PeaceBang Halo Of Praise – Page 3 – Beauty Tips For Ministers

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016

Madame President’s Look

Pigeons of America!

If only PeaceBang wasn’t semi-down with a cold and desperately trying to finish an article and a sermon, she would write a much more substantive post about Hillary Clinton’s quasi-Nehru suits and uniform. For now, let me say that HRC has been extremely strategic about her appearance and been just as wise (IMHO) to settle on a uniform of monochromatic suiting. What she has done is taken the traditional, generic male suit concept and had designers reimagine it for her figure and her historical moment. Tailored. The off center buttons are lovely. Simple but elegant head to toe. No “creative” or trendy details to distract or generate stupid articles or diversions. Almost futuristic in its Star Trekian lines. Beautiful, striking bracelet. Mumsy earrings. I notice an improvement in tailoring from earlier versions of this suit. Her people are figuring out her how to tailor her pant legs.

When you are poised to become the first woman President of the United States, a country whose most influential export is the Hollywoodized, pornographic version of femininity — a country with a bunch of misogynist, fundamentalist Christian legislators in Congress and a population of Kardashian-addled mouth-breathers who can’t think critically about much of anything EXCEPT women’s looks and bangability factor, you can’t take be too careful.

Consider: just this week, her opponent argued that he could not have possible committed sexual assault against certain women because they weren’t sexy enough.
Not because he wouldn’t otherwise grab them by the vagina, but because they’re NOT HOT ENOUGH.

So Madame President has this modified Nehru suit going on last night for her third debate, and it’s no accident that it’s white (cream) and that it’s — dare I suggest — a wee bit clerical around the collar? [Click images to enlarge]

Trust me when I say that every inch of this look from head to toe was strategic. Whether or not the designer of this suit meant to invoke the clerical association or not, I cannot say. I am heading back to bed after doing another neti pot flush and will Google details later.

Swing state pastors, please tell me that you are out there registering voters like mad.

June 14, 2016June 14, 2016

PeaceBang Halo Of Praise: Rev. Dr. Regina Laba Walton At Pride

Rector Regina Laba Walton of Grace Episcopal Church in Newton, MA at Pride.
Wonderful.

What works about this is that head-to-toe, Regina is outfitted for fun, BUT CONTROLLED, gaiety.
She did not just slap on a bunch of wacky prints and a rainbow boa and go out there. For all the color and flair, she is dressed very neatly and looks like a priest who supports the GLBTQ community, not like a sloppy eccentric in clericals.

PeaceBang is SO VERY TIRED UNTO THE DEPTHS OF HER BEING by ministers who think that dressing like unruly maniacs is a radical statement about authenticity. No, it ain’t. Choose one or two accessories: the big sunglasses, the pop of bright lipstick are all you need. You do not need the big floppy hat, the fire engine red lips, the huge cat eye sunglasses, the huge canary yellow bag AND the purple tights. That’s not a statement, that’s a desperate cry for attention. It always makes me want to draw that person aside and ask them about the love they didn’t get in their childhood. Don’t be a living, breathing, shrieking plea for center stage.
The last time I saw a photo of a minister dressed that way, I thought to myself, “I bet that girl grew up very, very rich.” And I was right. Wackadoodle, “LOOK AT ME AIN’T I THE LIFE OF THE PARTY” attire is often an expression of privilege and entitlement.
Or it could just be garden variety bad taste and inability to edit one’s outfit.
Don’t let that be you!

Notice details: Regina is a petite person, so she chooses patterns that are appropriate to her proportions. The small poka dots, the slim cut pants.
She’s got a lot of movement going on with the boa so she very wisely styles her hair neatly and holds it away from her face and safe from the wind with a barrette.
The parasol is terrific. The smile is welcoming and beautiful and matches the message on the sign.
Betcha ten bucks she was even wearing a good sunscreen!

Behold the delightful, wholly appropriate get-up. Brava, ma’am. Thank you for your presence and your participation. God Loves Everyone.

May 29, 2016

Swim Ride Run Breathe : Read This Book

You can acquire this lovely book here. A great summer read!

May 24, 2016May 24, 2016

Collared: Clergy Couture

Thanks, everyone, for sending me the link to this article about two women (one ordained — the other, I’m not sure, even though she is pictured in clericals) who have opened an online boutique called “Collared” for the sale of edgier, more femme clericals.

I’m not sure if the Rev. Sandra Sykes and Mandy Strevens are aware that “collared” is a popular term in the kink community for a submissive in a Domme/sub relationship, so that made me laugh. If it was intentional, ladies, well played! All clergy are in a kind of D/s relationship with God, but I’m not sure I appreciate the gendered implication of women clergy as being the “subs” in any power equation. It sure will be fun when prospective customers google “Collared,” though! Weeeee!

THAT said, let’s talk about clergy image and style and all those wonderful subjects we tackle here on BTFM.

It has been sort of fun/sort of frustrating to see this article passed around on Facebook and commented upon in all the usual ways:
“I could never take a priest seriously if she was dressed like this!”
“I don’t care WHAT my rector wears; I care about her theology!”
“Why should religious leaders be drab? God isn’t drab! The Church has a magnificent aesthetic tradition that pays homage and praise to God’s attributes!”

This last commenter, of course, is singing PB’s song.

I agree wholeheartedly that the traditional “dog collar” (as it is referred to by the author of the article) is utilitarian, restricting and most certainly fair game for reconsideration and re-design. There’s nothing much we can do with the style of the collar itself, and you know how dizzy and nauseated PeaceBang gets when creative clergy try to, but it’s wonderful to see more designers providing alternatives to the Ye Ole Boys Club of Ministry Clericals.

Here are the two founders. I would have advised against the head tilt, which communicates uncertainty and insecurity. Look straight ahead, women! Launch that company!

This image is much better. Confident. Relaxed smiles. Ready to do business with you, and two people you’d feel comfortable asking if a certain garment makes your butt look big.

Also, that maroon top is FABULOUS!! It’s PERFECT! I want one! Yay for that clergy blouse, and let’s see more of that!!!

This is the photo that was used as the thumbnail in all the social media coverage, natch, because it’s the most obviously girlie and thus, controversial. Click bait! Women in pink dresses storming the barricades of traditionally male bastions of power! Let’s have a look. Click to enlarge.

I want to talk about the choice of photo first. Kids, this is why PeaceBang is always imploring you to take control of your photo sessions (in a nice way) and to work with the photographer to create images that reflect well on you individually, on the church, and on the ministry. This pose conveys almost a bizarre level of insecurity (“I can’t keep my hands still. Is this dress okay? Is this hem okay? Is the fabric clinging too much to my midsection? Is the crick rising and can I get acrosst it in time to save the cows and not unbecomingly drench myself?)
I don’t even KNOW what this pose is, but let’s call it “Little Girls Pees Herself At Birthday Party And Is Two Seconds From Bawling” and move along. You get the point. Don’t ever allow an image of yourself looking this nervous get out. Know what to do with your hands, your posture, your eyes, and your head. Work on it, memorize it, and tell the photographer what you want.

The garment is another ball of wax entirely.
My read on it is that it’s an unfortunate color choice for women in authority, as what could signal “I’m just a wee unthreatening girlie thing” more completely and unconsciously than baby pink?
Add to that the A-line waistless cut and the fairly wide 3/4 length sleeves and I’m afraid you’re on the way to the perfect pattern for angels costumes for the Christmas Eve pageant. It’s a really cute dress, but do you want to activate little girl angel archetypes in your work? I don’t.
The fabric and cut won’t be at all flattering for any figures but the most youthful and/or slim, but Strevens and Sykes are definitely onto something here. I would love to see this in a merlot color, or in a charcoal. The light color is also very difficult because it will show bra cups (this is NOT a dress for the abundant of bosom) and any tiny coffee stain you procure at the staff meeting.

Let’s look at another garment:

I have written before about the painfully cute Instagram style of posing and how it infantilizes grown women, and how much that puzzles and distresses me, and here we have a PERFECT SPECIMEN of what I’m talking about! Again, please avoid the little twisted foot pose and stand up straight, or place one leg slightly in back of the other, or work with a stylist to find poses that won’t leech away your power and authority.

As for the garment, I find it confusing. If a pastor came to visit me in the hospital wearing this, I would not understand what was going on. It’s too unfinished to be a dress. It’s too long to be a tunic (and thank God that it is that long if it’s to be worn with leggings, because the other alternative would be to be using LEGGINGS AS PANTS, which we all know is an epidemic of the Dark Lord). It’s got a tunic-y sort of hem, so is it a shirt? Is it some sort of hip, mini-skirt version of an alb, and did my pastor just come straight from church?

I think the designers are trying to avoid using belted styles, as perhaps they feel that belts add an unwelcome second circle of restriction around the waist when the wearer has already got one around her neck. I understand that choice, but I think that this garment needs some more design attention if it’s to work to clothe ministers. Keep the tunic length and bring it up about 6-8″ so it can be worn with tailored trousers or a pencil skirt, perhaps. Make it in a distinctly non-liturgical fabric and add side pockets, and bring it a few inches longer to be worn at knee length as a shift dress, maybe.

The body-skimming cut is very nice, and that’s hard to do.

I hope this isn’t the last we see of Sykes & Strevens and Collared. Pay them a visit (are you kidding? I’m not Googling them! Why would I deny you the pleasure? Fifty Shades of Ministry!). Let’s hope they do well bringing some feminine flair to clericals. I wish them all the best and a Kiss Of Peace.

April 17, 2016May 27, 2016

Character And Commitment On Beautiful Display: PeaceBang Halo Of Praise

Now, this has to be one of my favorite PeaceBang reads ever.

I was at Harvard Divinity School to cheer on my dear friend, the Rev. Cynthia Kane, as she received one of the Peter J. Gomes Memorial Honors. She was in the company of seriously illustrious co-honorees, one of whom was the Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard, Dean and Professor of Religion and Culture at Howard University School of Divinity in Washington, DC.

We started chatting a little bit after the ceremony and luncheon — I think it was because he saw me photographing Quardricos Driskell for this blog — and much to my surprise and delight, Dr. Pollard reacted in a friendly, inviting and warm way to the subject of this blog when I told him why I was photographing clergy. I usually get a kind of puzzled look or sometimes a sniffy, snotty dismissal of my purposes here, so I was full-on psyched to get to talk to this amazingly accomplished and impressive religious leader. I asked if I could take his picture, and he said that I could.

“I’m not really fashionable or anything,” he laughed (or something to that effect), and I said, “Oh no, quite the contrary — you’re a fantastic example of what I mean when I write about consciously creating an image. You’re wearing this beautiful top, and you talked today about your special love for the ‘children of the continent of Africa in diaspora,’ so your outfit emphasizes and makes visual your ties to that ministry. Where is it from?”

Dr. Pollard said, “Well! That was quite a read!” And we both laughed and he told me that his shirt is from Ghana, where he has traveled many times, and we had a great talk about clergy image and how touched I was that he profusely and romantically thanked his wife when he received his award. BOY, talk about a fast track to a special place in my heart. One of the honorees didn’t thank anybody at all and just talked allllllll about herself and her amazingness, which is always a dead giveaway, am I right? I don’t need to tell you for what.

But Dr. Pollard gave an amazing talk, and honestly, I was fan girl thrilled that I even got to meet him. Best of all, could you love these photographs more? If there was a coffee table book of just portraits of him being himself, I would buy it.