mind, we should prepare ourselves for careers that are rewarding to
ourselves, beneficial to others, and, most especially, pleasing to
God. It could be possible that the Lord would allow a Christian to
pursue a career in modeling, but, generally, He has a higher calling
for His people. Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers,
in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not
conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve
what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." The question
for the Christian to decide is whether modeling is consistent with our
command to offer our bodies to God and whether such a career is "holy
and pleasing" to Him.
The whole purpose of the book of Romans is for Christians to know the
truth of how we should live, the truth about what God expects of us,
the truth about God and His judgments of our way of life. The first
eleven chapters are about righteousness—the unrighteousness of fallen
sinners, our need for God's righteousness, and His provision of that
righteousness through Christ. When we get to chapter 12, the first
word is "therefore." Having built the case that we have been redeemed
by God out of our hopeless, sinful state, it is obvious that our
calling is to be different from the world and no longer to buy into
the lies of image-obsessed cultures.
There are some sad realities in the world of modeling. Many aspiring
models work at minimum-wage jobs waiting for their big break, which,
for most, never comes. The lifestyles of fashion models is also a
reason for concern. There is a considerable amount of drugs and
immoral behavior in the fashion industry. Young women are often used
and abused by those in power. The highly competitive nature of the
industry leads to greed, dishonesty, and cutthroat tactics. Those
whose living is dependent upon the success of a designer, fashion
house, or product line are at the mercy of these tactics. While it may
be possible for a Christian to be in this world and not be affected by
it, 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns us, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company
corrupts good character.'"
God is very concerned about how we use or abuse our bodies. "Do you
not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought
at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians
6:19-20). Christians are not to try to look like the world; rather, we
are to be a special, purified people (Titus 2:14), people who are set
apart as belonging to the Lord. Christians should be well dressed and
appropriately fashioned, not to bring the focus on ourselves, but so
that we can go about the work God has for us without being overly
concerned about our appearance. Women, especially, are exhorted to
dress modestly (1 Timothy 2:9), and, since only the most successful
models are given the choice of which clothes to model (unless the
model wants to remain unemployed), it is hard to see how the modeling
industry is compatible with a Christian worldview and dressing
modestly.
Romans reminds us that Christians are to be set apart from the world,
especially aspects of the world which are ungodly. Once we have
accepted Christ and pledged our lives to Him, then we are ready to do
some real modeling, because there is no greater calling in this world
than to model Christ.
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