Nothing can be sold without a woman's body...

Nothing can be be sold without a woman's body...

Ever thought about that? Hmmm... I think it is more true than I think we realize.

Today I realized this as I'm sitting in a flight next to a guy. Now normally I don't pay much attention to men, they aren't worth the second glance. But what caught my eye today was the tattoo he had on his arm. It was the shadow of three crosses in the clouds and the outline of a man sitting next to them. Now I don't particularly agree with this tattoo...partly because only one man next to Jesus went to heaven, and Jesus didn't go to heaven right after the cross anyways. But hey, who am I to judge? It's a nice tattoo besides my little hang ups. It's brave to display your faith on your arm where there is no denying what you believe.

So being the wonderful nosey person I am, I started watching him. As most people on the flight he was bored so he started reading the wonderfully entertaining magazine that is located in the seat pocket in front of you. Okay if you didn't say that in an annoying loud speaker voice, you don't fly much. So I'm watching him read this magazine and I watch him pretend to be interested in what is on the front page. And I realize why he is so interested. There is a lady jogging in tight yoga pants with a low cut shirt. Now a girl would go, ugh I want her body, and move on. But this guy pretended to be interested in every word on the page.

Now before I go any further please let me clarify, I am not bashing on this man. For all I know he really was reading something that caught his eye. I am in no way better than him because he finds a woman's body appealing. My sins are just as "deadly" as his. And we have both been given the exact same amount of grace and forgiveness. The moral of this story has nothing to do with him whatsoever. So please know, I am in no way, shape, form, or size looking down on him, judging him, anything of the sort. Like I said, I am not certain that he was staring at her, this is simply my observation. And I was being ridiculously nosey.

Back to my story.

So he finally turns the page and bam! Another woman. Poor man. Geez. Bad enough there is a huge picture on the front, there's another one. Which again he spends extra amount of time reading that corner of the page. So I'm sitting here like holy cow. Can these guys get a break already? Next page....AGAIN. Tight pants, tight shirt, selling anything but the product. Hmmm...

So at this point I'm curious so I pull out the magazine myself cause I'm scared I might get caught staring soon! Every darn page of this thing has a woman on it. A pretty woman, tight clothes, selling something.

At this point I see another bored man looking at the same magazine. And guess what, he stops on all the same products too.

So basically, if you want to sell something you have to sell a woman's body first.

Now here is what's got me all riled up. A woman's body is beautiful, sacred. I know, I've got one. It's pretty awesome. And I don't want anyone seeing it but my husband. It's not for other men to stare at and drool over. I dress modestly for that reason alone. I don't want you dreaming about me in bed with you just because of the clothes I am wearing. Now it's not my fault if you do, you are responsible to God for your own actions. But so am I. And may I ask, what respect does it show I have for my body if I'm placing it on display for every one's view? Uh hello, none.

It's like when you go to buy a couch and they are all out of the one you want but they have the display one left. Oh sure it's the couch you want, but how many other people besides you have sat in it, farted in it...well you get my point. The display couch isn't fully yours, its been shared with those looking to buy before you.

I don't want to be a display couch.

I want to have one man who knows my body, not every man who walks down the street.

But why do we use a woman's body to sell things? Why do we take something sacred and beautiful and make it a display couch? Because you see, those women have husbands and boyfriends too. Those men have to deal with the fact that they are sharing their lovers body with a million other men's eyes.

Why? Why can't we sell products without selling ourselves? Why do we teach our girls through advertising and TV and movies that a woman's body belongs to men. That for men to "buy" it they have to be appealing and sexy. Why do we teach our girls to be display couches? Showing off everything they have to the next available buyer.

You know what happens with that mentality? Our precious girls get their hearts broken. Because not everyone who sits on a display couch buys that couch. Some just need a place to rest their feet, some are just looking. And when this happens girls feel like they are less valuable than the brand new couches so they put themselves on clearance for the lowest price. Hoping that someone will buy them if they don't have to pay much for them.

I've been a display couch. I've put myself on clearance. I've watched one man after another sit on me, throw his smelly feet up, and when he got bored he got up and moved on. When men don't pay a lot for something, they tend to move on to the next cheap thing very quickly.

But I also know that my God is in the upholstery business. I know He can take a clearance couch and make it brand new again. And this time, I'm made out of gold. And no man can tarnish my surface unless he puts a ring on my finger and says I do. Pay before you sit!

So lets help our boys stop sitting on display couches and lets teach our girls that their bodies are precious treasures, sexy and alluring, and made to stay in the box until the right man pays the right price.