Pornification of society
I am flabbergasted with this figure, "From 2002 to 2003, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the number of girls 18 and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326." Nearly 12,000 girls got breast enlargements in 2003? Where is the outrage here? The gradual "pornification" of our pop culture that says girls must have big breasts to be valuable must upset all parents and decent folk across the entire political spectrum. Regardless of where you stand on taxes, public housing and abortion, it seems to me that the Church needs to be speaking out on this. The approach must not be in language that we are scared of sex, but that we love our daughters/sisters enough to keep them from being pieces of meat to be oogled and admired strictly for passing beauty.While Britney Spears is an easy target and MTV is a fine poster child, the discussion must broaden to include extreme make-over shows, like The Swan and the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy which emphasize the outward appearance rather then the inward beauty, which is what Jesus always saw. These types of shows draw large ratings from across all states, red and blue alike. Fox, the purveyor of "fair and balanced news" also peddle this rubbish. Where is the outrage at the "liberal media" that tears down the image of people as God's creation and literally reconstructs them as mannequins?
However, are we as a church (and consumers of this pop culture) willing to dress ourselves down for the indulgences and hold up the Church as a place to go for those who aren't the beautiful and the gorgeous of society? Or does this idea hit too close to home in our comfortable middle-class homes, when it is easier to pick on a clearly different and much smaller group of "sinners"?
I'd support strict legislation against cosmetic breast enlargement on under 18s, but for some reason I don't think that many pulpits will be filled with this discussion on Sunday morning.
posted by Anonymous @ 5:24 AM
