By Michelle Chai Song and Barbara Graham
The devotion inspired by that fickle goddess named Fashion has enslaved many to her ever-changing whims.
Some fashion trends are disgusting and depressing. Many are sensual and seductive. Still others degrade those who wear them, showcasing their least attractive physical features.
One explanation given for the grip which fashion has on its devotees might surprise you: “The devil, the adversary of all good, instigated the invention of the ever-changing fashion. He desires nothing so much as to bring grief and dishonor to God by working the misery and ruin of human beings. One of the means by which he most effectually accomplishes this is the devices of fashion that weaken the body as well as enfeeble the mind and belittle the soul.”1
A person’s character is judged by their style of dress. Therefore, Christians should be concerned about what their fashion choices portray to others. They should also be
Last Generation is a magazine for people seeking spiritual answers to the current issues of our times.
Your subscription will give you:
*Digital-only subscriptions also available
Ellen G. White., The Ministry of Healing (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1909), p. 291.
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Christian Dress and Adornment (Berrien Springs: Biblical Perspectives, 1995), p. 140.
Joe Crews, Creeping Compromise (Frederick: Amazing Facts, Inc., 1990), p. 47.
Ibid., p. 45.
Charles Winick, The New People: Desexualization in American Life (New York, 1968), p. 262. Quoted in Bacchiocchi, p. 151.
Katherine Morris Lester, and Kerr Rose Netzorg, Historic Costume (Peoria, Illinois, 1977), p. 288. Quoted in Bacchiocchi, p. 143.
White, Child Guidance (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1982), p. 427.
Crews, pp. 31, 32.
Lois Armstrong, et al., “Cover: How Thin is Too Thin?...” People, Sept. 20, 1993.
Ibid.
Betty Winston Baye, “Commentary: Heroin Chic Isn’t,” Gannett News Service, May 22, 1997, www.encyclopedia.com.
Cynthia Beckwith, interview by Barbara Walters, Deborah Roberts, Hugh Downs, “Dressed Up And Drugged Out,” ABC, March 28, 1997, www.encyclopedia.com.
Judy Jeannin, “Fashion’s Young and Downwardly Mobile Set,” The Record, Feb. 7, 1993, www.encyclopedia.com
White, “A Few Words to Parents,” Signs of the Times, Dec. 19, 1878.
Michelle Chai Song was a student at Hartland College when she wrote this article. Barbara Graham was the assistant editor of Last Generation magazine.