the coquettification of catholicism

Summary by Krater

This video examines the cultural phenomenon of Catholic aesthetics and its increasing popularity in high fashion and alternative youth subcultures, tracing its history from Constantine and Renaissance art to modern fashion labels and internet trends.

From the video

Answers: Why is Catholic imagery so popular in high fashion and internet subcultures?

• Catholic aesthetics in fashion
• History of papal fashion and vestments
• Coquette and clean girl subcultures
• Religious art and architecture in Catholicism
• Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation art

What it concludes

• Pope Benedict XVI was known for wearing ornate papal habits paired with red leather loafers, which were actually made locally by Roman cobblers rather than Prada.
• Pope John Paul II opted for a muted burgundy pair of shoes instead of traditional red shoes during his time in office.
• Pope Francis brought back a humble fashion sense, opting for wool instead of silk, simple wood or metal crosses, and black shoes instead of red.
• Ornamentation in Catholic sacred architecture serves to increase a building's emotional impact upon an individual's transformational process during the liturgical ritual.
• Catholicism's material culture and proximity to the mystical and supernatural make it uniquely enticing for use in high fashion and alternative subcultures.
• Young urban Catholics' growing interest in traditional aesthetics and practices is partly a reaction to the performative nature of social media and modern secularism.