Today I took one of my weekly treks around the bear trail on campus. For those of you who don't know, there is a 2.5-3 mile trail that goes around Baylor, where students and community members alike enjoy walking, jogging or biking. This trail is notorious for being a place where "Baylor girls" (stereotype) and "Baylor guys" (again...stereotype) go to show off their bodies by prancing about scantily clad, and occasionally oiled up.
Anywho, as I was walking, I passed blonde, tan, Baylor girl, after blonde, tan, Baylor girl. Trucks full of boys would drive by, slow down, stare, honk, and yell out things to the girls. Then came the most horrific thing of all....the girls actually smiled. Even after the trucks would pass by, these girls kept a little smile on their face as if they'd been paid a grand compliment, rather than a humiliating insult. As if those boys had really affirmed their worth and now they could die happy. Some girls even stopped and waved at the boys....SERIOUSLY!
My heart breaks for these women that feel like this is what it means to feel beautiful....to depend on the crude comments and obscene hand gestures tossed their way by little boys who should have been taught better. I wanted to pull them aside and yell at them, "YOU DESERVE BETTER. YOUR WORTH IS NOT DETERMINED BY THESE IDIOTS." While I generally don't really appreciate these Barbie wannabes, as a woman, I hate that they feel like they have to perform for these creeps.
As a society, we don't really expect men to be men anymore. As women, we've become accustomed to the idea of settling for less for fear we won't get more. Men have gotten lazy, because they know women won't wait any longer for them to step up. I'm guilty of this myself, I'll admit. If you've seen any of the guys I've dated, you'd know this is true. We no longer expect men to behave like gentlemen, and when someone actually does; we don't know how to handle it. If this was 50 years ago, and these same guys had made these comments to these girls, they'd still be getting the tar knocked out of them.
Now, I'll admit, women can occasionally bring the disrespect on themselves by dressing immodestly. We need to be more considerate of our brothers in Christ and the image we're presenting. Though it may not be our intention, if we walk around dressed a certain way...people are going to assume certain things about us. Jogging in a sports bra and barely-there shorts, almost screams "LOOK AT ME!!" People sometimes get so offended when you tell them they need to cover up or that the way they're dressing is immodest, but for the life of me, I don't understand why. When you see a white priest' collar, you assume the wearer is a clergyman. When you see a person with a cop's uniform on, you assume they're a cop. So why then, should a half naked woman be offended when someone thinks...well, you get my point.
Anyway, I'll say this, ladies....your worth, beauty and everything else are determined by Christ, not some foolish college freshman in a truck with other foolish college freshmen. Don't give them that power. Guys, respect the women you encounter and remember these dear women are precious to someone, even if that someone isn't you. A whistle, finger snap, or holler is NOT a compliment; it is an insult.
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