Today is the appropriate day to talk about Christianity’s love affair with mediocrity.
The ‘Inappropriate’ Outfit
A friend of mine who has modeled for our photography group here in Tulsa attends a fashion design college. She was called out in front of her classmates recently for her ‘extremely inappropriate’ choice of clothing by her teacher. She said it was inappropriate because the college was a ‘christian college’.
She was quite upset by the confrontation because she takes great pride in her fashion choices and styles. It was embarrassing and humiliating for her. The outfit consisted of a typical black tank top and black long pants along with a black leather jacket. I have seen a photo of her outfit and it is well within acceptable bounds for a young woman in America, especially at a fashion design school. It seems to me that it was an act of public shaming on the part of the teacher that isn’t easy to explain.
Slut Shaming?
It made me start thinking about Christianity’s obsession with ‘appropriateness’. Why did this teacher think the outfit was inappropriate? Were there men ogling the student? Were women whispering behind her back? Were her private parts showing? Maybe the teacher herself was unable to concentrate because she was so distracted by the outfit? Did the teacher think my friend was in danger of appearing too ‘loose’ or ‘slutty’ and would get sexually assaulted as a result?
Reputation and Judgment
I actually don’t think the teacher thought any of those things. I think the teacher’s reputation was threatened. I think she, and many Christians, wants a world where no one can question their appropriateness. And to do that they have to make sure no one thinks they approve of others who are supposedly inappropriate. Not just other people, but whole arenas of activity and effort in the creative world; fashion, art, music, dance, film. They are quick to judge because they themselves are worried about being seen as insufficiently righteous if they don’t.
Christian Mediocrity
What is the result of that mindset? The result is mediocrity. They are firmly planted in the safe middle with safe music, safe art, safe fashion, safe film. They don’t have to consider new creative ideas and images because they have already have a handy pre-judgment at hand that declares those ideas and images as inappropriate. And something judged to be inappropriate, even without good reasons behind the judgment, can be dismissed without consideration.
And mediocrity thrives when new ideas aren’t allowed to be considered.
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Drawing, quote and commentary by Marty Coleman
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As a Christian, I understand both sides of the coin. I understand “modesty” and I also know full well that people take modesty to the extreme. Living in a really hot climate, I walk around half-nekkid most of the time and some of my neighbors frown on that. Most of them aren’t Christians, but modesty also forms part of their belief set, along with hypocrisy and an intense need to impress other people at EVERY cost. This one (non-Christian) neighbour, the other day told another neighbour (Christian) who took the trash out in her PJs that she could see her panties. Technically, it was her panty lines. I guess it would’ve been better had she not worn panties at all. 🙂
Hey Lizette, thanks for the response. I do know what you mean and being appropriate is an important element in society, no doubt. What I think is so odd and part of what I was addressing, is the phenomenon of people freaking out about something that has no consequence. So she saw her panties, or panty line? Did the woman get uncontrollably turned on by that? Did she fear a gang rape was imminent because some terrible men may have seen a glimpse or her neighbor’s panty line? What exactly did she think the consequences of that were going to be? Really, she knew there were no consequences. But like you said, it was about impressing others. She wanted to make sure the terrible offender and all the other neighbors knew she was of high virtue and to do that she had to condemn this terrible act of panty line showing.