This is a picture of the 2008 Brio Girl. She is basically Christian Girl of the Year. They are all always pretty, but never too curvy.

Has anyone else noticed that middle class, good Christian girls who do get the good guys (or at least, non-abusive) pretty much have the same look? Big eyes, small figure, perfect hair?

I read so many things with the theme of “God don’t make junk” (yes, an actual phrase), but never felt pretty and never attracted any guys. Of course, I really wasn’t attractive. My hair then didn’t know what it wanted to do–curly or straight? so it just frizzed. My breasts were too large, my teeth were too crooked. My clothes came from places like Wal Mart and JcPenney, and my parents picked them out until I got a job and started buying them myself. So really, there wasn’t anything attractive about me. I think a lot of it, though, had to do with a lack of confidence. Most of the Christian kids around me were Baptist and not as extreme as my family. So they did know the pop cultural references and current events. I did not, so I shied away.

But I think there might be even more to it. I remember reading an article where Jessica Simpson’s father mentioned trying to get into Christian music first. He said the Christian music people were far more concerned with looks than the secular ones (I couldn’t find the original article I read, but I did find Simpson’s comments on it here, two paragraphs above Ashlee Simpson’s segment). Namely, she was too sexy. Despite her conservative clothes, Christian labels thought she had too many curves. And you know what, it’s true. The vast majority of Christian artists and models have small breasts and no hips. Of course, the same could be said of secular artists, too, except larger breasts (in proportion to one’s body) are idealized. And, too, these are conservative Christian organizations that place extreme emphasis on the heart and seeing in others what Jesus  sees. That was the thing: in Christian world, you’re supposed to be sexy, but not too sexy. You were supposed to be outgoing, but not too outgoing or strong, because who could trust a strong, outgoing wife to be submissive? Or of a gentle and quiet spirit? I put on a gentle and quiet spirit, but it wasn’t really me. It made me timid and afraid to express my beliefs, dulling down what had once been a vibrant personality. I am not the only one. Entire books, blogs (the blog I linked is particularly telling–I used to be a huge fan of the Lady in Waiting concepts),  and Bible studies teach women how to turn down their opinions and ideas to learn to submit and put on a gentle and quiet spirit. I tried, and I succeeded in convincing myself that’s who I really was for awhile.  My senior year in high school, I worked very hard on making myself gentle, quiet, and submissive around guys, only letting my “true” personality show around my girl friends. Needless to say, it led to a lot of depression and loneliness, bringing up an interesting question for young Christian women: what if God gave you leadership qualities and curves?

I had all the wrong parts: flaming red hair and a very curvy figure. An outgoing, strong personality suppressed by years of Christian literature. For most of my teen years, I did nothing with my hair and hid my figure in dowdy clothes. My college years, I fixed my hair, but still dressed and acted very conservatively. The most conservative of dress, however, couldn’t hide my curves, though I tried desperately. I slumped because it made my breasts look smaller. I wore minimizing bras and baggy clothing so it wouldn’t look  like I was trying to show off. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never look the part. I was pretty much doomed.

Thoughts? Experiences?

(The pictures at the bottom are covers from books and magazines I read regularly or were exposed to. Notice that the models don’t always look like supermodels, but they are still pretty. A lot of girls in youth groups really do look like that. I never did. The magazine is Brio magazine. It’s published by Focus on the Family. I was a reader for about 5 years or so. Anyone out there a de-converted Brio Sis of mine?)

Yes, you read the top corner right: this is a Bible. New Testament, to be exact.

2009 Brio Girl

A book I owned

aka, How to Be the Perfect Christian Girl. Probably my favorite book as a teen.

This is a picture of Susie Shellenberger, creator and editor of Brio. She is the only woman in popular conservative Christian culture who did not look the part of the stereotypical Christian girl. She has never married.

Tags: body image, Brio, Brio magazine, Christian girls, Christian women, Christianity, Jessica Simpson, modesty, religion

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Bible and Theology, Church and Ministry, fundamentalism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.