Opinion: Religious bling offends me

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

Going to the mall, I would often see young adults pass by, wearing high-quality outfits with silver and sparkly crucifixes wrapped around their necks. I am not sure if they believed in God or not, but it interested me, as a believer, if they were flaunting their shiny pieces of jewelry for a reason. It made me question what made them want to wear such pieces. Is it a way to express their beliefs or is it a way to fit in with the crowd?

The wearing of religious pieces of jewelry should not be normalized as a fashion statement. Individuals who do so without taking part in that faith are wrong.

Today’s society already normalizes wearing crosses on their regular outfits, and some even go as far as tattooing a cross onto their body without taking a moment to understand the value behind such a popular symbol. Dating back to the crusades, Christian soldiers would get tattoos of crosses on their arms as symbols of their faith. Now these symbols are fashion statements.

I take into consideration the freedom of expression protected by the First Amendment of the U.S Constitution. I understand I will never be able to enact a law to prohibit individuals from using religious jewelry as fashion. Nevertheless, I stand against non-believers mocking others whose religious symbols are sacred to them, by wearing religious jewelry carelessly.

Seeing celebrities perform “artistic pieces” based off of the Bible is devastating. Take Madonna, portraying Jesus’ crucifixion in one of her performances. She is infamous for including crucifixes in her style. She comes from a Catholic family, and later converted to Judaism, yet she continues to wear crucifixes when she performs and attends fashion shows.

I see the way influencers on social media like Tiktok, post in full goth fashion with crucifix jewelry all over their bodies, and who deliberately state that they do not care if they offend anyone. How can one defend minority groups against discrimination and racism but stand alongside people who are openly engaging in cultural appropriation by flaunting religious jewelry as outfit accessories?

In 2020 a famous Tik Tok influencer, Nessa Barrett, was canceled for dancing inappropriately to an audio recording of a young man reciting the Quran, the Muslim holy book. She defended herself, saying she wasn’t making fun of Muslims because she herself was a believer and also wore a cross.

So many people were outraged, including myself, seeing someone from my generation act so ignorantly. Everyone should know when to respect a religion. I mean, shouldn’t it be obvious?

You don’t have to be ignorant to be clueless or insensitive. One example is the famous “Bishop of Bling.”

Pope Francis in 2014 effectively fired German Bishop Franz-PeterTebartz-van Elst for extravagant personal spending.The bishop was known for sporting elaborate golden chains and crucifixes draped around his collar.

I am appalled that even religious leaders fall into the trap of wearing luxurious religious items, including jewelry, as a fashion accessory.

It breaks my heart knowing that my relationship with God could be presumed a fashion statement. My religious jewelry symbolizes a very important personal relationship between me and God. Others often forget what it means to people who believe in a higher power, how it truly shapes a person. We need to encourage more empathy and consideration.

Dominque Quintana is a student at Silver Creek High School in San Jose.