Under the Cover of Clothing: Scripted Clothing Performances in the Apocalypse of John

Abstract

Phrases such as “dressed to kill,” “power dressing,” “casual dress,” “sexy attire,” “dressed to impress,” “frumpy attire,” “dressed fashionably,” and “fashion statement,” are value laden and express cultural themes and narratives. Scattered throughout the Apocalypse are references to a cast of characters dressed and decorated in ways befitting their role in the unfolding drama of the eschaton. What is worn relates to their identity individually and collectively, their loyaltyies, and their epistemic authority. Furthermore, through deploying the trope of body ornamentation, the author of the Apocalypse forms impressions of those loyal or disloyal to God, extends the personas of friend and foe to make them visible in the public sphere, and eroticizes the body metaphorically to inform readers about his standards. Taking into account the functions of attire and adornment delineated by social psychologists, this essay proposes to examine the shifting course of values reflected in the clothing and ornamentation motifs deployed in the Apocalypse of John.