I recently ran into a man who considered himself a “feminist”. Now this was on a dating website, and it’s possible that he didn’t see the word “feminist” as I did. It’s also possible that he thought he might get more female attention, or maybe a stronger minded-female’s attention to his site by using that word. When I see that word, I see bra burning, I’m better than men, who needs a man type of women. I certainly don’t see a man in that picture at all, except maybe one cowering in fear of being thrown into the bra-fire. Now, I realize that this is a pretty extreme view of a feminist. I know that I can go a bit overboard sometimes. So maybe it’s me. But I also know lots of women today, who feel very close to this vision I have. They walk around yelling “Who needs men!” and “I can do it by myself!”. And hey, I agree! I can TOTALLY do it by myself. I have been for years! (I’m a single mom for those who don’t know.) But just because I CAN do it, doesn’t mean I SHOULD do it. Just because I CAN do it, doesn’t mean I should HAVE to do it either. I would never discount a man just because I can do what he does. I don’t want to do what he does. That’s what HE is for!!Now if a time comes that I have to step in and play both roles because of who knows what, I can do that. I feel like THAT is the beauty of a woman. The fact that she can jump up and take over if need be. That is the true strength of a woman. That is the real reason a woman should be revered and respected. We are so caught up on the “I am Woman hear me roar!” adage that we cannot see where our real power is. I believe in “I am Woman, know that I can roar, but keep me purring instead” type.
I think that women have this thing backwards now a days. This whole feminist movement started with our men going off to fight a war and us being left to handle things on our own. And we did it! And it worked. And then we got comfortable. So when the men came back home, we didn’t want to give it up. Now mind you, a lot of progress was made regarding women’s rights. And I can appreciate the rights that are now bestowed upon me because of the work that those women did. But those women didn’t stop cooking dinner for their families, or taking care of their husbands. Those women didn’t decide that they no longer wanted to be women. They wanted to be women who could be recognized for ALL that they COULD do!! They wanted the CHOICE to go to work or stay home. The CHOICE to vote or let the men decide. They didn’t become “Independent Women”. They just became LESS dependent. They wanted to work as a team with their husbands, not tell their husbands that they weren’t needed at all anymore. This, at least, is my view.
Now, understand this. A women being subject to a man is a part of the curse that God placed on Adam and Eve. The woman was not created in the submissive role. Eve was created as an equal to Adam. She was formed from his side, to be his partner. As punishment, and a part of the curse, Eve was told to submit to her husband and Adam was made the head. This could be why it is so hard for some women to play that traditional female role. We were never meant to be that way in the first place. (Now I’ve probably just fueled a whole new movement, lol). I also understand from the Word that while the serpent spoke to Eve, Adam was right there listening too. Now why Adam didn’t stand up and say, hey, stop talking that nonsense to my wife, I will never know. Maybe it was because Eve was, at that time, not subject to him. At that time, Adam was not the head, so he let Eve run that show and then joined in it with her. And that ended in disaster. (By disaster, ladies, I mean that monthly friend we all know and love so well. Thanks Eve. Thanks.) Eve was perhaps, our very first feminist. (And here comes the angry cry against me.)
I say, to each their own. If you choose to be a feminist, and be the man AND woman of your house, go forth, have fun. Do your thing. I know that you can. You won’t fail, because women CAN do anything. (Well, almost anything, but I won’t push that point.) However, I personally, believe in traditional gender roles. I can bring home the bacon, fry it in the pan, and make it into a delicious bacon-laced dip with cheese and scallions…..wait, what was I saying? Oh yes! I can bring home the bacon and fry it in the pan, but if we’re both bringing home bacon, we’re gonna end up with a LOT of bacon. And (while excess bacon isn’t necessarily a problem) I can’t cook that fast. How about I bring home some eggs, or a drink. Or I stay home and bake some bread to eat with the bacon, and we do it all again tomorrow. My Dad (also my Pastor) always says it like this: “I am the head of my household. I run this camp! BUT, my wife is the neck! And if the neck hurts or is unhappy, the head (or body) can’t do much of anything.” So be the neck ladies, there is SO MUCH MORE POWER in the neck than in the head anyway!! Guide the head. Show the head the right way to turn and the wrong way to bend. Be the support that the head needs to run a healthy body. And guys, keep your neck happy. Rub it down from time to time. Listen to it when it tells you that laying that way is wrong. Let’s work as a team. Not in a power-struggle. That’s what I say. But hey, I’m just a girl.
