Religion on Your Sleeve

There’s a store downtown in Chelsea on 26^th St called Buffalo Exchange that buy clothes from people and resells them—they call it ‘recycling’ fashion. As long as you have a valid ID, anyone can sell their clothes, which leads to some interesting pieces on the racks. My friend and I will occasionally look to see if there are discounted designer stuff that won’t cost an arm and leg. I also like to peruse the racks to try to find the wackiest piece of clothing there. When finding a vest covered in lime green sequins and an ostentatious design, all I can think is “to each is own.” 

Ironically, I was explaining to said friend about the blog that we had to do in class because I was frustrated that I could find a song in which its form meant something. Instead, I was hoping to find some type graffiti or sign while we were walking around. As I am talking, we are going through the rack of blouses, occasionally picking up ones we think are particularly funny and showing them to one another. It was then that I came across this shirt.

At first I was not going to pay any mind to it, until I concentrated on the symbols. The most obvious that stood out immediately was the pentacle. It is usually associated as a satanic symbol, but in actuality it has origins in the goddess Kore and has been used by pagans, Israelites, Christians, Wiccans, etc.  In the 20^th century the Satanists adopted the inverted pentagram as their symbol. The next symbol is that of the “sign of horns”, which can be interpreted in several ways. The most recognized would meaning would be associated with rock and heavy metal. Other times it is an offensive gesture, when the hand is moved side to side. It is also a way to ward off the malocchio, the evil eye, a curse believed by many cultures. Each cultures has their own wards, and in Southern Italy, the ward is making the “sign of horns” with your hand.

Clothing is one of the easiest ways to express ourselves non-verbally. It conveys how much weight we put into appearances, how we view ourselves personally, and unique traits of our personality. Our clothes are like pieces to puzzle, in which we choose different articles of clothing to create a cohesive outfit. It is like the jug theory of religion and the character Celia Madden in The Damnation of Theron Ware. Celia takes different aspects from cultures and religion to create her own version of Catholicism. This shirt illustrates how symbols do not remain with one faith, but are exchanged and adopted by other groups. As it spreads, it become accessible, and clothing and accessories such as easy and visual to exhibit this.  People like the aesthetic and begin to display the symbol for themselves. Through reading, Celia decides that she is a Pagan and a Greek because she finds Greek theology and philosophy fascinating. Well, her jug is purely thought and abstract, it can tangible and visual too.

Works Cited

Frederic, Harold. The Damnation of Theron Ware. Cambridge: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1960. Print.

Robinson, B. A. "Frequently Confused Symbols: The Pentacle, Pentagram, & the Sigil of Baphomet."PENTACLES AND PENTAGRAMS. Religious Tolerance, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2015