Blasphemous chic is the most fashionable way to protest

In the fall of 2019, Brooklyn-based creative collective MSCHF whipped up the cool pastors and even holier-than-thou hypebeasts into a frenzy with the release of a pair of white Nike Air Max 97s featuring a crucifix charm and holy water in the sole. Dubbed the “Jesus Shoes,” the viral sensation cost more than most Americans pay in a month’s rent and sold out in less than a minute. In the mass market, the shoes acted as a symbol of status and holiness during the brief moment when celebrities flocked to Hillsong Church to see disgraced former pastor Carl Lentz and Kanye West’s Sunday service dressed from head to toe in fear of Faith-Based Streetwear God. Except what Drake and the other Christian influence hunters didn’t know was that they had unknowingly dropped the rack on something blasphemous.

Blasphemous Chic is an ironic fashion trend that reimagines traditional Christian imagery in a satirical way. As TikTok hashtags like #ChristianCore and #NunCore demonstrate, it’s a winning mockery of sacred church symbolism that, depending on the context, can be interpreted as a critique of the Church as a Western institution that deeply influences American culture and politics.

After decades in which metalheads, goths and punks wore inverted crosses as a form of fashion intimidation, mass consumption means you can order a leather pentacle jacket for $130 (including free shipping). More shocking is TikTok superstar Addison Rae in a Praying “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” bikini and the infamous rosary necklace from Cruel IntentionsRose in Good Faith from BYU’s Virginity Club collection, I Need God “God Won’t Let Me Die” shorts and, most notably, Jesus shoes.

As MSCHF co-creative director Kevin Wiesner and Lukas Bentel explain to the publication FADERThe satirical critique of the commodification of Christianity was subtle enough that it attracted a group of serious Christians. So while the team expected their customer base to be “just people who bought the shoes on an ironic note… or who liked our joke about the Church being a brand,” according to Wiesner, it also ended up being “a different audience of people , which are like “Hell yeah, I love Jesus.”

“But that’s the whole point of satire, right? “Some people must have (misunderstood) that,” shrugs Wisner, turning his attention to Zoom. “Otherwise it’s not satire.”

So, for two years of blissful ignorance, the Brooklyn-based creative collective let Christian clout chasers have their shoes, at least until Lil Nas X rode a stripper to hell. For the release of the pop star’s controversial music video for the song “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” MSCHF decided to remake another Nike Air Max 97 model called the “Satana Shoe.” This time it was black, with a bronze pentacle and a sole that had a drop of blood mixed with red ink – overtly campy and playful in its symbolism and imagery. An onslaught of public condemnation and a lawsuit from Nike were filed despite Wiesner noting that Jesus’ shoes “should have been considered much more offensive.”

The worship of Jesus’ sneakers makes a mockery of the New Testament; Influence, materialism, and consumerism do not quite fit with Christianity’s outward emphasis on humility, false idols, and kindness. It’s blasphemous, much more so than Satan’s Shoes, says Wiesner, adding that he believes “everyone was pretty much anesthetized by the Satanic imagery at this point.”

“But then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Oh, they’re definitely not,’” he says.

Even Bentel, who was raised a “good Catholic boy” but remains baffled by the public reaction to Satan’s patently absurd shoes, is causing some confusion. Like Wiesner, he agrees that Jesus’ Shoes contains a much harsher critique of selfish people fighting over “an item that has been bought and sold by religious noise” to demonstrate status rather than faith.

“Capitalism cares neither about the subject nor about the cultural context,” says Bentel, before mentioning Pier Paolo Pasolini’s book. Ricottaa 1963 short film inspired by The Passion that nearly landed the Italian director in jail for religious disrespect.

“Then he does (Gospel of Matthew) right after that the Vatican loves,” Bentel rolls his eyes. This epic, taken straight from the Bible, is still considered “one of the greatest films about Jesus ever made” by Catholic critics, who want a script literally taken from the Bible, apparently outweighing Pasolini as an “atheist, Marxist and homosexual.” ”

“The Christian faith has so many rich images and cultural meanings that people should connect with,” Bentel states. “I think if you feel like something can’t be touched, that usually means there’s probably something underneath.”

According to Rose in Good Faith founder David Teitelbaum, most of his clients are either young millennials or Gen Zers who find his satirical slogans “ironic” and funny, especially if they are Mormons. And while at first glance it may seem “not so self-serious”, he believes that blasphemous chic may indicate that this trend is not just a phase. Rather, it may be a sign that their thinking is changing in a much darker direction.

Fashionable clothing has always been used as a way to rebel against the status quo, but for the first time in history we have a generation that has almost unprecedented access to world events, political analysis, citizen journalism and various ideologies via the Internet, where the entire American public watches the status quo quickly gets out of control.

“Looking at politics now, a lot of these 18- to 22-year-olds are saying, ‘Nothing is real.’ World, it’s all a joke on the Internet. This is just a huge joke,” Teitelbaum says, repeating that recent events have made everyone feel that the government is becoming synonymous with the Christian church. “There is no trust. No virtue.”

Much has been written about American zoomers, who adopted a nihilistic approach and dark humor to cope with the feeling of a lack of social structures that should protect or comfort you. Although this makes sense considering that the Internet has made it easy to become “overexposed and desensitized to shocking events” as Bloomberg

The magazine’s Amanda Little wrote a column about the “comedy deviances” of Generation Z. Hard data backs this up: a 2021 global study found that 56% of young people think we’re “doomed.” The study also reported that 60% of respondents blamed the inaction of national governments, and the American Enterprise Institute’s Center for the Study of American Life cited an “emerging mistrust” among young Americans, according to the study. New York Times.

This feeling is so strong that Generation Z has actively chosen to disengage from most socio-political issues, especially when it comes to issues related to government and the Christian church. Although there is a certain group of current Trad-Cat supporters, slateThe magazine’s Molly Olmstead noted that a large portion of Trad Caths are irony-driven meme creators and Dimes Square trendsetters who identify more as “God’s Daughter AND Gay Son” and fairly outspoken believers in the Holy Spirit.

As with Jesus’ shoes, some might argue that the behavior is even more “blasphemous” than Lil Nas X’s crucifixion in the music video for “J. Christ,” Sabrina Carpenter’s funny “Jesus Was a Carpenter” shirt at Coachella, or Sydney Sweeney’s trendy new film, Irreproachable, with its outspoken criticism of religious institutions that attack women’s bodily autonomy. Either way, it’s a watershed moment for pop culture that’s been fueled by other controversial music videos over the decades, like Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” and Lady Gaga’s “Judas.”

Most of the time, it really does seem like America is turning back the clock, bringing back a set of archaic and oppressive rules that existed at a time when public policy was still dictated by the patriarchal cherry-picking of Christian doctrines. So when we continue to see right-wing politicians using Jesus to justify their bigotry and the polarization of politics, society and culture, it makes sense that blasphemous chic has become a form of commentary and criticism, even if it is done on a subconscious level.

As Teitelbaum says, Gen Z is still making big statements through sacrilegious clothing—whether it’s a crop top that says “God’s Favorite” or demonic shoes with blood on the soles—and its importance isn’t diminished if you just like the blasphemy. chic “scratches the brain in a different way.”

“Because I think they’re definitely trying to use some kind of statement. Something a little subversive,” he said. “Something people have always played, but not to this extent.”

However, blasphemous chic may be more important now than ever, especially as we approach election season, a time that brings even more hypocrisy, hopelessness and confusion to the forefront than usual. In this context, fashion is one of the few “safe and creative ways” for young people to express their views, especially when everyone else is yelling at each other, Teitelbaum says. the US government as failed institutions.

In an age where the Internet and condescending adults can make it difficult for a young person to feel heard, it makes sense that some let blasphemous chic speak for them. And besides, Prayer’s Ultrasound dress looks like it’s a lot more comfortable than a chastity belt or an ugly potato sack straight out of a nunnery.