative clothing MAY indicate that they either want to attract attention in the hope of attracting love or that they want to send a particular (often offensive) message to the world.

Clothing choices can also distract those around us. 1 Corinthians 8:9 talks about ensuring that our freedom not becoming a stumbling block for others. There is no denying we are a visual people. It’s not possible to “unsee” things. So just because you can wear something doesn’t mean that you should. I’m not saying dress like a nun (after all what does a nun in the 21st century even wear?) But to consider the impact of your clothing choices on other people. Feel free to follow fashion trends but apply common sense and modesty.
 

Dress with class. Do you want other people to “see what you had for breakfast?” If so why?!? As Paul said "Everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial!" (1 Corinthians 6:12).

You can choose to wear whatever you want but a wise woman considers the impact of her actions on others.
Be in the world and not of it – We live in a society which is soaked in sexualised messages. The imagery of scantily clad women fawning over a fully clothed man has been commonplace. What does this imagery ACTUALLY say about the value of women???? Nothing good. It’s sad!
Ask yourself if your clothing choices honour God (i.e. Are you portraying to others how valuable you are to Him?) Or are you following the crowd? Have you unconsciously taken on board the culture of the world?

Your clothes come from somewhere. A garment will have had the input of numerous people in its production. Your clothing purchases can either positively or negatively impact the lives of those involved in producing those garments, as well as the environment – so make wise purchasing decisions.

I’m not saying that you should only purchase pre-loved or second hand clothing but that you should not purchase to excess and that you should consider the ‘back-story’ behind the garment. It can be difficult to ascertain whether a garment has been produced with fair-trade principles as the consumer paying more doesn’t mean the producer was paid more.
Thankfully Tearfund has produced an ethical clothing rating system which rates clothing brands on the Australasian market based on their social responsibility. Be a good steward of your resources and make purchases which influence the lives of others for the better. You could literally change someone’s life!
 

I’m no fashion guru but here are my tips for clothing choices:

- Dress like royalty (I’m not talking about wearing designer labels but about having an attitude of dressing with self respect, and as someone who is held in high regard). I’m not advocating a consumer lifestyle but employing good stewardship and doing the best with what you have.
 

- Dress to flatter your figure (whatever shape it happens to be). Address body image issues and sort them out rather than using clothing to attempt to “mask” the psychological problem.
 

- Dress in context, bikinis and skimpy singlets are for the beach not the boardroom!
 

- Be a good steward of your resources – dress with a style rather than to simply follow a trend. If a particular trend doesn’t suit your body shape, doesn’t fit your self-respect criteria or makes you feel uncomfortable just skip it! Trends come and go so fast that the next thing will be along before you know it – don’t be completely out of touch with fashion but don’t be a mindless slave to it either!
 

- Don’t be afraid to express your personality with your clothing choices. Have fun and don’t follow the crowd!
 

Take a quiet moment apart today and ask yourself:

1. How do I REALLY see myself?
2. Do I love my body or hate it? Do I have a body image “issue”?
3. Have my clothing choices been influenced by sexual messaging in the media?
4. Why do I wear what I wear? Is it to fit in with the crowd, to hide or to attract attention? Am I doing this for the right reasons?
5. Does my thinking match up with how God sees me? If it doesn’t, ask God for His help in realigning your thinking to be like His. When you see yourself as God sees you your perspective on a lot of things changes (and this includes how you want others to see you). You are a reflection of God’s glory.
6. What is the impact of my clothing purchases on those who produce my clothes? Do I need to
re-think where I shop and how much I purchase?

Claire is married to Bryan and their household in New Plymouth is big and busy. Claire is step-mum to 2 amazing teenager girls, foster/boarder mum to an equally amazing teenage boy, and mum to 2 high energy preschoolers. Claire also works as a pharmacist and volunteers in her local church and community.