When I was an idealistic teenager, church dress codes seemed hypocritical to me. It didn't matter what people wore just as long as they were attending Mass. John the Baptist wasn't too concerned with outward appearances so why should we care? I remember thinking even if a woman showed up to church in her bathing suit, at least she was there to worship God. The burden of sin would be on the parishioners who were checking her out. In some beach communities, girls in bikinis do pop into the local grocery store or take out restaurant without a second thought. Islam tends to place the burden of sin on women by demanding they cover up but this effort to eliminate temptation altogether often robs the fairer sex of their humanity.
After college, I found myself wanting to dress a bit nicer. Perhaps getting older increased my desire to look more like an adult. A friend who worked in an upscale clothing store gave me some fashion advice and taught me how to tie a necktie. Soon, I was visiting various department stores to find my own sense of style. A few years later, this same friend introduced me to a wonderful thrift store called Savers and shopping there greatly expanded my rather limited wardrobe for very little money.
Around the same time, a young priest at St. Mary's in Beverly named Fr. David Barnes was installed as our new pastor. One of the first things he did was to ask parishioners to dress nicely for Mass because it set the proper tone. Going to church was important, he told us and what we wore reflected that. I figured this would be an excuse to try out my different suit and tie combinations. While some of my fellow parishioners took Fr. Barnes' advice to heart, most made no effort to dress up for Mass. After a while, I started to feel out of place among a sea of slovenly worshipers.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, society started to backslide into a nation of slobs. I first noticed this at a local fancy restaurant that used to attract well-dressed clientele. Over the years more and more diners began showing up in jeans, t-shirts and baseball caps. Such casual wear was once nonexistent at funerals but now it's not so unheard of.
Today, flip flops, yoga pants, dad jeans, graphic t-shirts, short pants, and sandals are common fashion choices for Mass because society has forgotten what it means to dress appropriately. (At one time, the public used to dress up just to travel on airplanes.) The most common excuse for dressing down is comfort. Well, even if it's hot out, some fashion choices can keep you cool and looking good as well. Ditch the wife-beater and wear a nice cabana shirt instead. I'm not calling for a return to the 1950s but people can make more of an effort to dress appropriately for the situations they are in. Jeans and t-shirts are fine for the ball game or doing yard work but not so much during Mass or a funeral. You don't need to wear a suit and tie all the time. How about putting a belt on a fancier pair of jeans and wearing a crisp collared shirt?
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I don't usually agree with talk show host Bill Maher but he had a wonderful segment on the country's current slob culture and how dressing nice can actually make you feel good about yourself. While visiting the Madonna Shrine in East Boston, I noticed a sign that advised parishioners to dress correctly. The teen-aged “me” would have bristled at this term because who were they to say what correct was? The adult “me” actually appreciates this sign because I feel our slob society has gone too far.
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