Toxic Religion typography on ripped paper
red and blue dresses and a pair of blue denim jeans
Don't like control garments, or garment control? How to live “free.”
By Dr. Kesslyn Brade Stennis

id you notice the list?”

It happened almost 10 years ago. After weeks of scheduling and receiving appointment confirmations, one of the research assistants and I walked into the research site to conduct an interview with a local pastor on the impact of gentrification on the black church. This Bishop and his congregation were a part of our study, and while we learned quite a bit about our primary subject, another relevant matter emerged.

While debriefing in the car after the interview, the research assistant asked, “did you notice the list? There was a list on the back table about what women could and couldn’t wear. Did you see it?”

She had also noticed one of the young adult members of the choir rush to be in the processional line while trying to put on her long, white dress and covering, presumably so that she could be allowed to sing.

I had noticed the list, but had not paid much attention to it or the hurried movements of the young choir member, but the research assistant had. The document, prominent on a crowded back table, listed several scriptures that specifically spoke to the comportment expectations of women which the young choir member seemed to have been trying to adjust to. Interestingly, there was no such list for men.

Controlling Garments
The research assistant and I continued this discussion over lunch. It was during that conversation that this young woman, who did not identify as a Christian, shared her experience of being in an abusive relationship. Her abuser usurped her personal agency in many ways, including dictating what she could and could not wear. Because of her experiences, the list of “Guidelines for Women’s Dress” was quite disturbing and prompted a discussion about dress, morality and sexism within the Christian church.
red and blue dresses and a pair of blue denim jeans
This conversation was not a new one within Christian circles. Issues of gender-affiliated perceptions of morality, sexual “purity” and the like have often been associated with how one, a woman in particular, dresses. The issue of dress and comportment comes up in discussion surrounding Biblical stories such as Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, Queen Jezebel, Vashti and Esther, Tamar and Absalom, and even Rahab. The discussion around the outfitting of women has been associated with a variety of issues, including the protection of women, the rape of women, the suppression of women, and the responsibility of women.

In contemporary times, the wardrobes of famous Christian women including Yolanda Adams, Erica Campbell, Tamela Mann and Leandria Johnson have garnered continued questions regarding appropriateness, responsibility and agency for women.

  • Does one’s outward appearance demonstrate the state of one’s relationship with God?
  • Is there a clear contemporary mandate for how Christians, particularly women, should dress?
  • Should a woman be responsible for the perspectives and decisions that others make in relation to her dress?
  • Is there clear guidance regarding the intersection of religiosity, morality and sexism?
  • Can sisters demonstrate “sexiness,” “skin,” “shape,” and “salvation” simultaneously?
  • Are the expectations about dress more closely aligned with customs and cultures versus Christian character?
  • Are all of these mandates about dress simply shackles for women used to maintain patriarchal practices within a system that overtly and covertly oppresses women?
What to Think about While You Wear It
As one who has demonstrated the continuum of Christian dress—from wearing the extremely “modest” long-puffy skirts even while working out in the gym, to wearing fitted jeans and stilettos while preaching in the pulpit (all in the “name of Jesus”)—I can identify with the questions surrounding dress.
I suggest that
we should
always consider
how our
presentation
conveys a
message about
Christ
To be honest, I am not sure that there are clear answers in the abstract. However, there may be some considerations that we can take to help us determine our own path forward regarding “what not to wear.”
1. The Character of Christ
Whether in dress, speech or comportment, we should always demonstrate the character of the One whom we most closely identify with. If we self-identify as Christians, then I suggest that we should always consider how our presentation conveys a message about Christ and the values that He held most closely, including but not limited to love, mutual regard, respect and service.
2. The Connection to Others
We must also recognize that we are on a journey in life that involves being in constant relationship with others. With relationship comes responsibility, particularly for Christians. While all have the ability to make independent decisions, and we are not responsible for the decisions of others, we must also recognize that our decisions do impact others, and that we are responsible for those. With that being said, it seems that great consideration needs to be given regarding how we all dress and comport ourselves. As it is said, we are the only Jesus that others may see.
3. The Commitment to Self
Recognizing that we live in a society that is heavily influenced by social media and social influencers, it is important that we remain grounded and committed to our true ourselves. That commitment includes embracing the truth all of our challenges and our attributes, including the sexy, sassy, salvation-focused selves. Evidence of our commitment to those self-truths shines from the inside out, and the demonstration of our true selves becomes less about what we are wearing and more about what we are displaying as our divine worth. That divinely appointed self-worth is much more than the couture, cloaks and cover-ups that money can buy.
Kesslyn Brade, PhD, is Chair of the Department of Social Work and Executive Director of the Dr. Dorothy I. Height Center for the Advancement of Social Justice at Coppin State University.
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