Fashion and Feminism

Like any other girl I know, I love a good flick through a fashion mag. My magazine of choice is Australian Vogue. I have discovered recently that all magazines, even fashion ones have a worldview attached. In Vogue magazine you might describe the worldview as: “Feminism is the new black”. 

And so it was no surprise for me to read in the May 2010 issue an article titled “The Bad Old Days” discussing feminism in the culture. The author lamented that feminism had not brought sexism to an end and in fact the portrayal of women in society as sex objects was alive and well. The conclusion that the author came to was that feminism had lost its impact and what the world needs to clean up its act is more feminism. So the answer to people not keeping the law of respecting women is more law. Huh?

But it seemed to me that all this talk about women and empowerment was missing a vital element: the man factor. Even a quick glance at a music channel proves that men haven’t taking much notice of girl power. All the women in their videos are scantily clad and the lyrics are very much along the lines of how many women they've bed or will on their next night out. 

After the fall, God tells Eve how life’s going to be. “Your desire shall be for your husband and he will rule over you”. It does not matter how much women try to empower themselves, as long as men are sinners they will use women to their own ends. So if feminism has not changed men’s hearts to honour women, then what will? Only the knowledge that Jesus Christ, the God man, came to earth, treated women right and sacrificed His life for lust-filled men (and women).

This good news alone changes men and women’s hearts so that men will strive to love their wives as Christ loved the church and women will submit to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24).