Thursday, June 27, 2013

A Modesty Proposal

Modesty.

Without fail, modesty's drug into light around the time the weather turns from bipolar freezing warm, to near perfection and oops you missed it. Here comes the blazing, turkey frying heat of summer. Women, you need to cover yourself up or else all those rabid, chimp brain men who can't control their urges will rape you all because you flashed some ankle. (Maybe we should rethink putting something we believe has less self control than a dog licking its own nads in charge of everything. Just a thought.)

Hyperbole?

Think again. 



Avert your mind, Daughter

Her mother started saying that from day one, before she even was aware of what boys, or people, or shapes were. There might have been a dangerous opportunity; a woman senator railing against a bill to put her back in the cupboard, a doctor trying to offer the freedom to control her own body, a girl wearing a short skirt and NOT being harassed for leaving the house while carrying a vagina.

Temptation can be found anywhere.

I'm sorry, Daughter.

I'm sorry that for a brief moment you got the idea that you could be a fully actualized human being with your own thoughts, hope, dreams, wants, desires. I'm sorry the enemy wants to convince you you can do and dress however you like. I feel badly that we live in a world giving you such false hopes, and that's ready to compromise a woman's acceptance of being a second class citizen.

It's never been easy - only it's far worse now.

Is there nowhere a young woman can safely go?

Perhaps to a nice Atheist Camp. Lots of people can get together and enjoy a hearty spaghetti dinner of their one flying lord. So out my daughter headed.

Most of the young men there were dressed for enjoying the high summer temps and they ignored the bare arm flesh of the girls on display. Lots of knee length denim. Yikes!

I noticed a handsome boy sitting nearby, respectfully greeting a few girls who'd been reading quietly too themselves, asked if they'd seen a condiment, and moved on without pressuring himself into their conversation. Surely he could have made another choice. Looked down upon the girls as if they were created by god only for his eyes. Refused to make eye contact. Spoken over top every one of their requests to let them get back to reading. Inched ever closer into their personal space before pulling one onto his lap.

If he only understood how hard she's trying to do the right thing. For her sake. For the sake of all women who want to walk in the acceptance that you belong to the men in your life, never yourself, and you never own your own body.

If he only understand that the way he acted meant a good woman could hold her head up. She had to turn away from his vision of her being a full human being with the right to wear what she wanted and not be accused of causing someone else to sin. That she was missing out on the chance to really shine.


Because we teach women to bow their heads. Defer to men who want to own them and decide what is and is not acceptable of her own flesh to bare to the world. But what can we as people determined to maintain the status quo do? We can't leave our daughters stuck in a place where there's nowhere to turn.

Let's choose obedience - obedience that forces a woman's true nature rot on the vine of oppression.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Peace out Bitches,


No comments: