Fashion Trends

If you have lived in urban Zambia during the past five years, you have witnessed the arrival of a fashion trend where buttocks, breasts and other body parts are routinely exposed for all to see. This development has produced a disapproving but not necessarily outraged reaction from the more conservative urban Zambian. This conservative urban Zambian sometimes says that the current trend is western and un-Zambian. At other times the conservative notes that things were not like this in the past. The more “progressive” group responds things have been this way before, in the sixties urban Zambia experienced the mini (many in their thirties have pictures of their mothers in minis), later in the late eighties and nineties there was the era of the cycling short and the return of the mini. If this is true what’s the fuss? Isn’t this just a recurring fashion cycle? The “progressives” go further and note in African culture there times women go bare-chested in skirts as short as a micro mini? I believe if we are going to make progress in this discussion we will need to appeal to a standard that can judge both the conservative and “progressive” positions. I propose that we use the Bible the word of God.

I think the first point to make is that God created our bodies, that are inherently sexual by virtue of being either a male or female body, and declared them to be good. (Genesis 1: 26 – 31) Therefore in and of themselves our bodies are not sinful. As a matter of fact by virtue of God declaring his creation good the nude human body is God glorifying. Moving further from the testimony of scripture man was apparently created to live in the nude. (Genesis 2:25) On this basis I would say in any discussion of the appropriateness of dressing we ought not to slip into the error of treating the human body or part of the human body as sinful. This error can sometimes be communicated through the taboos on discussion of topics related to sexuality. These taboos frequently communicate an unspoken message that sexuality (not sexual sin) is a dirty topic. I am aware that when topics related to sexuality are discussed some age and gender based considerations may come into play however the universal taboo on discussions related to sexuality tend to communicate a wrong set of values. A comparison of the taboos on discussion of sexuality with the Bible’s matter of fact discussion of circumcision reveals the difference between the two positions.



Now lest anyone be tempted to become a nudist “because of scripture” let us consider the origin of clothes. The need for clothing is linked to Adam’s rebellion and falling of into a state of sin. (For those unfamiliar with this please read Genesis 3) When Adam and Eve, the whole of humanity at the time, fell into a state of sin their sin caused them to be conscious of their nudity and prevented them from interacting among themselves or with God in their nude state. It should be noted that this guilt extended beyond their physical nudity; however, their guilt included their physical nudity. (For a fuller discussion of the other implications of Adam and Eve’s guilt resources from John Macarthur can be consulted here, here and here)

The Bible reveals to us that because of Adam’s rebellion all people have inherited a sinful nature opposed to God and his holy law and standards. One of the results is that we share our first parent’s inability to interact in the nude without sin. Before we move on two things should be noted about the last point. Firstly, “interact in the nude without sin” does not necessarily mean that nudity leads to fornication or adultery. Since Adam and Eve were married they were clearly incapable of either sin. But it does mean that in thought, word, deed or inaction we fall short of God’s righteous standards in our interactions. Secondly, not all nude interaction is “out of bound”. Medical procedures are an example of an instance where nudity may be required. However, these interactions tend to be exceptional and are usually driven by some form of necessity.

On basis of what we have seen above I believe we can say from a biblical perspective we can say that we wear clothes to limit the effect of sin as we interact with others. Now I am aware that we also wear clothes to protect us from the weather, according to scripture the primary reason we wear clothes is sin. As one reads the Bible it becomes evident that the Bible considers clothing to be a form of language. For example clothes are shown to communicate grief (Genesis 37:34), joy (Genesis 38:14, 19), sexual availability (Proverbs 7: 10), pride (Isaiah 3:16) and formality (Mathew 22:11-12). Therefore, when we wear clothes we are making a statement to the world about who we are and how we want the world to respond to us.

Having considered all this I think we can begin to directly address the issue at hand. Firstly, the trend is wrong because it attempts to go around the main reason for wearing clothes: to compensate for sin. In our sinful state to be without clothes is sexually arousing to others and prevents sinless interaction. Nudity or partially nudity tends to promote various forms of sinful interaction such as “dirty talk”, sexual fantasies, voyeurism, masturbation, fornication/adultery, rape and other forms of sin Any form of dressing exposes the parts of the body associated with sexual intimacy therefore potentially promotes these sins. By promoting these sins persons who wear such clothing will be subject to judgment from God. If you are such a person I urge you to repent of this sin and dress in a more God honouring fashion.

Now as I type this I am aware that there are persons who participate in this fashion trend and have no intention to promote any such sins. Such people may even ask why they must be held accountable for the reactions of other to what they do. To these people I wish to say clothes are a language and a unique kind of language. Unlike words that can be directed to a particular person clothes speak to everybody. A low cut pair of jeans screams to everybody “hey take a look at this what do you think?” Secondly, the people these clothes are communicating with are sinful. There is something in their nature that causes them to rebel against even their own consciences. Therefore, it is asking a bit much of a sinful person not to be sinful so that you can were your fashionable clothing without consequences. So whether you intended to or not you have participated in this serious offense and also need to repent.

If we are to dress appropriately, I believe we must bear in mind the Biblically revealed facts about sexuality, fall and clothing. I believe that bearing these things in mind will keep us from blindly following the crowd and from falling for the lie that dressing is ALL about self expression. While dressing is about self expression it is also about sinners interacting under the eye of a God who will judge all.