Initial post: May 23, 2011 12:47:20 PM PDT Typel says: I was walking into Target store nearby, and on the very front display for girl's t-shirts, there was this printing in front of the pink shirt. "Play like a girl. Beat the boys" It was small sized, and I guess that it was intended for 8-10 year old-ish. At first, I thought that sure, it is always good for the girls to have confidence in themselves, that they can accomplish almost anything boys can do in their lives, even achieve more. I would surely have told my less-than-a-year-old baby girl that she could be or do whatever she can do with your life to achieve great things, that she doesn't have to give ways to boys just because she is a girl. Then I felt something is wrong here or rather strange. I remembered this sign, "Beat the Navy" from West Point's stadium in the infamous soccer match of Army v. Navy, that I visited when I was attending in a high nearby. Of course it was men's soccer, and they did almost everything to beat each others. Pushing, pulling, tackling, elbowing, heading and so on. That I understand. Army and Navy boys were very physical. They were both ready for that. They were the symbols of masculinity. But beat the boys? I know that this word, "Beat" does mean not the physical beating, but everything else. "Play like a girl. Beat the boys" Yeah. If you play like a girl, you can eat the boys. So what is it like playing like a girl? There was a saying, "Men ruled the world, and Women ruled men." All my life, I witnessed this to be true. My parents, myself and my wife, my relatives, my pastors, my teachers, my friends, they all have the husbands to be the face of family. Sure, ladies dominate conversations and opinions in almost any occasions existing out there. Ladies control their husband in one form or another, and we husbands gladly accept that. In my parents case, mom is virtually the face of my folk's business while dad does finance and behind the scene works. But when it comes to the public gathering or speech, it has always been dad to give speeches, awards and medals, or to receive them. Mom said, "When a man in a family stands strong and recognized by his wife, you can make an idiot achieve great things" Of course, she is not referring dad, for dad has Ph.D and no problem standing alone on his own. Feminism movement has been in full force for the last a few decades, and it has been integrated into our society so deeply, and I don't even think about. Women has been treated badly in the past and God bless those who worked so hard to get women their deserved rights and treatments. But at the same time, I am worried. I am worried that in the future my daughter will think that girls are supposed to beat boys. I am worried that she will think like this marketing catch-phrase. It is already hard to be a man living with a smarter and better educated wife. I recently realized that being a good husband doesn't only mean being loving, nurturing, forgiving, sweet, but also means being firm, strong, masculine, not afraid of wife(funny, but seriously true), and like a.... MAN. There are so many wise ladies out there in GBF, even too wise so that they tend to be cynical. But please keep the cynicism in yourself, and help me here what to make of this. What do I have to do to raise a girl to be a strong and independent woman, and at the same time, to be gracious and beautiful inside? I have seen many strong and independent ladies, who are lacking grace and inner beauty and they seem so disturbing to me... so unnatural(this might cause some flame..) Any comments are appreciated. I say hmmmmmm..... |
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A repost....What do you think?....
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