As far as modern causes of female depravity are concerned, I think women's obsession with fashion could be seen as an indirect cause of sexual promiscuity. (This is a little bit of a stretch, but humor me for a moment.) Though an interest in fashion and one's physical appearance are certainly acceptable (and somewhat encouraged--Does anyone remember the 80s? I try not to... definitely want to try and avoid a complete fall-back into ways of dressing that resemble those of a blind pre-schooler), a passionate desire to consistently sport the latest trends could lead to licentious behavior. Contemporary female fashion (or at least contemporary TCU fashion) often involves wearing extremely skimpy, form-fitting clothing that leaves nothing to the imagination. Also, in contrast to typical 18th and 19th century female fashion, 21st century clothing that covers little and allows for more mobility makes a woman more sexually accessible. Though a woman's decision to wear the latest raunchy piece of apparel could be an attempt to engage members of the opposite sex, her choice to do so may not be primarily sexually motivated... perhaps a wish to be "trendy". Taking this into consideration, when a man "looking for some action" (maybe one of our modern day rakes) sees a scantily clad woman, he could assume based on what she' wearing (or in this case not wearing) that she's "easy" and choose to pursue her, opening up said woman to sexual temptation. Though the decision to dress in a promiscuous manner doesn't necessarily directly result in sexually liberal acts, it can certainly be seen as an inciting factor. (Note: I would have provided a picture of the sort of 21st century woman I've just described, but I didn't want to have to go back and check off the "this site contains pornographic material" box on my blog settings.)
An obsession with fashion can also lead to physical and mental depravity--not just sexual. In addition to "showing off the goods," contemporary clothing trends often require/encourage a woman to be exceptionally slender, hence the increasing prevalence of anorexia. Also, a strong interest in one's physical appearance encourages excessive materialism (the never-ending desire for the latest clothing, beauty products, etc.), resulting in a decrease in attention to matters of an intellectually stimulating nature.
2 comments:
Yay Hocus Pocus!! I think you make an interesting point about today’s clothing making a woman more sexually accessible—hadn’t really thought about it, but its kind of true! I also agree that women who dress more scantily get a lot of attention, perhaps unwanted attention included. Some of the trends do encourage women to “flaunt what they’ve got,” but as my grandmother always said, “don’t give away the goods for free!” Ok, maybe she didn’t say that, but I couldn’t think of someone that did. I’m sure someone must have!
hocus pocus!!!! hooray!
You're so right about the sexual clothing scandals. Your post reminding me of the Devil Wears Prada... "an interest in fashion is crucial." and then when Meryl Streep says "Everyone wants to be us." Your post was laced with fashion references that seriously reminded me of it, and it drove home the point that this is comparable to "selling your soul to the devil." Does that make sense? I don't know. I love that movie. The end.
Love,
A Halloween Bear Suit
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