On Saturday, August 23rd, I attend "Equality Day" at the Frazier International History Museum. It was a day to remember and celebrate the advances made for women in this country, particularly those related to feminism.
Now, if you
know me, you know that a feminist is something I quite frankly am not. So you could be thinking to yourself, "why is she going to such an event?" Well I think that it is good to see the other side of things and take in how they are communicating their position. This event was not some bombastic protest,but instead was a main streamed feminist message for women of all ages. (side note: I also went because now that I live near Courtney I have someone else who enjoys this stuff! YAY!!!)
When we first entered the museum I was disappointed at how little information was really up about the various movements. I had expected more special displays. Instead there were really just some monologues about women throughout American history, crafts, and gift shop items that pertained to the event.
The first thing we experienced was a monologue on the Suffragette movement of the early 1900's. In my opinion this is the not-so-controversial wave of feminism since the belief of women being able to vote and hold property applies to thoughts outside of feminism. I was worried, however, by something she said at the beginning of the presentation. I don't remember it all word for word, which is a shame, but she basically eluded to the point that one day young women would not remember a world where they could not do the various things the suffragette movement fought for. Which today is very true. Sadly though that is also true for the waves of feminism that followed.
In our country we have mass amounts of young women that act and think just as the feminist agenda would have wanted. These girls would most likely not identify themselves as feminists, but that is sadly how mainstream it has become. For example: the women of Sex in the City are loved by a wide range of women for their sexual aggressiveness and self-fulfilling outlook on life. This to me is a great tragedy. Our women see the pleasures of self and perverse sexuality as the ideal.
Another tragedy I saw was the fight for ones rights. Yes, in some instances a person's rights need to be fought for (e.g. The Jewish people in World War II, the children of Northern Uganda, the Dalit of India, etc.), but this does not fit that category for me. It seems to lean more toward a heart of selfish entitlement than basic human need. Frankly I don't want to act more like a man (not saying men should even act in the ways these women do). I want to be a woman, and not the kind that puts others down so I can get ahead. I want to be a Biblical woman that focuses more on dyeing to self and thinking about the needs of others. As sinful people all our wants are not good and many times the more selfish we are, the more those around us suffer. The more we want the aggressive sexuality, the less we want the children that result from it. The more we value the youthful beauty, the less we encourage young girls to find the worth in heart that is pleasing to the Lord.
So to close out this some what scattered thinking blog, I leave you with one of my favorite Elisabeth Elliot quotes from the book that began my interest in this topic:
What sort of world might it have been if Eve had refused the Serpent's offer and had said instead, "Let me not be like God. Let me be what I was made to be --- let me be a woman"?(p. 16, Let Me Be A Woman)
