Well. I was accused today of wearing “man teasers”. My shoes. My reply came quick. “I am of the persuasion, sir, that a man can only be teased if that’s what he’s wanting in the first place.” I warned the fellow bold enough to accuse me that I have plenty to say on that subject if he has the time. Apparently he didn’t. Thought so.What is it about heels that make men crazy? And no, I don’t believe it’s every man, either. I think the man who is attracted to every pair of feet (or even most) encased in a pair of heels, has a problem and needs to seek help.
A couple years ago, we heard preaching on the evils of high heels. The preacher concluded his message by saying that we females (young ladies) need to examine the reason why we are wearing the heels before we put them on.
This, I completely agree with. We should question the reason for the height of the heel. If we are wearing them to attract attention, then we ourselves need to seek help. That is a problem in itself. The constant desire to be noticed, seen and admired. I understand that it may be a God given characteristic of the female but I don’t believe God created it for the purpose that many women use it for today. Simply to “snag a man.”
It’s a proven fact that female Pentecostals stand out far more than males do. And I believe that because of this, Paul placed emphasis on the female standards and codes of dress more so than the man. We should be conscious of who and what we are portraying every moment of every day. We should seek to be a Godly witness in our conduct and our outward appearance. We should also be careful not to cause any man to stumble.
Romans 14:13 “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in [his] brother's way.”
Interesting, however, that we seem to skip the first part of this verse.
I am all for not causing my brother across the aisle to fall into the throes of lust over my choice of footwear but what happens when he does? Am I to blame if it was not my intent? I understand that there are some shoes designed and created to excite a man. I do not agree that every pair is. But what do I know? I’m not a man. Heels don’t turn me on.
What happens if the heels I am wearing are not questionable? (And who defines questionable anyway?) And the brother across the aisle still lusts? Who is at fault? Am I really being sent to hell for wearing the pair that best matches my skirt? Or the ones that don’t cause my feet to sweat? Or the ones that are more comfortable?
Really?
excellent post, my dear. you articulated quite well my feelings on this topic.
ReplyDelete*Sigh* Wish I could present it one Tuesday night. "Here, read this aloud!"
ReplyDeleteYeah, maybe not.
Here's a little something to chew on...
ReplyDeleteHollywood sets fashions (currently it's bare legs, very high heels) that appear sexy because that's what Hollywood is all about. Some may think "if you wear shoes like the latest sex kitten (or desperate housewife), then you must be a sex kitten (or want to be.)" Of course we gals know that's not true, a cute pair of shoes is a cute pair of shoes. But still...
Of course the object of lust is ever changing. There was a time when hose without a seam in the back were preached against (legs looked bare), then it was hose WITH a seam in the back (drawing attention to the leg), then it was some other style.
So the question is: Are you dressing to be like Hollywood or do you just like the current fashion? I've lived long enough that there are some trends you couldn't pay me to wear! (And really high heels kill my size 5 feet).
Oh one other thing (sorry for writing a book here) - high heels do cause a woman to walk with more of a (ahem) shall we say "sway" - so what may really be causing the attention isn't the shoes but how they make women walk in them.
That still doesn't mean a man shouldn't control his own lust!
I sooo agree, Sis. M.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is why I asked my parents (when it was preached) if I walked with my...ahem swinging when I wore heels. And I received an honest answer.
I think I've been wearing them for so long that I can, for the most part, control the sway but the higher the heel, the harder it is. lol And I try not to wear those heels much (I only own a few pairs) and make sure that when I do wear them, I am not doing any walking around, in front of or near men in the church. Also, I wear them with a long, flowing, skirt. Make sense?
So I try to "tone down" the effect of the super high heel.
The funny thing was, the shoes I was wearing that day were the shoes in the picture! Not that high by anyone's standards! AND I was wearing a skirt that didn't even reveal my calf!
I think that's what made it so unbelievable. The fact that even my father and pastor wouldn't find anything wrong with it. :)
It's such a challenge sometimes.
Sounds like the guy who made the comment had the problem. Or it was his attempt at a pick-up line...
ReplyDeleteAnd I, as the "boss lady", can't say anything offensive back.
ReplyDelete*Sigh* I repeat, such a challenge. :)
I've been thinking about what I wrote and realized I may have come across a bit accusatory. When I wrote, "Are you dressing to be like Hollywood or do you just like the current fashion?" I wasn't referring to YOU specifically, I meant all of us. This has been going on as long as I can remember - 30 years ago there were girls in my youth group who wanted to tease and dressed accordingly. I didn't think that of you and wanted to make sure you knew!
ReplyDeleteAww! Thanks! No, I didn't think that but it was BIG of you to clear that up. :)
ReplyDelete