Finishing School for Fundie Girls?

[GenerationCedarchip]

Ah, more snark from Raising Homemakers. Now they're shilling a Girlhood Brainwashing Finishing School. raisinghomemakers.com/2013/the-girlhood-finishing-school-graceful-girlhood/

Between the plethora of modesty posts and girlhood magazines, curricula, etc.., the obsession with fixing little girls into a very limited role is growing rather than abating. The idea of "character training" has been around fundie and fundie-lite circles for quite some time, but the growing emphasis on these "Home Ec on steroids" courses is getting into the realm of creepiness.

I've been noticing that Christian publishers are starting to put out more and more books on biblical womanhood, home management guides, etc... I don't see some of the fundie girl magazines and such hitting the mainstream, but Beautiful Girlhood and the accompanying study guide are starting to show up in more mainstream sorts of churches in my area. I haven't noticed much by way of training up young men or finishing school for boys classes, though, unless you count Dougie's Rather Tame Adventure trips.

[jingerdoe]

There is kind a weird tie-in to the hipster/pinterest culture of "let's make jam because it's so much fun, like the prairie people," which, I think, may explain some of the surge in publications that deal with practical homemaking skills.

[chissprincess]

But would Pinterest hipsters be inclined to buy fundie-oriented books (on purpose at least -- I could see someone not in the know buying one by accident)? Other than that I totally agree with jingerdoe, there's been a huge upswing in the whole idea of homemaking/home-made/DIY stuff lately. There's a book out about it now too, can't remember the name off the top of my head though...

[GeoBQn]

The book is Homeward Bound. Basically, it has the theory that the recent trend in women in their 20's and 30's getting into DIY everything (including homeschooling and alternative medicine) comes from 6 factors:

1. Growing distrust for large institutions and industries (healthcare, public schools, agriculture industry)

2. Concern for the environment

3. Sluggish economy

4. Dissatisfaction with modern workplace culture

5. Reclaiming hands-on skills in a technology-heavy world

6. Increasingly demanding standards for parenting

[YPestis]

The trend towards DIY stuff is part of the "back to nature" movement seen in both the left (hippies) and right (fundies). I think it's a reaction to the materialism and stresses of modern life and which also serves as a form of artistic outlets for some people. It's mostly a healthy way to create something useful, unique and maybe even beautiful but I doubt most people would want to go back to living like Ma and Pa Ingalls per se. Perhaps it's because I grew up with parents who DID have to live like the Ingalls (back breaking farm work, patched clothing, no indoor plumbing), I never found a love for the DIY lifestyle. I like my life with all it's conveniences and leave the artsy soap making up to others who have more patience than me!

[Marianne]

I read a book about this "back to nature" for the mother. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/fashi ... d=all&_r=0 (sorry, it's the only article in English I can found). She's an amazing woman - her husband abolished death penalty in 1981, and now, they are activist for woman and LGBT right.

I can't support one of my friends, she's a kind of hipster, when she says "ooooh, it's extraordinary, you do a lot of DIY !" God, i don't do DIY for my pleasure, I do it because haven't money :shifty-kitty:

[docmom]

One of the most delightful ways to share the content of The Girlhood Finishing School with your daughter(s) is to snuggle together on the couch or around your kitchen table with a cup of tea.

What is it with fundies and tea?? The only way my mother and I could read this book together would be with several glasses of red wine.

[YPestis]

What is it with fundies and tea?? The only way my mother and I could read this book together would be with several glasses of red wine.

Tea is classy and stuff, and rich people used to drink it, so therefore it's what every fundie girl should aspire to drink! It's basically an attempt to emulate the upper classes of some mystical bygone era when women spent their days sipping teas and making dollies. Also, the alcohol ban among fundies makes the *other* snooty drink----aka WINE----not appropriate for fundie girls.

[Marianne]

I want to share with them my tea ! You make a good black tea, and you add one or two (or three) spoons "eau de mélisse", a blend of seven plants and alcohol at 80 °. Delicious. Or any brandy in tea, it's great. You think they'll love?

[FJismyheadship]

I could see Fundie finishing school as a great way to reach the girls of the movement.

You make pretty papers detailing all the things their families want to hear. Then, you slowly introduce the girls to ideas and ways to make them think. By the time they go home, they will be slightly less indoctrinated.

Of course, this wouldnt last very long. Someone would out the place for what it was, or enough girls would go home with new ideas that nobody would send their kids anymore.

[mypsychoticself]

I could see Fundie finishing school as a great way to reach the girls of the movement.

You make pretty papers detailing all the things their families want to hear. Then, you slowly introduce the girls to ideas and ways to make them think. By the time they go home, they will be slightly less indoctrinated.

Of course, this wouldnt last very long. Someone would out the place for what it was, or enough girls would go home with new ideas that nobody would send their kids anymore.

I don't know, I think a lot of things could be hidden away. Justify a class on business/entrepreneurship/computers by saying, "Some ladies like to sell things online in order to get a bit of extra spending money." Teach a class on how to find a husband, and include a bit about warning signs for abuse. And of course things like first aid and budgeting/finances are useful for anybody.