Chapter 7: Raunch Culture Rip Off This chapter is the one that many of us will find the most distressing, and yet also the most relevant. McCulley explains where the third and current wave of feminism has brought us – to today, a sex-saturated, porn-filled world where women mistakenly believe that by treating sex and their bodies as a commodity they are empowered in the process.
McCulley has done a good job of presenting the relevant issues in a discreet way. She even warns that young girls should not be reading the chapter.
A backlash has developed over recent years over this issue, and it’s not only Christians who are speaking out against it. Many others are appalled at what they see happening to women (and men), as a result of widely accessible pornography, the ‘hook-up’ casual approach to sexual intimacy, and the prevailing opinion that modesty equals shame.
One of the ways to combat this as Christians is to be open about the wonderful blessing sexual intimacy is, but within the framework of marriage alone:
We need to combat any false notions of sexuality and piety by presenting a clear and unblushing portrayal of marital intimacy. A generation that is well acquainted with the physical variations of sex needs to hear about the powerful security, attraction, and emotional freedom that attend monogamous marital fidelity. (p178)Mothers and older women need to speak to younger women openly about the wonderful gift of intimacy in marriage and how, with the benefit of hindsight, they know the damage caused by sexual activity outside of marriage.
This is one of the issues that worries me most with my own children. We live in a sex-saturated society. I want to protect my son and daughters from it as much as possible. I know that God is in control, and some days, that is all I can cling to, as I see the world they are growing up in. I know that God is good and sovereign, but sometimes, I just want to keep them locked up until they are 25!
Things to think about:
- How has the ‘raunch culture’ affected you and the way you feel about yourself?
- What message do you want to pass on to younger women? Who could you pass it on to?
Next week: Chapter 8: Feminine Faith
1 comment:
Yes, it's been interesting to watch society at large react against raunch culture. (Though activists like Melinda Tankard Reist are actually Christian - she just doesn't publicize it much!)
I think one of the interesting things about the Third Wave is that it exists on a whole spectrum. It's essentially a reaction against the Second Wave ideal of competing with men on men's terms (i.e. being like men). The Third Wave embraces the idea that femininity is distinct and expressing it can be empowering. Sometimes that means raunch culture but on the other end of the spectrum, it means respecting women who make the (much-maligned-in-the-second-wave) choice to stay at home or to raise a family. Never before have complementarians had the opportunity to get a hearing in feminism as with the Third Wave!
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