All the single ladies: A few words on being women in the empire

Wouldn’t it have been just like “the talk” in fifth grade if we had separated our interim class by gender to talk about boys’ and girls’ bodies? I only remember three things about that experience: I asked an astute question about what happens when you swim, we made jokes about “sticky side down” for months and the boys on the other side of the hall finished early, a dozen faces peering in the window of our sacred room.

[This seems like a good time to address the men whose faces are peering into the window of this blog post right now: read on. Don’t be embarrassed. Especially when it comes to sex and birth control, you and your partner should be collaborators in bodily faithfulness. But you should also consider what it means specifically to be a man in the empire, as there are plenty of messages being directed toward you as well. To learn more, check out this retreat, which will take place February 13-14.]

As goofy as they may seem, these rites of passage are important. Too often, however, discussion about bodies and what it means to be a faithful woman stop at that awkward fifth grade ritual—after that, we’re sort of left to infer who we should be and what we should look like from the women around us and from the powerful images presented to us in popular culture.

I suspect most of you who caught the footnote in Colossians Remixed on page 197 about menstrual pads were a little disgusted, especially if you’ve never considered anything beyond the usual ways of addressing the “monthly visitor.” Even such polite (or other more crass) euphemisms for menstruation speak to how stubbornly we separate ourselves from our bodies, especially this particular aspect of the female experience. We strive to gain as much sanitary, disposable distance as possible.

And yet, in our interim class we’ve emphasized over and over again, both through Engaging God’s World and Colossians Remixed, that God cares about ALL things, that there’s not a speck of human experience in which we’re not called to faithfulness. It may sound strange, but yes, this includes periods (another polite euphemism). For more of my thoughts on this and for information on another alternative besides washable pads, check out the article “On becoming a Diva for Jesus.”

Certainly our call to be radically Kingdom-oriented as women goes beyond menstruation:

1. Before you jump on the oral contraceptive bandwagon with birth control (or even if you have already), read a book like Taking Charge of your Fertility. Even if you’re not sexually active, it’s never too early to start learning about the amazing rhythms of your body. You may decide to go with oral contraceptives, but don’t let someone impose them on you like the consumer product they are without being informed about your options.
2. If you wear makeup, choose products that are healthy for your body, not just the least expensive or most readily available products, many of which contain harmful ingredients and perpetuate the same “linear model” problems as other consumer items. Better products may be more expensive, but if wearing makeup is important to you, consider it an investment in your health. Aveda, Arbonne, The Body Shop and Anti-Body (check out the related film) are all companies that seek to honor people and the earth with cosmetic products.
3. Choose products that are not tested on animals. Animal testing for cosmetics is not excusable for a people who recognize their God-given creational calling as stewards of the earth and all of its creatures. If we need to use shampoo, lotion, hairspray, eye shadow and other personal care products, we should be willing to test them on ourselves, especially if we know they don’t contain toxic ingredients to begin with. Not sure if something is tested on animals? Read labels. Do research (National Anti-Vivisection Society is a great resource.
4. Cultivate an approach to hair and makeup that is based on joyful creativity, not necessity. If “the language of inevitability is the language of the empire,” we should be asking critical questions when we feel we have to wear makeup or when we fall into a rut of putting it on the same way every day so that it becomes a part of who we are to those around us. Likewise, we should question our assumption that we need to shower and wash our hair every single day. We in the U.S. consume a larger portion of the world’s resources per capita than any other country in the world.
5. Care for your body by eating well and exercising—and take these things beyond the market solutions that are advertised to you. Research how good nutrition is tied into good earth keeping by eating locally-produced and organic foods. Discover how walking and riding your bike to get around can contribute to a healthy body and fewer resources being consumed in travel. Experience how yoga, running and other forms of exercise can be meditative practices. 

Those are just a few of my ideas. Anything to add? Objections? Questions? Comment or send me an e-mail.