The question on overt instances of sexualization of women and girls in church came up in discussion on the soccer field-church post. I've heard some strange things from pulpits over the years--strange, and yes I have no doubt unintentional, things...and you may have too. I'm wondering what examples come to your mind of the sexualization of women and girls in your experience of the c'sofC.
One simple one that occurs to me at the moment--pegged to a specific memory, but something which I must have seen dozens of versions of at this point--is the way in which a missionary and his wife were introduced during a Sunday morning service. He was introduced by name, lauded for his work and his talents and his willingness to sacrifice, etc., and then his new bride was brought up, introduced as "his lovely wife" and then--if I remember correctly--he was publicly congratulated on his fine catch.
It's like the Sunday morning version of that awful commercial I've been nauseated by during the Daily Show the last few weeks--the one where the wedding is "the jungle" and the dude is on the prowl, so skillful that he gets "his prize" to come to him. Pardon me while I go vomit. And no, it's not morning sickness.
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Have you written anything about the effect of gender conditioning on older women?
In a meeting today, a male participant quoted some older female members as liking the annual Thanksgiving-themed devotional at our church, but preferring not to attend anything on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving because they wanted more time in their kitchens. (He was proposing to move the Devotional to Tuesday in 2011.) Three female participants, not catching the context of whom was being quoted, felt he was being uncharacteristically sexist - until he repeated whom he was quoting.
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