Mary Quant, still living, born in 1934 in Wales, England, is one of the world’s most notable women’s fashions designers and is claimed by many to be the originator of the miniskirt and hot pants in the 1950’s.
In a number of previous postings on this site I have presented my views from a Christian perspective on the role and value of women in society. Considering our American society today, many women, especially young women, dress and behave in a way that is in contrast to such Christian standards. I have often thought that men have been at the forefront of designing women’s fashions that tend to expose the most amount of skin to seemingly attract men in such a way as to be degrading to women; this needs revision.
American women started wearing miniskirts and hot pants in the 60s and 70s. In January of 1973 the US Supreme Court made abortion on demand available to American women. The pill and other contraceptive devices made it possible for women to engage in sexual encounters with a limited fear of pregnancy but should a pregnancy occur and the fetus or child be not wanted then abortion was always handy. As a result, men have looked upon women as objects of sex and pleasure while at the same time women have felt liberated by being in control of their reproduction and have felt free, if they so choose, to engage men without fear of being stuck with a child.
The result has been a decline in modesty, virtue and leaving sexuality to the province of marriage and raising a family. There has also been a decline in spirituality and a belief in God, replaced by a whole philosophy of life which looks upon pleasure as the most important aspect of living. The current tendency for many people, especially the young, is to look upon the government as the agency that can provide them the good things of life without having to share very much in the uplifting of the society through betterment of others and not just themselves.
It has been necessary to rethink the role of men in bringing about this degradation of women. It has been women themselves who, through feminism starting back in the late 19th century, are attempting to prove themselves equal to men in every regard. They demand the same pay as men, they desire to have any job that a man has, to play any sport that a man plays, to be CEOs, to be soldiers, to be generals, to have as much sex as they desire just like a man. To these feminists women and men are alike in every way but physical features.
Mary Quant gives an Interview
To get an inkling of how these feminist women think, let’s take a look at some responses Mary Quant gave to an interviewer, Alison Adburgham, Tuesday 10 October 1967 in The British publication, The Guardian:
Asked by Alison whether Mary “did not feel there to be an element of vulgarity in cut-out and see-through dresses which, giving an illusion of nothing beneath, can be regarded as an aspect of the permissive society”, Mary responded "But I love vulgarity. Good taste is death, vulgarity is life."
Further, Mary says, “But the young today are less materialistic and more intelligent than they've ever been. And they've got sex in perspective, they're not hung up on it any more, it's not difficult, they take it or leave it alone. They want money to spend, of course, but they don't want permanent possessions and super places to live in”………”After all, every trouble in the world has been caused by envy, cupidity, material ambitions. The young today have no ambitions. It's sick to be ambitious - only the creative people are ambitious.”
Alison asks, “You know James Laver's famous fashion theory of the erogenous zone which shifts the focus of attraction in different periods from ankles, to hips, to breasts and so on… what is the erogenous zone of our present period?"
Mary, "The crutch (crotch). This is a very balanced generation, and the crutch is the most natural erogenous zone. Clothes are designed to lead the eye to it. The way girls model clothes is all doing the same thing. It's not 'come hither,' but it's provocative. She's standing there defiantly with her legs apart saying 'I'm very sexy, I enjoy sex, I feel provocative, but you're going to have a job to get me. You've got to excite me and you've got to be jolly marvelous to attract me…' Now that there is the pill, women are the sex in charge. They, and they only, can decide to conceive."
"Pornography is great if it's good.", says Mary
"What is good pornography?", Asks Alison
"Good pornography is erotic but pleasing. Only ugliness is obscene.", responds Mary
Mary asserts, “Now America has produced a million or more people who have refused to go and kill. If there were a war in Europe tomorrow, there would be millions of European conscientious objectors. The Beautiful People are non-violent anarchists, constructive anarchists. They are the real breakthrough.
Alison writes: But there is an ironical twist to this that Mary Quant has noticed. She says that in the days when parents were too shy to tell their daughters about sex, girls were brought up on purely romantic ideas and when they married it was often a shock.
Alison continues, Now, when sex is discussed everywhere, parents are shy of talking about romance and true love… Mary states, "Girls simply aren't prepared. Then when they fall in love, they lose their heads, and that's when they get deliberately pregnant."
End of Mary Quant’s (edited) interview
The last observations by Alison and Mary herself give rise to an understanding that these feminist lack of moral standards have made the situation worse. If America, and indeed Europe and the rest of the world, is to survive, God and His Standards of Morality must be regarded as fundamental along with proper education in schools and by parents with their young. There is much good work to be done.
Mary Quant talks to Alison Adburgham, Tuesday, October 10, 1967, http://century.guardian.co.uk/1960-1969/Story/0,6051,106475,00.html
No comments:
Post a Comment