DRESSED IN IDENTITY | KAIROS GLOBAL | NOVEMBER 2026

Author: Jacob Jose

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Intro: Our style choices are statements of what we publicly associate with, writes Jacob Jose. 

Fashion is rarely just about what we wear. Our clothes communicate who we are, what we value, where we belong and how we want to be seen. A uniform identifies a profession, a habit speaks of consecration, a jersey declares allegiance. Fashion can do more than express an identity; it can invite us into one.

This is particularly visible in contemporary fashion influenced by LGBTQ culture. Gender-fluid styles, androgynous presentation, Pride symbols and other visual expressions can communicate particular understandings of sex, gender and identity. Increasingly, some brands and designers do not simply sell clothing; their campaigns, collections and imagery deliberately carry cultural messages. What looks like a style choice can therefore also become a statement of what we are willing to celebrate, normalise or publicly associate ourselves with.

This is not about judging the people who wear or design such clothing. Every person deserves dignity and respect. The Church is clear that those experiencing same-sex attraction ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ (Catechism 2358). But respect for a person does not require us to accept every message a culture or a brand communicates. We can love our neighbour while discerning what we choose to support.

That discernment matters because fashion does not merely reflect culture; it can shape it. What we repeatedly see, admire, purchase and wear can gradually influence what seems normal, desirable or beautiful. If clothing can communicate identity, then choosing clothing can also become an act of participation.

So how should a Catholic choose? Before buying a garment, we might ask: What is this selling me – only cloth, or belonging too? What does it communicate about the human person, sex, the body and identity? Is it appropriate to my sex, or does it deliberately blur the distinction between male and female? What does the brand deliberately promote through its campaigns and messaging? Why am I attracted to it – because it genuinely suits me, or because I want the identity and approval attached to it?

None of these questions requires us to inspect every label for ideological purity. Nor does every garment carry a hidden message. Christian discernment is not suspicion; it is attentiveness. It asks us to become conscious participants rather than passive consumers.

There is also a deeper question beneath the choice of any garment. The world tells us to construct an identity and display it. Christianity tells us that our deepest identity is first received. At Baptism, we are clothed in a white garment as a sign of a new life in Christ. St Paul writes, You have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).

Perhaps, then, the deepest question about fashion is not simply, ‘What am I wearing?’ or even ‘What does this say about me?’ It is ‘Who am I becoming?’ Every purchase, every style and every symbol can participate in that formation. The Christian is called to dress not merely according to what is fashionable, but according to the person he or she is becoming in Christ.

Jacob Jose is Campaign Director at Shalom World, a global Catholic media ministry. Long associated with Jesus Youth, he writes philosophical reflections on faith, healing and love on myarticulateheart.com. He lives in Kerala, India with his wife, Jino, and their four children.