By Vicki Courtney
Ah, another chapter in the girls gone wild epidemic that has infected teen culture. In case you didn't hear, Nicole is pregnant and facing possible jail time for a DUI and a prior drunken driving arrest. Yawn. Lindsey Lohan finished her rehab program just weeks ago, relapsed, got another DUI and could face up to six years in the slammer. Double yawn. But wait, that's not all. The media bottom-feeders hit the jackpot this week when they had to juggle between Lindsey's mug shot and news of Britney's melt-down during a photo shoot for Ok! magazine. And if the on-the-set sources are to be believed, this is not your average Britney melt-down (although "average" was redefined after the head-shaving incident). Erratic mood swings, eyes rolling back in her head while being photographed, paranoia about the ceiling caving in, wiping her grease-stained hands from lunch on the Gucci dress she was wearing, and a failure to react when her new puppy took a poo on an expensive designer gown. Who knows what's fact or fiction; even if only a portion is true, we can at the very least agree that the poor girl needs some help.
So, how then does this exactly matter to average people like you and me who don’t use or abuse drugs or alcohol, party till 3 a.m., or even think we are above the law? We don't want it to matter, but we are forced to respond when it's shoved down our throats at every media turn.
And so, it got me thinking. What is the take-away from the never-ending accounts of the celebrity train-wrecks that have become our steady diet, even if it’s force-fed? What can we learn from all this Hollywood dysfunction? Alot, for starters, but for now, I want to focus on one I'm betting the media won't cover.
I have begun to notice a common phrase that is used in the Brit-pack news accounts: "Cry for help." Now, think about it. Why do these girls need help? Didn't they simply buy into the culture's worldview that "anything goes"? Haven't they followed the advice of the trashy fashion magazines and lived out the sex-crazed, snag-a-man sub-titles in 3-D? Haven't they put their careers above such aspirations as marriage and motherhood and made millions along the way? It's all about them, 24/7, round the clock. Isn't this what "girl power" is all about?
But wait, I'm so confused. Why then, the cry for help? Could it be that living for self and engaging in endless sinful pleasures leaves one empty and powerless in the end? They're pushing a warped brand of girl power, if you ask me. If there was ever an endorsement for making virtue the new vogue, it can be found by watching these girls self-destruct in the public eye. And maybe that is the good that will come of this--a revival of virtue in today's culture. One can only hope. In the meantime, my prayers are with them. Rest assured, there is One who hears their cries for help and can turn their lives around -- if they're willing to listen. And I should know. My life is living proof of that fact.
What do you think? Is “girl power” worth it?
Comments (2)
I think that girl power is good if you use the way god would want you to use "girl power". God would want you to have fun with your friends, but he would not think that anyone should put them selves against the law. Sure you can say "I have girl power" but it is wrong to do those sort of things, its like abusing girl power. In conclusion, girl power is worth it if you use it the right way.
Posted by natalie | August 11, 2007 2:53 PM
...agree with the last paragraph: "But wait. I;m so conf...." As for "girl power"being worth it, I think being bought out to the world's "show case" as opposed to GOD's way (see Provbers 31,and Peter in the Bible) to get a grip on what a woman who pleases God looks like..then get busy cause it will never be finished untill we become like Jesus in heaven. That's girl power in Jesus.
Posted by sharon | September 7, 2007 11:44 AM