Posted on 03/22/2011 3:50:08 PM PDT by iowamark
Women of a liberated generation wrestle with their eager-to-grow-up daughters—and their own pasts
...In a few years, their attention will turn to the annual ritual of shopping for a prom dress, and by then their fashion tastes will have advanced still more. Having done this now for two years with my own daughter, I continue to be amazed by the plunging necklines, built-in push-up bras, spangles, feathers, slits and peek-a-boos. And try finding a pair of sufficiently "prommish" shoes designed with less than a 2-inch heel...
A woman I know, with two mature daughters, said, "If I could do it again, I wouldn't even have slept with my own husband before marriage. Sex is the most powerful thing there is, and our generation, what did we know?"
We are the first moms in history to have grown up with widely available birth control, the first who didn't have to worry about getting knocked up. We were also the first not only to be free of old-fashioned fears about our reputations but actually pressured by our peers and the wider culture to find our true womanhood in the bedroom. Not all of us are former good-time girls now drowning in regret—I know women of my generation who waited until marriage—but that's certainly the norm among my peers.
So here we are, the feminist and postfeminist and postpill generation. We somehow survived our own teen and college years (except for those who didn't), and now, with the exception of some Mormons, evangelicals and Orthodox Jews, scads of us don't know how to teach our own sons and daughters not to give away their bodies so readily. We're embarrassed, and we don't want to be, God forbid, hypocrites...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Worse yet. I know a girl who got a tramp stamp and wore a thong on the beach......when her son was 12.
Ugh! Her justification: “I wanted to do it while I still had the butt to carry it off”. Yeah but the two kids should trump that thought.
I think I’ll get five teenagers together, including the two remaining girls, at some point. I had a batch of kids really fast there.
I heard that yesterday, and I can only blame the stores buyers. I send in plenty of complaints about the TRASH clothing to their web sites.
I’ve been buy my dresses from the Salvation Army for the past 10 years, as that is the only way I can find dress fit to wear to church.
I’m 62 and REFUSE to wear STREET WALKER clothing. I’ve been a committed Christian since I was 14 and have always dressed modestly. And my parents would have NEVER allowed that type of dressing or behavior. I wasn’t even allowed to wear makeup or date until I was 16.
Salvation Army is a good source, and they have a 1 day half price sale.
I always thought corsets served a dual purpose as waist cinchers and something to hold the spine together for all the hard work women had to do back then...
That’s a great point. Christian parents recognize by the nature of their belief that children are given to parents by God and that parents are responsible for raising them up correctly.
Abandon that “tradition”, kick the legs out of the stool, turn your back on God and this, quite naturally, is the result.
That a generation of elites is just realizing this tells you how far we’ve fallen and how far we have to go, but I think that marriage/sexuality has reached its nadir.
It may seem harsh, but reality is the best teacher.
“the corset was personal torture “
As the brasierre is now.
I can’t imagine any woman in her right mind writing in the Wall St. Journal that she was sorry about her sexual escapades of her youth.
What do her children think? What does her husband think? Has she no shame?
My mom had seven kids in ten years. She had a baby every year, for the first five years she was married.
Personally, I think that's the way to do it. If the nest fills quickly, it'll also empty quickly. There's also a lot to be said for kids having siblings who are close to their age. I think the bonds are tighter.
I left home for good at 20, and my younger siblings all followed in short order. Within a few years, it got pretty quiet around my mom's house.
I know what you mean about the Spanish language channels. I flip past them occasionally, and am amazed at the blatant sexual displays.
I’ve always wondered if part of the destruction of marriage as an institution is tied to blatant promiscuity. Does it lead to questioning husbands wondering if someone else was more special or if her “friend” is just that?
The Devil tempts and loves innuendo and doubt. What better way to poison a marriage than by fouling the marital bed. Throw in the normal stresses of family life, add a steady aging of the once youthful bride and viola - divorce and a wrecked home.
As for “shame” that sounds like a quaint 20th or possibly a 19th century term. ;-]
There is nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that I admire about moslems take on ANYTHING!
Why did she reveal her past to you?
I just saw “shorts” for girls at JC Penny’s that were called “Skimmers”. They are the ones that don’t even cover the cheeks. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
I just suck it up and buy the girls dresses from Lands End. Their girl jeans are higher on the waist, too. I’ve been blessed by running into Sears near the changing of seasons and have managed to stock up without breaking the bank. Fewer but higher quality items gives me a better shot at hand-me-downs.
You reminded me of Eva Cassidy singing Tall Trees in Georgia...
Beautiful and sad.
Check it out on you tube
Tall trees in Georgia,
They grow so high
They shade me so
As sadly walking
Through the thicket I go
The sweetest love I ever had
I left aside
Because I did not want
To be any man’s bride
But now I’m older
And married I would be
I found my sweetheart
But he would not marry me
When I was younger
The boys all came around
But now I’m older
And they’ve all settled down
Control your mind my girl
And give your heart to one
For if you love all men
You’ll be surely left with none
Tall trees in Georgia,
They grow so high
They shade me so
As sadly walking
Through the thicket I go ...home
You can make most clothing pieces modest using creative combinations. If the jeans are too tight or low rising, put them under a tunic or short dress. Wear leggings or pants under a short skirt. Wear a vest over a too-tight top. Drape a scarf to cover low-cut cleavage or wear a high-cut tank top underneath (this also prevents underwear peeking out when a girl bends over). Or if the top is loose fitting, layer it over a longer shirt.
I just got an ad flyer from Penney’s in the mail and saw the shorts. Egad. They don’t cover much of anything that needs to be covered! Ugh.
I guess the tomboy thing is not cool anymore? When I was coming of age, no self-respecting feminist girl cared about looking sexy for boys.
Ebay, ebay, ebay. There are people who make their livings going to thrift stores on dollar day, buying up the designer clothes, sorting them by size and reselling them as wholesale lots. I’ve bought boxes of 20 items for $20, kept half and sent the rest off to Goodwill for the next iteration.
A while back, PAB was on the show with a dress that was cut down to about her naval.
When she leaned forward, the nipple was about the only thing not showing.
When she caught her image on the monitor she struggled to cover up best as she could.
Greg and the boys had a ball that night.
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