Martyrdom and Me

Examining my religious trauma and the post-irony of #CatholicCore

“I think nonstop about the concept of God like capital G and everything,” I text the group chat. “but like from a religious trauma God is always watching and judging and weighing your immortal soul type way.”

It used to be edgy to be an atheist, but now that an unspoken atheism has become the norm in the wasteland we call modern day, trad is the new alt and God is in. Just to name a few highlights, there’s the 2018 Met Gala theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” Kourtney Kardashian’s Gothic, Romeo + Juliet-style wedding to Travis Barker (and matching bachelor-bachelorette party) and TikTok is full of #CatholicCore videos of girls sporting rosaries and pleated skirts à la Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson.

It’s only obvious that such a highly aesthetic religion has been adopted as an aesthetic trend in secular culture, especially considering nothing drives a social media algorithm harder than controversy. The Internet’s hottest act of blasphemy is Praying’s Holy Trinity bikini sets, with “Father” on the right breast, “Son” on the left, “Holy Spirit” emblazoned across the crotch. (In case anyone at Praying sees this, I will gladly risk my afterlife for a PR package.)