Beauty Pledge

[dairyfreelife]

Should be doing some last minute packing for my trip tomorrow, but came across this and didn't find it in a search so thought I'd share. If it's been posted before, I apologize.

This is a pledge in response the Seventeen magazine issues

20. I will remember that what seems modest to me may still cause a guy’s imagination to run wild, and

rather than choosing my rights over his problem, I’ll choose to wear something else (Romans 12:10, 1

John 2:10, 1 Corinthians 10:32).

http://www.moretobe.com/wp-content/uplo ... pledge.pdf

moretobe.com/2012/07/13/a-pledge-that-makes-a-difference/

[gustava]

A toga, perhaps?

[Deleted07]

jeeze 30 points on that pledge! I think I fail at every one of them! lol!

What do they expect us to wear, these?

But of course they are clothing of the ebil muslims!!! :doh:

[notacleverpony]

A toga, perhaps?

More like a potato sack. A toga might have some drape, clinging to your horrible, sinful, fallen body and causing the weak, fragile, helpless souls (who we are coincidentally expected to submit to and unquestioningly obey) to stumble in sin. Hussy! For shame!

[Glass Cowcatcher]

A toga, perhaps?

Toga, toga, toga toga toga!!!! :lol:

A couple jumed out at me:

26. I will remember that what I see on TV, in the movies, in magazines, and on the internet isn’t always

reality, and so I will put limits on the virtual in order to stay in the REAL world with the REAL people God

has put in my life (Ephesians 5:16).

The idea of taking breaks from technology in itself isn't that bad, but really? The proper response to unrealistic media portrayals of women is to just not look at them?

6. I will ask for help from those who love me, including God, when I feel overwhelmed, alone,

brokenhearted, or inadequate (Psalm 147:3, Psalm 68:6).

8. I will not seek affirmation for what I have accomplished nor plan to do in the future (James 4:13-16).

These two seem contradictory.

9. I will do my best to not judge others by their appearance or behavior (Matthew 7:1).

Behavior is, actually, a really good thing to judge people by.

[CanadianHippie]

jeeze 30 points on that pledge! I think I fail at every one of them! lol!

What do they expect us to wear, these?

But of course they are clothing of the ebil muslims!!! :doh:

Far too revealing. You can see *gasp* eyes!

[FJismyheadship]

Canadianhippie I am the geek who would wear that to meet fundies. The Duggars really need to come out here... Maxwell's too.

[CanadianHippie]

Canadianhippie I am the geek who would wear that to meet fundies. The Duggars really need to come out here... Maxwell's too.

I'm the one who chuckles cause I know I got the picture from a news story about a man wearing a burqa to pass as his wife during an exam.

[kunoichi66]

Far too revealing. You can see *gasp* eyes!

How do those women see?

[Sweetpea1]

How do those women see?

I think there is mesh type fabric around the eyes that gives them some vision.

[Kitty]

I think there is mesh type fabric around the eyes that gives them some vision.

Yeah, it's mesh. Though the wearers' peripheral vision is probably blocked by the non-mesh fabric. They can see well enough through the mesh, but it's still not perfect.

[velly]

How do those women see?

GOD GIVEN TELEPATHY!

[BabyFullOfSin]

Should be doing some last minute packing for my trip tomorrow, but came across this and didn't find it in a search so thought I'd share. If it's been posted before, I apologize.

This is a pledge in response the Seventeen magazine issues

Fuck anyone who wants me to sacrifice my rights in favour of someone else's lack of will-power or self-control.

[dpndetfarm]

A toga, perhaps?

Togas are NOT for girls!!!11!!!!!

This site proves it 'cause they quoted scripture and stuff:

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0302.htm

Check out chapter 18 among others. I know nothing about this site, but these appear to be some

fundy type dudes. Oops! I guess they are catholic dudes?!? My ignorant atheist shows through.

[Terrie]

3. I will not compare myself to others nor give into jealousy, as I remind myself that God did not design

me to live their life (1 Corinthians 3:3, Phillipians 4:11).

Does anyone else feel like this is code for "I won't be an evil man-hating feminist and will not try to act like a guy"?

[MamaJunebug]

Does anyone else feel like this is code for "I won't be an evil man-hating feminist and will not try to act like a guy"?

Interesting take, Terrie. I haven't read it in context, but just having grown up in the suppressed 1950s & '60s I read it as "I won't make myself blue by contrasting myself to buxom, bee-lipped Elizabeth Botkin and I wil remind myself that God designed me to live the life a skinny, un-pretty female is expected to live."

When you remove options - future careers, education and living arrangements - from things one has to talk about with one's daughters, I guess all that's left as a topic is submissive acceptance to somebody else's will - to father's will, husband's will, and oh yeah, God's will.

[Mela99]

Should be doing some last minute packing for my trip tomorrow, but came across this and didn't find it in a search so thought I'd share. If it's been posted before, I apologize.

This is a pledge in response the Seventeen magazine issues

http://www.moretobe.com/wp-content/uplo ... pledge.pdf

moretobe.com/2012/07/13/a-pledge-that-makes-a-difference/

So it's his problem, but you're the only one that can fix it? Sigh. Self control and self reliance ftw.

[AtroposHeart]

9. I will do my best to not judge others by their appearance or behavior (Matthew 7:1).

WTF? How do you not judge someone by their behavior?

[tankgirl]

Not sure if I should give them ideas or not.

But I want to get out of my Frumper Love and into something more fitting for my torpedo bra.

[kunoichi66]

Thanks for the answers, jokey and informative alike. :-)

[contrary]

god, that black burqa photograph makes me sad.

[Burris]

Ah yes - I just found this blog: More to Be - a direct challenge to Seventeen Magazine's "Body Peace Treaty"

Elisa disagrees with some of Seventeen's conclusions, and would like to see a somewhat more robust (and faith-oriented) pledge concerning the cultivation of what she perceives as real beauty. To that end, she has developed a 'Redefining Beauty Pledge' that she hopes will impact how girls and women – but especially teens – examine what it means to be beautiful in an airbrushed world where looks are a commodity.

Elisa asks, “Seventeen comes up short, but what is out there to fill the gap for girls looking for answers and encouragement?â€

Her answer is to draft a pledge that includes such items as...

I will not hide myself behind a mask of clothing, makeup, or performance (John 4:23-24 MSG).

I suspect what Elisa means here is that girls and women should not sacrifice themselves on the altar of performance – or, more accurately, on the altar of perfectionism. Unfortunately, however, other parts of the Pledge also discourage girls and women from being happy with their inward gifts:

I will not seek affirmation for what I have accomplished nor plan to do in the future (James 4:13-16).

There's a difference between the pathological need to seek approval and an otherwise perfectly healthy sense of accomplishment that accompanies a job well done. Elisa seems incapable of differentiating between the two.

Throughout the Pledge, Elisa encourages women and girls to serve others in such a way as they themselves become invisible – never drawing attention to themselves.

And yet there's a mixed message here: Even while discussing modesty, Elisa encourages girls to fit themselves into the modern standard of beauty as it relates to “health.†For example, she writes, “I will care for my physical body by...[eating] well and [exercising]...†(As a heavy individual, I can attest to how important it is that kids be encouraged to form a love for physicality in their youth – but often as not, the emphasis on good eating as Elisa offers it is actually a subtle swipe at heavy folks. There's this unspoken assumption that women are allowed to take up only so much horizontal space before they can be tarred as fat pigs. It's just another form of social control.)

Essentially, Elisa's manifesto has less to do with developing good character than with making one's self as scarce and unobtrusive as possible - 'Don't dress to attract. Don't show pride in personal accomplishments. Serve without expectation of return' - while at the same time still managing to comform to modern standards of weight and general appearance.

This is the sort of pledge that encourages women and girls to intellectually disappear while exhorting them to meet basic social expectations for how they should look. Sure, it emphasizes modesty, but it's still stuck a lot on the externals. It's still concerned with "beauty" as a physical trait.

That's not to the say the Pledge is entirely without merit. It is contradictory in spots, however, and it's about 20 points too long.

Please bear with me as I answer Elisa's Pledge with my own humble effort:

1) Physical beauty fades. Cultivate character instead. It will last throughout your life. These traits are not developed merely through reading or through observation, both of which are important, but through action. Eventually, good character will become a habit.

2) Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Evil – dictatorships, starvation, or the different kinds of abuse you may witness on your own block – may seem indomitable. Evil is not an unstoppable force, however, and you can begin your training in how to defeat it by reading about others who have done so and by linking up with organizations that make it their mission to fight evil.

3) If you witness an act of cruelty within your power to stop it, then do so with all speed. Do not allow yourself to become a passive observer of criminal activity such as animal abuse or the abuse of vulnerable persons – and for the love of God, whatever you do, don't let it be this.

4) Wear whatever the hell you want. Just don't judge other people by how they look.

5) We have precisely one planet. If it dies, we all die too. Try to leave your little portion of the world cleaner than how you found it.

6) No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. But it falls to those of good conscience, however many mistakes they may make along the way, to model the behaviors they wish to see in others: Mercy, compassion, humility, and a willingness to admit when one is wrong.

How you look doesn't matter. Your body will be worm food one day no matter how you decorate it. Let not the monument you leave be carved in stone, but rather in the hearts and minds of those who knew you and will succeed you in your work.

Edited for crappy spelling mistakes.