I love media. I love the message and opportunity it brings to us.
I used to watch the news all the time. I used to get involved in the stories that my television shared with me because it was a rush to feel angry or frustrated or fearful about whatever was happening in the world around me. To say I used to BELIEVE everything the tube told me then I would bring it into my reality and live it out.
Today I look at every news story as an opportunity to change my perspective or at least look a little closer for the truth. It's way more fun.
Take Miley Cyrus for instance (oh I hate that I am adding to the blogs about her situation but here I am). The girl looks like a hot mess doesn't she? And she's definitely got the panties of women all over the world in a knot over her behaviour at the MTV awards. My God how on earth could one girl single-handedly destroy all that we women have worked for to become equals in this world (insert sarcasm)???
The trouble is that we believe Miley Cyrus owes us something. Maybe she owes it to us to show our daughters what 'proper' behaviour in the public eye looks like. Maybe she owes it to us to keep herself pure and innocent as we are used to seeing her in the beginning of her career. Maybe she owes it to us to keep herself covered up while she performs on stage.
Or maybe she owes it to us to show us the paradigm we are living in. The fragile, thin line that we walk as a society that says we want women to have the right to uncover their bodies in public and where we publicly harass another for wearing too little? Well which is it people? Do you want women to have the freedom to show their bodies in public or not? Make your decision?
In ancient civilizations and even in nature (no we are not animals, I know that) you will find dancing more provocative than what you saw on the MTV stage. If you were to visit African villages undisturbed by media you would find that the children dance almost exactly the way Miley danced (okay maybe not with their tongues hanging out) the other night. What we tell ourselves is a disgusting display by celebrities is most often a cultural tradition in some parts of the world. I remember a teacher going off to Africa to build houses and she took videos of the children dancing; she admitted to me that it made her feel very uncomfortable to watch children that age dance in the way they were dancing.
The quote 'you cannot serve two masters' comes to mind when I see situations like this.
I believe that the world is going to show us more and more where we are trying to serve two masters; it's going to challenge our belief systems to the point where we will have no choice but to see things from a different angle. I believe this is the only way to true heaven on earth.
The second part of this that I want to mention is that anything that brings up this much discomfort, anger and disgust is worth looking more closely at. I wasn't personally offended by her performance (I've watched it four times) though I could see that she is very comfortable in her own skin and in her sexuality. Neither of those things are something I am comfortable with on my own. Are you?
And I dare say there are many girls who aren't comfortable in their own skin or with their own sexuality. Could this latest Cyrus stunt be the gateway to a conversation about body image and being comfortable with who we are? Instead of looking at ways to stop this stuff from hitting our television sets so our precious, young daughters aren't corrupt by it we could turn it into a learning opportunity. "How do you think Miley feels about her body? Why do you think she feels that way?"
I know some girls would have reacted in disgust to her behaviour. I know if I was watching that with my own mother I'd pretend it bothered me too but inside I would most likely be feeling like I wished I could be so secure and open with my body and sexuality.
We live in a miraculous time where we have information and opportunities for growth at every turn. Why don't we start taking them instead of turning them all into something negative; something to be stopped?
I used to watch the news all the time. I used to get involved in the stories that my television shared with me because it was a rush to feel angry or frustrated or fearful about whatever was happening in the world around me. To say I used to BELIEVE everything the tube told me then I would bring it into my reality and live it out.
Today I look at every news story as an opportunity to change my perspective or at least look a little closer for the truth. It's way more fun.
Take Miley Cyrus for instance (oh I hate that I am adding to the blogs about her situation but here I am). The girl looks like a hot mess doesn't she? And she's definitely got the panties of women all over the world in a knot over her behaviour at the MTV awards. My God how on earth could one girl single-handedly destroy all that we women have worked for to become equals in this world (insert sarcasm)???
The trouble is that we believe Miley Cyrus owes us something. Maybe she owes it to us to show our daughters what 'proper' behaviour in the public eye looks like. Maybe she owes it to us to keep herself pure and innocent as we are used to seeing her in the beginning of her career. Maybe she owes it to us to keep herself covered up while she performs on stage.
Or maybe she owes it to us to show us the paradigm we are living in. The fragile, thin line that we walk as a society that says we want women to have the right to uncover their bodies in public and where we publicly harass another for wearing too little? Well which is it people? Do you want women to have the freedom to show their bodies in public or not? Make your decision?
In ancient civilizations and even in nature (no we are not animals, I know that) you will find dancing more provocative than what you saw on the MTV stage. If you were to visit African villages undisturbed by media you would find that the children dance almost exactly the way Miley danced (okay maybe not with their tongues hanging out) the other night. What we tell ourselves is a disgusting display by celebrities is most often a cultural tradition in some parts of the world. I remember a teacher going off to Africa to build houses and she took videos of the children dancing; she admitted to me that it made her feel very uncomfortable to watch children that age dance in the way they were dancing.
The quote 'you cannot serve two masters' comes to mind when I see situations like this.
I believe that the world is going to show us more and more where we are trying to serve two masters; it's going to challenge our belief systems to the point where we will have no choice but to see things from a different angle. I believe this is the only way to true heaven on earth.
The second part of this that I want to mention is that anything that brings up this much discomfort, anger and disgust is worth looking more closely at. I wasn't personally offended by her performance (I've watched it four times) though I could see that she is very comfortable in her own skin and in her sexuality. Neither of those things are something I am comfortable with on my own. Are you?
And I dare say there are many girls who aren't comfortable in their own skin or with their own sexuality. Could this latest Cyrus stunt be the gateway to a conversation about body image and being comfortable with who we are? Instead of looking at ways to stop this stuff from hitting our television sets so our precious, young daughters aren't corrupt by it we could turn it into a learning opportunity. "How do you think Miley feels about her body? Why do you think she feels that way?"
I know some girls would have reacted in disgust to her behaviour. I know if I was watching that with my own mother I'd pretend it bothered me too but inside I would most likely be feeling like I wished I could be so secure and open with my body and sexuality.
We live in a miraculous time where we have information and opportunities for growth at every turn. Why don't we start taking them instead of turning them all into something negative; something to be stopped?
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