Sarah Palin is easily the most recognizable woman in North American politics. While Palin has little experience and few accomplishments under her belt, the former governor of Alaska has become iconic. Despite my love of – nay, obsession with – Tina Fey, I feel that the comedian is partially to blame for the over-exposure Palin has received. For weeks leading up to the 2008 election, I devoured every Palin-impersonation Tina Fey performed. Admit it; you did too. It was pure gold. And just a little bit frightening.  The  more ridiculous Fey’s impersonations became, the closer they seemed to Palin’s actual appearances. It was much like trying to figure out whether it was Oprah or Joel Osteen that coined recognizable inspirational statements.

Recently, Palin hit the headlines again. This time, she’s following in the footsteps of George W. Bush and creating her own words and pronunciations. Check out this clip:

That’s right. The Obama’s are yet to “refudiate” claims that the Tea Party movement is innately racist. Refudiate.

Had the woman any grace or poise, she would have moved on, unfazed, instead of trying to make “refudiate” a word. Instead, Palin tweeted the following:

“‘Refudiate,’ ‘misunderestimate,’ ‘wee-wee’d up.’ English is a living language. Shakespeare liked to coin new words too. Got to celebrate it!”

She actually dug herself deeper into the whole by using a phrase I’ve personally never heard before – “wee-wee’d up.” Such abuse of the English language is enough to convince me that Palin is a harbinger of the apocalypse. Unless Harry, Ron, and Hermione can find and destroy all of Dick Cheney’s horcruxes, this might just be the end of the world as we know it.

But I digress!

I think Palin sends several negative messages to young women:

1. It’s okay to be stupid. As long as you look pretty.
2. Playing down any shred of intelligence you may have is alright. People find stupid women charming!
3. Be more concerned with what you’re putting on top of your head than what you’re putting inside.
4. Never take ownership of your mistakes or accept constructive criticism.
5. Be quick to speak and slow to think.

She’s a terrible role model.  And our world is seriously lacking strong female role models for young girls.

It’s not funny anymore. I can’t honestly say I find a single thing about her amusing. I would really, really, REALLY like the Republican party to front one intelligent, educated, articulate female figurehead just to prove that it’s possible. Until then, we’re stuck with Palin and Coulter. That’s enough to keep my feet firmly planted in the Democrats’ camp.

Let’s all ignore her and hope that she goes away. That always worked in grade school…

The illustrious Adam Schellenberg made a good point in his response to my last post. He explained that he is a Masculinist. What is a Masculinist? Adam was kind enough to provide us with a definition:

The noun masculinist can mean several things, but this is what I mean by it: someone who champions the dignity, rights, responsibilities, and glories of men as equal in importance to those of women and who therefore refuses discrimination against men. (GQ, Fall 2007)

Clearly, I don’t read GQ nearly enough, as I had never heard of the Masculinist movement. (har har) Nonetheless, Adam brings to light a great point.  In our quest to shatter stereotypical gender roles, we have focused primarily on women.  There are few voices discussing gender stereotypes forced upon young men.

Several years ago, I saw the following documentary.  The production quality is low, so it might come across a bit cheesy, but I think it makes many good points.

Men are forced into a “tough guise.”  Masculinity is often judged in terms of cocky bravado and physical strength.  From a very early age, we condition male and female children differently.  If a little girl falls, everyone stops to make sure the delicate little flower wont shrivel up and die.  If a little boy takes a tumble, we often encourage him to shake it off and show “what a big boy” he is.  Society preaches that boys shouldn’t cry.

While I think our society has reigned in violent influences on young men, there is still a black list of things that “real men” should never do. There are sweeping generalizations – show no weakness, be the primary breadwinner, show dominance, etc.  And then there are subjective areas where men must walk a thin tightrope.  Men can be musicians – but only if they play something cool and manly, like guitar or drums. In my years of music education in the public school system, I only knew one male flautist; interestingly enough, he was a Korean immigrant that learned to play before relocating to the States.  In America, playing the flute is clearly promoted as a “girly” activity.  Boys can be athletic – as long as their sports are very aggressive; boys should not do ballet or cheerleading. Admit it (yes, even the ladies), your gut reaction to boys that dance or cheer is to question their sexuality.   And men can teach, as long as it’s a “manly” subject, like math, science, PE, auto shop…

We are naturally suspicious of men that show a gentle or sensitive side.  At my church – and I could be very mistaken (I work in the Children’s Ministry, so that likely isn’t the case) – we don’t have any male volunteers in the Early Childhood program.  Actually, I don’t think we have any male volunteers that work with Children under the age 8, unless they’re involved in our Boy’s Club. The vast majority of elementary school teachers are female. And when was the last time you met a male preschool teacher?   We are wary about leaving our children in the care of men, and assume that men working with small children are creepy or gay.

And don’t get me started on the expectancy that men have to be the primary breadwinner.  One Seattle church even practices church discipline for men who choose to be stay at home parents…

What does it mean to provide for your family?  I had a preacher-man father who disappeared for weeks at a time to do God’s work.  I love my dad and we have a great relationship now, but growing up, I needed a my dad to be around, to be emotionally available.  A man’s provision for his family can’t just be monetary.  And if it works best that a father is the primary care giver of children or shares those duties with the mother, why shouldn’t he?  I know a number of single dads that are doing a much better job of raising their kids than the mothers would have done.    In a world where women can make as much as their husbands – and in a lot of cases, more than their husbands – why should gender be a determining factor in who raises children?  Shouldn’t we be more concerned with who is best wired to fulfill the needs of the children?  A mother resentful about staying home with her children will not be as successful as a father that is excited and eager to raise his kids.

So yes, I am a masculinist, too.  I don’t want gender to get in the way of a man expressing himself or pursuing a world full of opportunities.  When we consider gender roles, we must remember that there are two sides; the roles forced upon men are equally oppressive as those forced upon women today.

My public declaration that I had become a feminist – better yet, that I had always been a feminist and finally understood and accepted the descriptor – was met with quite a bit of shock. Actually, I received quite the backlash from a number of balkers.

I do not fit the mold of feminist preconceptions established by the radical feminists of the second wave.  I’m an evangelical pro-lifer. I practice and preach abstinence. And I wear a bra. I was met with surprise from almost everyone when I came out as a feminist. On one hand, my friends that don’t share my values were shocked that a churchy girl could be a feminist. On the other end of the spectrum, friends and family that subscribe to my spiritual and moral views no doubt thought I was was about to start reenacting scenes from Sex and the City under the pretense of feminism.

Most people don’t understand what it means to be a feminist.  In actuality, I think everyone should be a feminist.  Professor and theologian John G. Stackhouse offers a great working definition of the word feminist:

The noun feminist can mean several things, but this is what I mean by it: someone who champions the dignity, rights, responsibilities, and glories of women as equal in importance to those of men and who therefore refuses discrimination against women. (Finally Feminist, 17)

How can you argue with that?  I definitely couldn’t.

Compared to previous generations, I think young women have a remarkable amount of freedom to do and be whatever they can dream up.  Women are doctors and lawyers and judges and CEO’s. But just because women are reaching higher heights than ever before, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t had a few doors slammed firmly in their faces; many successful women have had to climb through a number of windows on their way to the top.  I happen to believe that as more of the older generation retire, a lot of these issues will be worked out.

However, I think there are still many pressing concerns that we all must concern ourselves about.  The objectification of women continues at an alarming rate. My generation was force fed the faux-feminism of the Spice Girls and Britney Spears, which taught us that girl power lay in a great rack, a belly shirt, and the ability to shake ones ass to second-rate pop music.  Ten years later, is it any wonder that seven-year-olds are finding their worth and value in those same poorly constructed values?  (see video below)

No. Girls are still taught that their value lies in their ability to attract men and to become possessions.

Another issue I find particularly concerning is the derogatory way in which “women’s work” is regarded.  Cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, and a plethora of other tasks generally performed by women, are some how seen as less important contributions to society than “real” careers. I see it in the way people look at my mum when they hear she stayed home to raise my brother and I; there’s no respect for the 24  long, hard years she devoted to supporting our family.    If a man takes up too much of the burden of cooking, cleaning, or child-rearing, his masculinity and sexuality is questioned, as if he’s somehow less of a man for “lowering” himself to do a woman’s work. Women can never win; if a woman does build a career and excel in the work place, she is guilted for “abandoning her family” or “being a bad mother.”  Women are held to impossible standards.

I have always been a feminist.  I’ve been a feminist since the first time anger boiled in the pit of my stomach when my softball coach told me that I “throw like a girl.”  I’ve been a feminist since the first time I shot daggers at a guy for suggesting I “go into the kitchen and get him a sandwich.”  But I’m a new breed of feminist.

I use my rolling pin to put up pictures when I can’t find a hammer.  I bake a fantastic batch of cookies for my male coworkers, and then match their career strides.  I nurture and love the children put in my care, but I don’t let my love and compassion cloud my logic.  And I don’t let the fact I’m a woman dictate limits to who I can be or what I can achieve.

And I’m strong enough to shake it off when your preconceived notions of what a “feminist” is and believes and wants to achieve make you think poorly of me because you wont try to see beyond yourself to understand another person’s point of view.