Have you heard of the “life uniform” movement? It involves wearing the same kind of clothes–e.g., blue Levis and a black T-shirt–every day. That’s what Steve Jobs did. An article in Christianity Today tries to turn this particular fashion choice into an act of piety.
From Alfred Cedeño, Want to Be a Servant? Dress Like One. | Christianity Today:
My cousin Jason, a Vineyard pastor, and I chatted in a hospital waiting room while my dad recovered from surgery. While we discussed ministry and relationships, I described my newest life change, a change sure to make me iconic and more successful: I had recently purchased six of the same Levis shirts and pants to wear every weekday. I jumped on the life uniform bandwagon.
“Dude,” Jason interjected, “I’ve been doing that for two years now. I wear this every day.” He motioned toward his black V-neck T-shirt. “I’ve got a bunch of these, and it’s all I wear. This is my life uniform.”
The life uniform movement stresses wearing the same clothing or the same type of clothing every day.
Bloggers like Eric Ravenscraft praise life uniforms’ ability to help people increase their work productivity. This part of the movement promises more creativity and focus. It often emphasizes work uniforms rather than life uniforms. The idea is simple: You wear a uniform to work, even if it is not required. Ravenscraft argues that this helps “distinguish between play time and productivity time.”
CNN recently published an article stating that many geniuses and incredibly successful people—such as Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg—wear the same thing every day. Medical professionals, athletes, clergy (in some denominations), and blue-collar workers all throw on a uniform for work. And their uniform reflects their commitment to something larger than themselves—whether it is commanding the largest military, leading the most popular social media website, or mopping floors at a McDonalds. Many people have chosen life uniforms in order to save money and spend less time making decisions about what clothes to buy and wear.
Some choose to wear life uniforms to focus on character rather than personal appearance. Style writer Nes Kovacevic wrote in Paste, “Having the option to choose to downplay my clothes in order to allow my mind and body speak is an extremely liberating experience.” Liberation describes well the life uniform movement as a whole. Whether you’re looking to liberate your budget or your mind, life uniforms can help free you from unhealthy consumption.
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