A CEREBRAL NON-FLAUNTER
The unexpected power of covering, a resource held in reserve
Ephesians 6:14-17 on the full armor of God
Psalm 26:6 "I will wash mine hands in innocency..."
I am the Cerebral Anti-Flaunt.
Our USA culture in 2024, is awash in flaunt and flash. From myself, a survivor of the chaos of the "freedom" of the sexual revolution of the 1960's and 1970's, I see the sorrowful weaving of chaos and darkness being preached as "freedom.” This is the devil's lair, a place of lies.
Having myself been a very promiscuous person in my youth, in which I had multiple sexual partners and chased men without reserve, I can tell you being promiscuous is not fun. It is crass and core marketing, not pure and not simple. Sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies (two) that ended in abortion in 1973, broken heart in multiplicity, being treated with profound disrespect and treated as multiple orifices, the whole marketing gig is pretty stark. Flaunting may be a female act of desperate defense but one I never pursued, past the wearing of tight jeans. Not being built like a brick outhouse, I did not flaunt that much but rather used my gaze to draw men I was attracted to. I was very good at it, for being so small and not a flaming “hottie” on the surface. I had (and still do) the intellect and depth of thought to aim my focus on people. I succeeded often but I paid a stern price. That fallen angel, Lucifer is an excellent liar. He entices, he cajoles, he mocks, he entertains, pressures, he outright lies and tramples all that is kind and comforting and sweet and tender. He is darkness incarnate. He was cast out of heaven for boastfully wanting to take God’s place and his influence is too pervasive, especially in women's fashion. The nudge, the push, the intensive selling of seduction and harshness has had a staggering cost, especially to children and young women. Trafficking, prostitution, lowering of self-image, harshness, hardness, mean-ness, ”girl-boss” (whatever that is?) and sheer ugliness being sold as beauty, it is truly horrendous. I think of my own childhood so long ago and there was nothing remotely like this being sold. I do not say that darkness was not there, as my own parent's generation had to endure the Great Depression and WW2, the horrors of that are incomprehensible ( I lost an Uncle on D-Day in Normandy). My own Boomer generation had the nasty little Vietnam war, in which one of my brothers died. I just long, as King David spoke of in the Psalms, to wash my hands innocency, to be fully cleansed of harshness, cynicism and malaise of spirit. My pursuit of promiscuity in my youth was NOT fun. The Boomer generation paid an awful price for prying the dark door all the way open and I was right in the middle of it. It was painful, it was sorrowful, it was yucky, it was disease-prone, it was horribly lonely. I do not say that marriage to one man for life is at all easy, I did not succeed at it…but God planned human sexuality for a safe expression of love between husband and wife and for the possible children they might create together. He did not extol any virtues of being promiscuous, and trust me, as one who was quite active in this, it is a dark alley and the devil’s prime target for fomenting dismay and despair, especially between men and women.
Now in my Elder years, I seek the comfort of being covered. I am not speaking of garments from the neck to the ankles but rather just not cut down to the navel, not skin tight, nor micro-mini-skirts. An honorable tempering is a good thing. Mystery is a good thing, although I am also not speaking of being seductive or being a tease. I prefer the intellect at this point of my life, not sexual contact.
Why is it a revolutionary idea to be more covered before the profane of the world? Why has modesty become stodgy? Why is hanging it all out now a good thing?? I profoundly disagree, based on my own visceral and unhappy experience and what I observe in 2024.
I am the polar opposite of an exhibitionist, not remotely interested in flaunting it in any way. While this shoves back on the current " naked fashion " fad that truly debases women and puts vulnerable young women on degrading display, this grows out profoundly from the desensitization and plague of porn. I am, as a woman of God and follower of Christ, simmering deeply on my desire to be covered. This is not ‘holier than thou”, as I have bluntly shared my sorrowful lustful journey of the past.
A radical and fascinating Japanese clothing designer, Rei Kawakubo of Comme de Garcon, has had a thoroughly deep and wholly eccentric look at clothing, in which many of her garments are covering and not revealing ! I remember her speaking about essentially drawing attention via the mind and not the body! What a thoroughly revolutionary idea for womens garments!! While I have not worn any Comme de Garcon clothes, I can totally relate to this concept, especially in 2024, with the ugly flaunting out there. Showing your breasts in public, like you are a piece of meat, no thanks. You will not be treated with respect.
Right now, more than ever, I need a Buff coat. I need more protection from the ravening world of June 2024
What in the actual hey is... a Buff coat?
Clothing as protection?? A novel idea? Nope.
A life long lover of all things fabric, garments and style, I have a fascination of what I call sublime utility or clothing for basic everyday wear or utilitarian function. This would include some uniforms and military garments. Military clothing is especially fascinating to me, as it is made for perfect function and protective factor, notwithstanding the core purpose of it.
In meandering through one of my garment history books, I came across something called a Buff coat. Being a lover of words as well as garments, I had to pounce on this Buff coat. Sometimes made from buffalo hide or heavy leather, the buff coat would fit underneath armor and/ or the top clothing, the substance of the thick leather acting as extra protection or deterrent to knives or arrows.
Wow.
Just what I need for our chaotic and debased world right now.
A tough-buff coat, right away, please!
A layer to keep the arrows out.
I keep first of all, the spiritual protection of the Full Armor of God in Ephesians 6, including the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation. Spiritual warfare is just as intense as physical warfare and the need for covering in both physical and spiritual realms could not be more intense right now. I am blending my love of garments with my love of God and the honorable beauty of women, to solidify the cry for help to God! Keep us in humility, as the Psalmist cried out so long ago, “I will wash my hands in innocency.”
WEW June 7, 2024
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Thank you, Wendy. This was a straightforward and honest post. I enjoyed reading the content. As an editor & friend, I would encourage you to place a space between your paragraphs to make the reading flow more smoothly and dynamic. Secondly, keep paragraphs to around 120 words. By maintaining these two editorial goodies, you will attract more readers.