Fashion A Passion for Fashion In the mountains of Scandinavia live a curious species of animal known as lemmings. For years at a time the lemmings are content to live in their mountain homes. They eat, raise their young, and in winter, burrow under the snow. Then for some unexplained reason, every three or four years, the lemmings go on a march. It’s a march to the sea. They must climb mountains, cross rivers, and face numerous dangers. But nothing can stop them or persuade them to go back home. Crazy, huh? None of the lemmings ever stop to question why they participate. They just follow the lemming in front of them. Arriving at the sea, they continue on their trek. Boldly, they run into the water and swim until they are drowned. Thousands of lemmings follow each other, eventually to their deaths. As the seasons change, many of us follow fashion like oblivious lemmings, not stopping to wonder why. Blindly, we follow all the latest fads in clothes. Our closets fill up with clothes that, while perfectly wearable, have gone “out of style.” As soon as the latest, newest, hottest styles arrive in stores, we’re the first ones there to plunk down our money. As Christians, we need to think about what our response is to fashion. Where do we draw the line and say, “Enough is enough”? As you consider what your response will be to fashion, it is helpful to know the difference between a trend and a fad. Generally, a fad is considered a craze, something that is around for a short time and then dies out because the interest has moved on to something bigger and better. Off the top of your head you can probably identify fads that you have participated in recently.
