Today I was cruisin' facebook and I found a link from my dear friend Candace. We met in New York, doing advocacy to fight human trafficking. Kind of. I am still only learning what it's like to fight. I only heard of the war recently.
Today I am wearing orange because I just came from the football game. There's tons of chatter because it's homecoming weekend. Parents are everywhere. There are babies in Wheaton-striped onesies, popcorn spilled all over the place, the swim team was wearing all their craziness (overalls, floaties, rainbow afros), and obviously, there were all our boys out on the field. Today is a fun day.
Sometimes in the midst of fun, I become captured in other things. After about half time, I went home to study because I'm trying this new thing called responsibility. Facebook begins this process because I like to see what's going on in the small universe of social selectivity. That's when I found the link.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/violence-against-women-in-fashion-continues-unabated
I love fashion. I like stalking designer labels and finding that pair of shoes that makes you feel like you have a million dollars. Because if you have a million dollars, you are powerful and people like you. (Or at least, that's what I've gathered). Because if your hair is perfect and your lips look nice in apple red men will want to love you. (Or at least that's what I've figured). Creativity and design certainly is interesting and a fashion can be a beautifully strategic art. Somehow, however, we let creativity and design that can be beautifully edifying in terms of God's creation and let it get slowly eaten by these little culture bugs. Lies in green, worm forms of truth that take us away from goodness bite by bite.
Don't read this unless you care. I assume you wouldnt've started if you didn't care. But... my fingers needed to do something. The bottle of my heart was shaken shaken shaken up and there's an explosion.
I know there's a ton of people outside having a good time at the football game. I'm glad for the moments of happiness we can have, gathered with our good friends, being excited over games, and solidarity, and home. Sometimes though I can't jump back into the happiness. I get distracted by culture-lie bugs like in this article. The next thing I know I'm not thinking about the football game I just came from but I'm on my bedroom floor. I'm doing push-ups until my arms are too tired but I'm still mad. This then moves into kneeling in the carpet, face towards the sky saying "WHY GOD, WHY" are we so stupid????
Why are we so stupid???
Why do we, yes, WE post degrading images of women being raped and stuffed into car trucks and say, "so buy the shoes I make"???
There are men and women living in the U.S. and around the world who are regularly exploited for sex and vulnerable to great physical and emotional violence. In these situations, dignity and value that we have been given by the Lord Most High, the beauty of us that can be seen because of Jesus, is clouded over by ash and smoke. These are situations that we look on with disdain and rejection, "WHAT VULGARITY", we cry.
However... if only these men and women were wearing the right high heels? If only... they looked like a million dollars? If only it was Dolce and Gabana who said they could be raped...
then we say, "sexy".
To Miley, I sigh quietly. I wish there wasn't a man taking nude pictures of her in his apartment. I wish he could look at her without seeing her as his possession, I wish she had enough power to stay famous by wearing clothes.
And because I know neither of them, I'm being judgmental. Caveat.
I wish we understood what God wanted intimacy to look like. I wish we respected the vulnerability and beauty of the body which is connected to our hearts and our souls. I wish we let little girls have all the opportunities in the world, even if their choice were to only wear parkas, sweat pants, or no make-up. I wish a girl never felt like she had to lay down for a man to get anywhere.
Sometimes I wish we'd just stay home. Don't get eaten by the world. Don't let that Elle magazine tell you how to wear your hair this month. Go ahead. Dye it green. Shave it off. Wear only overalls and grey jumpsuits. Be a computer engineer. Stay single. Have the coolest 27 cats you ever wanted. Become a politician. Have many children. Be a lawyer for social justice. Make full body wet suits a thing. Abstain from dancing to Kesha. Tell Robin Thicke to go to prison. Grab a microphone and tell your community to be better. Tell your best friend that she/he is incredible. Tell someone who annoys you that they were made by God and that you love them. Be nice to people when you go through the drive through. Try to learn how to say people's names right.
We are not alone. And we need to respect ourselves and each other.
You wouldn't go up to a famous art piece and say- "This is mine. Whatever time, intention, and effort there was to create this beauty doesn't matter because I will use it for my own purposes. Actually, this canvas should've all been purple. Maybe I'll cut off the top half. Actually, I don't want to love and appreciate it, but I could use a new door mat."
I hate us sometimes. We're so stupid.
...God doesn't say that, though. Thank goodness for the hope in him.
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!
Dear God,
I'm sorry for not loving myself and your children the way you love. You give us millions of chances, and I want to be gracious enough to give chances like that, to experience grace the way you do. Please, good God, help us to stop exploiting one another.
Help us love instead.
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