OK, so I am still a little fired up from an article I read in the Pilgrim's Protest about modesty. Now don't get me wrong, I love it when I see my siblings in Christ dress modesty (no "hanging out" and no leaving little to the imagination) but are girls specifically targeted in these discussions exclusivley?
I haven't read an article talking about "Hey guys, those t-shirts are too tight! We can see those six-packs/kegs" or "Um, you do know that those pants are for girls, right?" Nothing of the sort!
The article in question is titled "Man-up: Will the real men of CIU please Stand up!" Now earlier this school year the Protest published an article criticizing women on campus as being immodest. I have a couple quick quibs on that:
1) I failed to see this Mass Majority of women being indecent on campus but all I have seen is a couple offenders of this
2) Is the CIU bubble that potent? I am not excusing Christian ladies to dress immodestly but in the real world people (especially outsiders to the Christian faith) won't give two flips whether you think their dress is too short and revealing. There is no "Official Earth Dress Code." So Sorry to be blunt, but there isn't!!!
Anyway, we as the CIU campus were promised an article where it would be the guy's turn! We ladies (whom many were pretty upset/concerned at the earlier article) were like "Oh yeah! Now they're gonna get it!"
I remember that me and my two roomies were brainstorming what could possibly be the subject of the next article ("Men, you should help your sisters in Christ! you are equally to blame for modesty issues cause when it occurs you are silent! Speak up to your sisters!" or something along these lines). So when I got the latest Pilgrim's Protest in my hands I was pumped to know what kind of whoopin' the guys would get.
The first line said this:
"Last semester we addressed the women of CIU and the lack of modesty that can be seen on campus" (really? seen on campus? Like one girl every week!)... "we were bombarded with the question what about the guys? So put on your helmet, buckle your seat belt and let's get to it!"
And what do you think the point of the article is for guys?
.....to the guys: "You are being given a vast array of women to choose from and yet many if not the majority of them are single. Why? Why is it that you "men" are not asking these women out?"..... yes audience, this writer is saying the modesty issue with guys is not asking a lady out.
I wanted to scream! Dating advice!?!?! This is what the guys were waiting for!?!?! The article continued to give the top 5 excuses guys give why they won't ask girls out and how a real man would ask a girl out. As a dear friend of mine said in reference to this article: I totally agree with that.
Um, was the author TRYING to get on the girls' good side with this article? If so.... FAIL!!!!
It is less than a week away from Valentine's Day. When the girls who have read this get asked out by a guy I guarantee you that there will be a few asking themselves (is he just trying to be a "man" or does he really want to go out with me?)
More damage than good? I think so! The ONLY redeeming quality about this article was the small paragraph on how guys need to be the leaders God wants them to be. Heck, a 7 year old can ask a girl out and it isn't in the slightest "manning up." Plus, if girls got a whole article on modesty then why was this one "dating" advice for guys?! What about guys being accountable brothers for their sister's in Christ?! Did this article mention that?! No!!!
A smaller article in fact by a girl who had no connection in writing this "modesty series" writes:
"When the protest published its two articles on modesty earlier this [school] year, it effectively communicated the following to the women on CIU campus: 'you are dressing like sluts. Men are trapped in addiction to pornography because of you. you should wear nothing that would attract men to you.' In addition to being horribly degrading to women, the message abdicated men of their responsibility and leadership."
This lady also points out that Modesty ISN'T just about dress but poise, manner, language, and how you carry yourself in conversation. A man can be easily caught lusting a girl dressed vulgarly as well as one talking vulgarly. What's next in this modesty issue? Hey girls! Wear a Burka?!?! She also brings up that the bible talks about modesty as being how a girl carries herself more than how to dress. Isn't the idea that "It is a woman's fault that her dressing immodestly is causing men around her to stumble into worlds of sexual sin and fantasy" an "essentially Middle Eastern thought"? CIU, where are we getting our modesty standards from? Why aren't the men equally responsible in the [earlier] article? Why must it be entirely the girls' fault?
This is the Pirate Captain Dot signing off.
