Being the father of a teenager, the Coachella Fest dress ethic troubles me. I serve coffee in Palm Spring so I’m right in the heart of it. The clothing is a mix of dubious fashion and beach wear. It’s low cut tops and high cut shorts often with nothing covering the bellybutton. The shorts are as short (or shorter) as Daisy Duke’s and the tops as revealing. In my mind the comfortable clothes choice would be a pair of Levis and a tee shirt but those don’t draw the attention that Daisy Duke does.
Time was I would have had no problem with the dress code (though the alcohol and drugs would have bothered me even in my youth). As any young man I would have gone to the festival for the music and had no problem with the scenery. To quote Paul Simon, “I do declare there were times when I was so lonesome that I took some comfort there.” That was before fatherhood.
Now I see only young women less intent on fashion than on selling what’s (barely) concealed under the clothing. It seems it’s more about ‘hooking up’ and having a good time than it is about the music. I understand but note the dynamic all the same. It saddens me in some way. I find myself blushing for the women.
It causes me to wonder where these girls’ fathers were. Would they have addressed their daughter’s style sense when the daughter lived at home? Were they present for their little girl? Would their strong presence have made their girl more comfortable in her skin hence less comfortable showing it off? My heart stirs and aches with these questions knowing that Coachella Fest is just a microcosm of the present culture.
In my confusion I check in with my Father and prayed for us all. I pray for forgiveness for being absent and love for the broken. With mixed emotion I pray this generation will be affirmed and awakened to significance that like Eve they will know they are naked and go to God to be clothed.
No comments:
Post a Comment