A Target T-shirt for girls reinforces the feminist idea that “A woman needs man like a fish needs a bicycle.” But is this independent attitude ruining girl’s relationships? Do women, in actual fact, need men?
Last week, Miss USA released the official contestant photos of 51 pageant hopefuls. The look? Lacy black lingerie, fishnets, smudged kohl eyeliner, knee-high boots, stilettos, voluptuous cleavage, and naked flesh, the like of which have traditionally been associated with prostitutes and porn stars, not beauty queens. The photo shoot, entitled “Waking up in Vegas,” featured steamy, seductive Playboy-like poses on a large bed and other bedroom furniture. What was once considered exploitative is now considered empowering.
“Instead of advancing women’s social and professional empowerment, popular culture appears to be backsliding into the blatant sexual exploitation of women and girls at younger and younger ages.” That’s the conclusion of Patrice Opplinger, assistant professor of mass communications at Boston University. In “Girls Gone Skank,” Opplinger investigates the effects of mass marketed sexual images and cultural trends on the attitudes of young girls and describes the ways in which girls are increasingly taught to go to outrageous lengths in seeking male attention.
Betty Friedan, the main force behind modern day feminism, predicted that the question of the eighties would be: “Is God HE?” The Christa sculpture was the liberal church’s response to the question. And although Evangelical Christians have been much slower to consider female gendered God imagery, the recent phenomenon of the multi-million best-seller, “The Shack,” indicates that Evangelicals, too, are succumbing to the feminist pressure to image God in feminine ways.
