The Romanticism of Catholicism

A display of faith or distraction? 

Throughout history, there’s always been a constant debate in regards to the Catholic Church’s involvement in various aspects of life: education, law and so on. In these cases, it is argued that the Church is the perpetrator of this involvement, forcing themselves into spaces where they don’t quite fit. But are there any scenarios where the church has potentially unwillingly been a participant in the shaping of our world? I would argue that fashion may been one of these grey areas that we should consider. 

To find inspiration for this post and the pictures I’d need to accompany it, all it took was one Pinterest search to unearth a whole aesthetic of ‘Catholic core’. Christianity and its denominations are not the only religions subject to this romanticism, as the same occurred when I typed in the search for Islam and Judaism, two other major world religions.  

For this discussion, I am going to be focusing predominantly on Catholicism. But I’d love to hear your input on what you think. Not just about what this means for Catholics, but also for those of other denominations and or religions. 

I think this discussion most recently fell centre stage in 2018, from the Met Gala ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’. I had never before acknowledged the connection between the two, so this was interesting for me to gain exposure to: a young girl raised in the Catholic Church. I vividly remember seeing the outfits for the first time, Rihanna adorned in jewels, crowned in a Bishop’s mitre, or Katy Perry’s six-feet tall angel wings. I just remember the utter fascination I had towards it, the multitude in interpretations and tributes — or lack of, largely amongst the men’s general attire of a suit.

This was the first direct crossover I had seen between the Church and the fashion industry, prompted by the latter too, which no doubt stirred up some controversy. 

This was however, not the first and certainly not the last event in pop culture to ignite criticism in this context: Madonna, famous pop singer who shares a name with the Virgin Mary, is a notable name not shy of controversy in this discussion. Her depiction of Catholicism in her music video ‘Like a Prayer’ sparked debate, placing her further in the spotlight as another artist brave enough to venture into the realms of the religion.

It hasn’t always just been individuals who have normalised or sometimes even pushed the boundaries of Catholicism, with major fashion houses such as Versace and Dolce&Gabbana encouraging the wear of Catholic symbols outside Mass. There’s often a link between this Mediterranean identity and Catholicism, arguably encouraged by these fashion houses. 

But from runway to reality, where else have we seen this presence of religion in fashion?

Veiling is another topic I often see discussed in this conversation, typically associated with Islam, veiling is the act of covering one’s head and hair partially or fully, often for religious reasons. Where often seen within Islam with the expectation of women wearing hijabs, veiling is a non-compulsory practice used in other religions too, including Judaism and Christianity. 

Veiling is not just practiced within religions, but cultures also, providing reasoning as for why the response from many people who see someone practicing veiling as engaging in ‘cultural appropriation’. I think in regards to this subtopic, it’s important to acknowledge that religions and expressions of culture are an individual journey, and so should be respected as such. We don’t know peoples’ backgrounds or reasoning, and so shouldn’t be so quick to jump the gun and offer unwanted assumptions. 

When looking at the Catholic Church on a global scale, our gaze often falls to Vatican City, home to the head of the Church, the Pope. Our current Pope (Pope Francis) demonstrates a plainer and practical style of dress when compared to his predecessors. If you were to type into google ‘Pope Francis fashion’, you would be met with little colour, maybe a slight variation in silhouettes, but in many examples that’s thanks to clever AI and editing (the infamous 2023 puffer coat picture). 

Compared to if you were to look up ‘Pope Benedict XVI fashion’ (Pope Francis’ predecessor from 2005-2013), who in most pictures is seen to be sporting an accompanying shade of red to his garments, or other times embellished in jewels. His red shoes reflect the Catholic intention of wearing them as a reminder of Christ, some believing it to serve as a reminder of Jesus’ bloodied feet during his crucifixion, others as a symbol of Catholic martyrdom. 

So within the Church even, there is an undeniable presence of fashion awareness, and how an individual’s image can be shaped by the clothes they wear. Despite the image the Church creates of being focused solely on God and carrying out His mission, there is a clear awareness of how fashion allows them to a. Carry this out, and b. How they can present themselves in carrying this out: modestly or magnificently.

But still, we see the presence of religious symbols in fashion more often than just famous individuals or brands. So how have the rest of us applied it to our everyday? My earlier mention of the aesthetic ‘Catholic core’ proves this, as many people have created an aesthetic for the religion, an image for them to aspire to present themselves in — something smaller scale and achievable for the rest of us. 

I think our obsession with turning every aspect of our lives into an aesthetic to ‘enable’ ourselves to enjoy it through constant romanticisation, can create a sense of almost numbness to the true intentions of said aspects. The Catholic religion is far more significant in many ways than just a cheap Shien crop top with a cross poorly sewn on it. It’s a historical and spiritual experience for humans, not a cute necklace. And sometimes you may not be aware of this oblivion that you may have fallen victim to. Let’s look at this from another perspective: the symbol of Christianity is an instrument of highest Roman tortue and punishment. So even as a symbol for a religion, it seems kind of backwards doesn’t it? So to then see how it’s been stripped further of its significance and reduced down to an aesthetic doesn’t seem to be so harmless anymore. 

There’s so much potential with this discussion and I’d love to go further, but this was just a brief post to open the discussion to those that are interested. What are your thoughts? And are there any similarities you know of in other religions to this topic?