burquas

I've been thinking a lot about clothes recently. Probably because the seasons have changed again and I wish I could afford lots of new ones, but also because I'm assessing the ones that I still have and if they're clothes that I want to wear.
I'm wondering how people see me in these clothes, if I'm revealing too much, if they're attractive and if they should be. How much skin should I show and what would that man walking with his wife and kids at the grocery store think of me if I wore them. Would I cause him to take his eyes off of his wife for a moment?
There was a time that I would feel flattered by a man's wandering eye and a little powerful. I didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
A number of years ago, while I was still struggling with the weight I gained during my third pregnancy, I was praying about how to lose the weight. The motivation I used to use just didn't seem right to me anymore. I couldn't reconcile being a follower of Jesus and someone who wanted to catch the eye of men.
On the flip side, I wanted to be attractive to my husband and still do.
I've been thinking about teenage girls and unmarried women too and what a struggle they have. They want to catch the eye of the boys and feel special and noticed. The quickest way to do that is to wear clothes that are sexy and show off their bodies. I know these girls don't necessarily want what the boys are thinking, but they do enjoy the attention,or pretend not to. It must be frustrating for the girls who dress more conservatively, who want to be seen for who they are, not what they look like. They want to be noticed too.
So I started thinking about the women who wear burquas. I saw a lady in a burqua once, at Marine Land. She looked kinda scary, like someone in a ghost costume. I couldn't see her face. I couldn't tell if she was happy or sad. Her children, that were enjoying the ride, couldn't see her joyful expressions. On the other hand, no man could either. They couldn't see her pretty face or any wayward glance she might give them. The burqua completely covered everything that might betray that she was a woman. She belonged to her husband.
I've heard it said that some women who wear burquas enjoy the safety that they bring. These women would never be guilty of causing a man to lust after her. She is safely hidden beneath the burqua.
The long dresses and head coverings of other cultures seem strange to us, but I like what they stand for. They are keeping themselves only for their husbands, not even attempting to catch the eye of anyone else. That's admirable. I wonder if they find it frustrating when other women don't show the same restraint in their clothing choices.
I stood behind a Mennonite family in line at the grocery store. They all wore the plain clothing that Mennonite people often wear. I wondered if it was difficult for the men to divert their eyes from the colorfully dressed women all around them. I wondered too, if their wives felt a little less beautiful. I started to feel ashamed of my t-shirt and pants. It made me think about what it would be like to go shopping beneath a burqua. It might be kind of fun to make faces at people who can't see me and know that every woman is not feeling threatened and every man that's looking is only thinking that I look really strange.
I wonder if there's a happy medium. If there is...I hope to find it.

Spark People

I have discovered a new web site! http://sparkpeople.com It is sooo cool.
Okay, (surprise, surprise) it's about eating better and exercise. They ask you a bunch of questions when you sign up and then determine how many calories and other nutrients you need in a day, based on your activity level, how much you want to lose etc. (I increased my daily calories by 300, I thought their suggestion was a little low for me)
Then (this is the cool part) they give you a meal plan. You can substitute individual foods, (if you don't eat, or want them) or an entire meal. The meals are so balanced too. There's cookies and icecream!! They even have really yummy recipes.
I hesitated sharing this with you because sometimes these sites just get a bunch of people to sign up for free then tell you that it's getting costly so now it costs $19.97 per month. But this company has a non-profit arm, and this is it.
Check it out, really.
(Am I the only person in the world that gets excited about nutrition and exercise?)