Jezebel takes apart the results of a survey conducted by a Christian website. The subject of the survey is modesty, and the responses vary from the odd to the terrifying, depending on your perspective. The thing that comes through most powerfully is the way that lust is almost exclusively the purview of the man in this universe. Notice some of the statements the respondents were asked to respond to:
Decorative stitching and designs on the back pockets of jeans draw too much attention to the rear.
A purse with the strap worn diagonally across the chest draws too much attention to the bust.
Shirts with messages across the front draw too much attention to the bust.
Seeing a girl’s chest bouncing when she running or walking is a stumbling block.
Notice how the statements pertain to both dress and action, but all on the part of the women. The only agency women have is as a potential for the spiritual downfall of men, and that agency is often described in violent terms. The idea that women might be lustful in their own right doesn’t ever seem to come up–perhaps the assumption is that if a woman is lustful, she can’t be godly? Or maybe it’s just that how women feel isn’t a matter of concern in this group.
5 responses
>”The thing that comes through most powerfully is the way that lust is >almost exclusively the purview of the man in this universe.
>”The idea that women might be lustful in their own right doesn’t ever seem >to come up–”
The survey was limited to male respondents…
per Jezebel, “1,600 guys then answered the survey, offering both quantitative and qualitative answers.”
The arguments in the above post are akin to a complaint about a lack of consideration of black v. white racism in a survey of black people.
And the explicit purpose of the survey was for men to explain how they perceive women. Men=subject women=object, as per the bounds of the survey. The only legitimate complaint is one that objects to the idea of such a survey, not the tired, “I resent the objectification of X” complaint.
This, to me, is just more proof that Christianists aren’t that much different than Wahhabi Muslims, and the differences get slimmer all the time.
I mean, all the above-listed “objections” to women’s attire/bodies could be taken care of by enforced wearing of burqas, right? That’s a slippery and scary slope those “Christians” are on.
Read Geraldine Brooks’s book, Nine Parts of Desire, for further reference. The title is based upon a quote by Ali ibn Abu Taleb, the fourth Islamic leader after Muhammad: “God created sexual desire in ten parts; then he gave nine parts to women and one to men.” Thus, the need to suppress women since men can’t possibly be expected to control their “urges” if women weren’t covered up and closeted.
pfft.
Zach,
Fair enough. I was trying to point out the attitude of the male respondents, and I did a poor job of that. I don’t, however, think that it’s tired to resent the objectification of women.
re. objectification;
Year two-thousand-and-facebook: everyone’s objectified. Blame Plato.
Is that what passes for clever in your universe? How wonderful for you.
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