"I have confidence in confidence alone!" by Julie Robison
"Sensible, Courageous, and Very Beautiful" by Trista (a.k.a. Megan Fox) at Not a Minx, Moron, or a Parasite
"Revealing" by Elizabeth at Startling the Day
We three are from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women. We're here to dispel the myths and misconceptions- please join us for the discussion!
Julie Andrews is dead sexy in The Sound of Music. Putting aside the obvious bias of sharing a name with said actress, her portrayal of Fraulein Maria showed us that life is worth embracing in any circumstances.
Her confidence, more than anything, is what drew people to her. She does not back down when the children play pranks on her, has the family say grace before dinner, and works within the boundaries she's given. She wore a heinous dress and didn't mind. It was her personality, positive outlook and amazing voice brings the children around and helps heal the loss of their mother.
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| Maria & the Captain minuettes in Salzburg |
In one of the many books the real Maria wrote about her life, I was always tickled by a story she recalled about being first married to the Captain, and trying to be like his first wife to please him. After the Captain teased her about how slowly she was knitting, he suggested they go for a bike ride instead. She refused, since his first wife had not been active. But what the Captain wanted is for Maria to love as selflessly as his first wife did, which she already did, and what he loved best about Maria was Maria herself. So off they rode!
Maria was no bombshell beauty. But can you imagine the Baroness crossing the Alps to escape the Nazis? If you don't believe me, then ask any male: survival skills are sexy. These skills may include killing bugs (small and large), making decisions, athletic ventures and standing up for yourself.
Sexiness is more often externally shown. A person's looks, confidence and general demeanor and personality can warrant a second look at a person one may usually scan over in a full room. Desire, then, is a deeper attraction.
Desire, however, can be good and bad.
For example: A girl walks into a room. Two guys see her. One thinks, wow. What a beautiful girl. I'd love to get to know her better. Second guy thinks, wow. What a beautiful girl. I want her.
As a female, I'd prefer the first guy. He's interested in the whole person, opposed to the second guy, who desires her body or action more than her personhood. Objectifying another person, male or female, is wrong. It puts worth in shallow qualities, and demeans the very person one claims to like.
Men and women want to be desired. Sexiness, then, can be a precursor to desire, rightly aligned. There is nothing wrong with being sexy or wanting to be desired. To make it one's purpose, and with a disregard for love or the other human beings who are present however, is a distortion of a person's inherent goodness. If one wants to be sexy by wearing the bare minimum, they are leading their brother or sister in Christ into tempting thought or actions. That is not loving behavior, and leads the desire away from goodness.
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| Look! Salzburg was expecting me! |
Sexiness comes in all shapes and sizes, but desire dwells in all of us. Just as we desire a deeper relationship with God, so we desire another human to be our companion. As Blessed John Paul II wrote in Love and Responsibility, "The value of a person is always greater than the value of pleasure."
What do you think? Does sexiness leave something to be desired? How does one discern desire?
I guess the problem here is one of semantics. I would suggest that both of those words have good, positive meanings, but they also have the distorted, twisted meanings given to them by the world. Our tricky job is to try and recover their authentic meaning.
ReplyDeleteNow, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go and make some play clothes out of some ghastly curtain fabric...
"Maria was no bombshell beauty. But can you imagine the Baroness crossing the Alps to escape the Nazis? If you don't believe me, then ask any male: survival skills are sexy."
ReplyDeleteWhat ... and ruin her manicure? But, really, "survival skills" goes beyond hunting, fishing and camping to changing a flat tire and balancing the checkbook. While granting that men generally like to feel needed for more than sex and taking out the trash, the kind of learned helplessness that some women associate with being "girly girls" becomes a drag over time. Survival skills, in this broader sense, aren't just sexy — they're desirable.
Great post, Fräulein Julie!
Sound of Music is my favorite movie of all time! I had a bad day the other day, so I came home, ate Indian food, put on my PJs and watched it again for the millionth time. When I was a little girl, I didn't take away from it that she loved selflessly (or as the Reverend Mother said she "had a great capacity to love")all I took away from it was that I wanted to be a nun. :)
ReplyDeleteBut! I agree with you that she had all these wonderful traits and was super confident.
God Bless Whatshisname!
I know that I stole your title and all, but I like the one you came up with! Great discussion - Maria is a wonderful role model :) Not that I have a special affinity for that movie or anything...
ReplyDeleteThe best movie ever created now holds a whole new meaning for me and all women. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteLove the connection to The Sound of Music! Also loved this Bright Maidens series, as I think it's a very important reminder for women, single and married alike.
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