Beauty is Power

I've grown up in a world where men who are caught looking at a woman's [name any popular female feature] was called a pig and potentially slapped. Men of the church have the added pressure of being accused of lust if it be any woman other than his wife (which is good pressure), but sometimes even then (which is not so good).

This pressure has always been there. We are surrounded by beauty and told not to look, or at least don't get caught, or I guess you can look - but don't touch, well, not too much touching... The pressure isn't quite what it used to be, is it?

So what's a man to do? Either repress the urge to look, or peek on the sly and repress the desire to pursue, or just stare openly and accept the title of pervert (among other consequences). Either our reputation takes a hit, or we deny our natural desires [and i'd wager that the male desire for respect dives most of us to hide it.]

Meanwhile, skirts get shorter, necklines and waistlines plummet; and we wonder why so many of our men have become so repressed that they need medication to act on natural bedroom desires.

But how?

Living in college dorms, you're bound to see bits and pieces of movies or tv shows you normaly wouldn't, otherwise. I saw a piece of one of the Highlander movies while poping into another room for a reason I've now forgotten.

The lead guy and his female companion are back in their ... appartment? (I only saw about 5 minutes, so I'm fuzzy on the details.) The two of them are talking about something or other that happened earlier, when she gets a romantic look in her eye. He was either unaware, or still focused on whatever they'd been talking about so that he doesn't notice right away.

She gives a couple tugs at her relativly modest shirt and bares her shoulders; she now has his undevided attention. (.. as well as us male viewers) They start kissing and the scene cuts to the two of them in bed, basking in the afterglow.

After a cold shower, I realized that it was a perfect example of just how powerfully captivating a woman's body/beauty is (as per God's design). I'm sure it's anti-romantic dissect the way she got his attention, but I'm too much a nerd to let that stop me.

I see two parts to it: she showed that she was willing to share her beauty/body and had an inviting look in her eyes. I'm sure it sounds like I just repeated myself to some of you, but stick with me. Those are two very different things.

When she exposed her shoulders, she unveiled a small portion of her physical beauty. Whether her intention was sex or not, that Beauty was out for all to see and would not go unnoticed. But without her invitation, any action on his part would likely be taken as offensive .

Without the second element of her silent, but clear, invitation, he would have no clue if his advances would be welcome. To be nice and avoid offending her space and/or body, he's got to keep it to himself. (Remember that pressure I mentioned earlier? I know most of the guys out there do.)

As I'm writing, I was distracted in Proverbs for a while and stumbled across (more likely, was led to) this same principle. Solomon (smartest guy ever) writing to his son about how to avoid being swayed by the "Immoral Woman."

Proverbs 6:

24 to keep you from an evil woman and from the smooth talk of a loose woman. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her catch you with her eyes. ('GodsWord')

(24-25ish) Don't lustfully fantasize on her beauty; nor be taken in by her bedroom eyes. (The Message)

When us guys get hung up on her physical beauty, the battle is already nearly over. Add that Come-Hither stare and it could easily be the final blow.

And that's exactly how God intended it to work! But that's for married folks to enjoy (more on that in a second).

Go back to Leviticus 18 and 20 and you'll see that all of the commands against pursuing or initiating inapropriate sex are worded to target men. The translation I linked to seems to put equal emphasis on exposing nakedness as it does on actual sex.* I'd like to know more about the original language, since some versions seem to dumb it down to simply "don't have sex with___." I see this as God commanding, not just a respect for our sexuality, but especially for the female body.

God made these commands becase men will always be living among women and will always have the opportunity to lust or even pursue something inapropriate * (ever wonder why most sexual predators are men?* [of course that's not an excuse for them]). The same laws are equally explicit on women's responsibility for how they present themselves. (even though they aren't quite as extensive)

Or an example from an easier read, three times throughout the Song of Solomon* (the book of steamy, Biblical passion), the woman pauses to caution the reader not to stir-up/awaken romance before the time is right. And her warning is directed to the Women in her audience.

Remember when Jesus equated a mere lustful gaze with outright adultery? Doesn't that seem to make a little more sense now?

The Fun Part

Of course, all those warnings and commands go out the window for married couples.

Like where Proverbs encourages the enjoyment of the wife of our youth (Check it out: [MSG] [NIV] [AMP]). The 'tamer' translations go on to say, "may her body always satisfy you." Personally, I prefer the translations that unashamedly draw direct attention to her breasts.

Don't give me that look. Just how many jokes are floating around out there making fun of men for fixating on breasts? They had to come from somewhere, right? How long now have women been complaining about men talking to their chests instead of looking them in the eye?

Lets be honest. We know that men are always getting a hard time about allegedly fixating on them all the time. It's part of the Beauty that God created. A part of the set meant for an audience of one, but meant to be enjoyed.

And so no one accuses me of overlooking it, the same passage puts the same emphasis on enjoying the Love of our wives. God intended us men to enjoy our wives physically AND emotionally.* (It's my belief that you ladies ought to hold out for a man that appreciates Both.)

(If me talking about female anatomy like that makes any of you uncomfortable, then it only seems fair to warn you that the topic will come up again.)

I hope that answers the question I'd left hanging for so long. If not, well, let me know what I should come back to.

::suggested reading::

Edit:this is what I'd meant to link, but the other is good, so it stays.

refocusing

I'll need to be careful how I say this, but try and follow me.

I've been too soft on this. Too timid to speak any louder than I have. And so I've hardly spoken for a while. Though, I know I'll have to be more careful not to go too far the other way.

I've said that I'm not demanding a change from every last woman of the Church. I want it to be clear that I am however, urgently requesting that change. Men all over are stumbling into lust and are fighting for their lives to get out of it.

And please don't think of me as some distant prude behind a digital pulpit. I have been one of those men who feast on women with their eyes. and (by the Strength/Grace of God) I have learned to reverse those habits.

But the temptation is always there, and I'm still human. Put simply, it's a daily struggle not to become that man again. I'm writing on behalf of all such men who are also engaged in this battle and want to be able let their guard down when they come before God on Sunday morning.

I'm asking you, the ladies of the church, to take a closer look at the sheer power of your beauty and to help us men by shielding us from it. (I'm not asking you to dress down in the least. Mandatory potato sacks are the last thing I have in mind).

I've also got to make it clear that I'm only talking to women within the church. None of this is by any means a basic requirement for Christianity, and I refuse to allow it to be mistaken as such. If you don't consider yourself to be part of the Family of Christ, you are not my target audience. (You're welcome here, but please know that you are not under fire, and defending yourself will just make you look silly. Though, if you don't like the idea of men ignoring your personality because they're distracted by your body, I encourage you to stick around anyway.)

Fair warning: I'll be doing my best to avoid going into graphic detail, but that won't always be possible. When a man starts giving in to the desire admire a midriff or glance down a low cut blouse, it only satisfies for a moment. Before long it only creates a hunger for more.

Again, I'm not blaming your Sunday Best for luring us to dark corners of the internet. But if any other man's story is anything like mine, those small compromises of just-a-few-more-inches-of-skin or just-a-little-bit-tighter; as small as they may seem, they remind us of where our journey into lust began.

Oh, that response I promised a while ago? I've started and restarted writing it countless times... but I think God wanted the above out of my system before moving forward. Whatever I've got by the end of the week is getting posted. (I'm also a recovering perfectionist)

Rebuttal Brewing

Comments function normally again. Seems I overlooked something in the template design.

As you can now see, a few posts back my buddy Andy made a comment regarding Beauty and Sex. Honestly, I agree with most of what he said. I can't believe God meant for that to occur outside of a committed marriage, but the dynamic he described is right on.

I can't really do justice to what's in my head right now, but shall return following finals week with a more coherent reply.

Stay tuned.

Advocate for Beauty

This may sound familiar to anyone who reads my other blog, but I think it bears repeating for those who don't.

In reference to this blog from the other:

It's up now, with a different name, at a different address than what I'd said a few posts ago. I've decided to stear the focus more toward the basic truth that God made women to be beautiful (and they all are!). And that us men were designed to notice and enjoy what we see. I'm starting to think that I'd much rather be mistaken for a pervert in looking forward to and celibrating these sexual Gifts than as a closed minded prude making women ashamed of their God given beauty (I'm serious when I say all of you).

Of course, I'm not going to let up on need to guard that beauty until the time and audience is right. I just want to be absolutly clear that I'm an advocate for that Beauty.

comments

Just a quick note to mention that I've changed the settings so that anyone can comment. Anyone but spam bots, that is.

Couldn't Have Said it Better

http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/2006/04/a_candle_among_.html

Half Truth

I've heard it said that the best lie is the one that's closest to the truth.

I was listening to Pandora.com earlier this morning and caught myself about to skip over a song that I reflexively identified as objectionable. The guy started singing about snuggling up with his sweetie in bed, I instantly brought up the window, and I hesitated.

Is this not a part of the Beauty I'm looking forward to? Is our sex crazed culture really that far off? Should Christian-folk really be any less excited about it than anyone else? (as long as we keep it in His context, of course.)

The lyrics never got anymore explicit that what I just described, and he didn't brag about or even mention that she wasn't his wife, so when I got over my initial reaction and rethought what I was listening to, it was really kind of sweet.

It seems like the Church is considerably more efficient at telling us what God has to say about what not to do before marriage, but what about after? Why do we hear so much more about the time Jesus equated gazing lustfully with adultery, than we do about, say, any thing from the Song of Solomon? Neither topic is kid stuff, so it can't be that we're too shy, can it? Is it just that it's easier to shun all sexual activity in general?

Seems like this is why church people are thought of as close minded or prudish about sex.

Beauty

"When God says 'no' to something, it's because He's saying 'yes' to something better."
~Joshua Harris

I only wish I could convey the sheer power of that beauty that you all have. I'm serious, all of you. Because of that power, and the feelings that I allowed that power to awaken, I sincerely believe that it was meant to be preserved for the sole enjoyment of your (future) husband.
When I am blessed with a wife, I certainly don't want her even slightly exposing herself to all the other hungry eyes out there. We'll each have rights to each other's bodies, and I don't foresee any desire to share.

I do not believe that men were meant to be aroused as we are in our culture by the women on display all around us. The male reaction of sexual arousal is a Natural response to the female body (God planed it that way to help man and wife to enjoy each other). The more of it that we can see, or even discern, the more powerful the urges.

Is it any wonder that so many men declare these urges as 'needs'? We are surrounded by constant stimulus. And it adds up. The effects are cumulative. The more cleavage I see, the more difficult it becomes to control my thoughts.

Women, of course function differently. The female sex drive is not activated by mere visual stimuli like us guys. So of course it could be easily overlooked in preparing the day's outfit, it's not something that naturally occurs to you ladies.

However... In a recent survey of 400 men, when asked how they would respond to a beautiful and/or scantly clad woman entering a room, only 2% said they were unaffected. The other 98% had answers that ranged from making a conscious effort not to look, sneaking glances, to staring outright and drooling.

See for yourself:
Create an account here. (I can vouch for their no-spam policy.)
See the survey here.
It's the very first question.

The point is, that it is Impossible for us not to notice how your bodies are presented. We can chose to ignore the signals that our own bodies are giving us, but it takes effort.

Through For Men Only, I've discovered that most women are programed to be more receptive of sexual advances, rather than to actively pursue. It's us guys that are wired for pursuit. And what is it that makes us take pursuit? Beauty.

I used to think the old classic paintings of nude women were done by perverts. (Not that I could really judge, since I could scarcely look at any without earning the same title for myself.) Though, some artists claim that they can admire the female figure without even a hint of lust. I'm still not sure I buy that, but whatever the motivation for putting the figure on canvas, the beauty is undeniable.

I Come in Peace

I feel I should appologise. A friend alerted me last night that I've already managed to offend some(one) with my my talk of male-self-control/feminine modesty. That I'd made them feel dirty, less than morally dressed. I don't know who or even how many, but please know that I did not intend to inflict feelings of shame and/or guilt. I'd really hoped that I wouldn't.

That being said, and given that most of this blog is going to come from my own personal experiance in my own continuing battle to keep my eyes on appropriate beauties... In the same conversation last night, the question was raised "which gender is less wrong?" (something to that extent anyway) It seemed an inavoidable question, and yet... it's really not the one I'm trying to answer here. I certianly don't want to be accused of starting a round of finger pointing. That won't help anyone.

So where does that leave us? I'm not entirely sure. I would greatly appreciate more feedback from the female perspective.

What's this all about?

I've been talking to a few friends about the concept of this blog, and was reminded of a few things I should make sure that I don't end up saying.

First of all, I'm not out to place the blame on women for turning men into lusty animals; we've done that all on our own. Controling our thoughts and/or actions is our own job.

Second, I'm not out to condemn anyone because of their clothing. I don't want it to sound like God has a required dress-code that has any bearing on how He feels about us or whether we get to chill with Him after we die. If I ever get to sounding focused only on mindlessly following rules like that, please stop me.

Finally, there are some folks out there who would say that the idea of modesty is based on being ashamed of your body. I'm really promoting just the opposite. It's about having enough respect for your body that you won't let just any male eye in the general public scan you into his fantasy center.

True, not all of us are that bad, but a lot of us aren't even that good. The man I was before I really got serious about listening to the God I'd been saying I believed in... I would easily count him among the worst. And while God's helped me overpower that side of me, I'm still a human male so the animal within is not really gone (and no, I'm not saying that the male sex drive is inherently bad either; only that it's more easily triggered than a lot of women seem to realize).

This blog is not about demanding change. It's about asking for help against a common enemy.