REVEALING THE SPIRIT, NOT THE BODY: A REALM OF FASHION OF THE HEART
Observations of the repercussions of flaunting
Fashion is a weaving--a long-hewn tale of culture, tribe, ragged tumultuous history, battles small and large, peace accords, breaking of truces, agreements and disagreements, and reposing square in the middle of the most ancient of all wars, the war between men and women.
Attraction, detraction, on display or hidden, status or none, political bents, clothes are a temperament that affects us all. From my childhood observation of my Dad's heavy canvas overalls and cotton flannel shirts for his work on the railroad, to my Mom's Registered Nurse uniform of a heavy white starched cotton dress with clunky white oxfords, white hose and a starched white cap, I watched the power of silent speech in garments. Profession, status, education, religious faith, all on bold display, tugging us one way or askew.
To a large and practical degree, the Elements demand our fealty, even if temporary. In warm or cold weather, we submit for survival and to some degree, decorum.
The older I get, the more hidden I want to be. Part of that is the lovely pull of gravity on my 70 1/2 year old physical self and part of that is my temperment, who always preferred the physical background. Verbally, I can always speak ( remember the “blunt oregon girl” !) but with the physical, I prefer to remain behind the scenes and offer my life embrace from the written word.
I am the eccentric, drawn to both haute couture and to clothing of the working class, my own roots. As a researcher and a poetic observer, I watch the human flow around me. Fashion is a reflection of the chaos of humanity, both good and not good. In the maelstrom we are now in more than ever, we are cast about and it is only my holding fast to the hands of God that sustains me.
With the incredible amount of (shallow...) focus on the physical alone in modern 21st century USA, to even consider the Spirit is revolutionary. As much as I love clothing and the beauty of the "thread arts", I have plenty of current misgivings, considering the flat-out vulgarity of many garments today, including the "naked fashion" fad. A more dense fad I have never known in all my years of loving fabric, garments and style, the idea of basically walking around almost naked, or as I say "presenting your private parts to the profane of the world." This is utter and complete madness, straight from the depths of hell. There is no shred of "female empowerment" in showing your body to the world. Young women have been solidly sold a bill of goods by the father of all lies, the devil. As I have said in the past, the devil is a great marketer but he gives lousy customer service! I do not mean to imply that women should be covered from neckline to toes. I mean to have some moderate self-restraint and mystery, please! Likely not heard...but I tried. I come from years of youthful rebellion and certainly have experienced being a “free woman”, practicing the “art” of seduction and bedding many many men and a handful of women, overwhelmingly to no joyful avail and to disastrous results for me and my soul (emotional, financial, physical disaster.) I am no “church lady”, I have a very blunt background. I am not a repressed prude. I am a blunt Oregon girl who has seen the dark reality of “sexual freedom” and am grateful to have survived the profound lie that is proferred twenty four hours a day in current time (now 2023).
In the midst of this emotionally charged fray, I have asked myself, a lifelong lover of beauty, would you rather be considered beautiful or of very high intelligence?
I surprised myself by answering, I would choose high intelligence.
Despite the many highly intelligent people, of whom some are possibly arrogant and likely atheist, I personally cherish the beauty of the mind, that incredible brain that God gave us and indeed "the mind of Christ."
From my decades of self-study in the realm of beauty, via books, articles, magazines and my own experimentation, I know so much of beauty can be surface stuff, akin to the power of cosmetics, hair, fitness and clothes. There is nothing wrong with those things in and of themselves. However, the beauty of the physical being ephemeral, I prefer the depth and grandeur of the illuminated mind. Books, lectures, research, the digging nature of the human psyche, there is so much of a feast before us that can fully be embraced regardless of physical appearance. I do not suggest dressing like a slob or totally ignoring the body...but please, present some restraint! Even young men are being overwhelmed by the female flesh presented, the flaunting but the "look but don't touch." Well, that used to be called "teasing" ( I will not say the more blunt phrase...) and in the modern day, I think that is a major mistake and dangerous road to step onto. Now more than ever, there are steep levels of darkness, fed by pornography and the sexual revolution, the realms of the demonic that are on the attack across the world, trying quite well to break down the natural modesty of women through bullying, social conditioning and the endless flow of fads.
I have this context I have developed, off the cuff, in how I observe beauty in my fellow women.
From my seven decades of life, I experience women in three basic categories: beautiful, pretty or handsome. Beautiful usually regards some classic features of the face, like sculpted cheekbones, full lips, striking eyes, the balanced planes of the face. This of course, varies in accord to culture.
Pretty faces I see as a more modest step of beauty, like the softness of features, a warm smile, an open face.
"Handsome", even though more of a male description, means to me a woman of high intelligence, with more subdued features but eyes that shine with wit and the power of the psyche. You cannot look at the eyes of a highly intelligent or brilliant woman and not see the power behind the gaze, regardless of physical beauty or not.
Strange again that for me, who loves beauty in all manner, I would choose to be "handsome" instead of beautiful or pretty. I am a blend of handsome and pretty...but in my Elder age, I pull back even more from the pressure to "DISPLAY". Display is the formidable pressure women are under to show off the physical form. I was always too prickly to be subdued...but I have also paid a steep price for my sharp tongue.
Hanging out with God, He does rub off on you and His character and that of His Son Jesus Christ, does also gradually fill your heart with the compassion and love He shows to us all, as He simultaneously calls us to repentance and to turn away from what He calls sin. God is love, yes, most assuredly but He is also the God of “go and sin NO MORE”. That is repentance, a working of a “broken heart and contrite spirit” spoken of by David in the Psalms. Not lip service but real repentance, turning away.
Yes, a big leap, but that is true beauty, not only the temporary high of what I experience as exhibitionism.
God, the beautiful God, what a Guy He is.
I will soon be sharing on Substack, some of the things I am exploring on my various Pinterest pages, (wendywsfwriter on Pinterest). I have plenty of fashion pages, observing the beauty of the past and the temperament it evokes, as contrasting to modern day. I write short descriptions of various garments and fashion layouts, ones that speak to my spirit. I love to write descriptive and emotional tomes! This is the beauty of modesty and working with God to bring the His love through each of us.
Wendy Williams July 7, 2023