Bodily Constrictions and the Nature of Freedom

Bodily Constrictions and the Nature of Freedom July 4, 2015

"Infant's binder". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Infant%27s_binder.png#/media/File:Infant%27s_binder.png
“Infant’s binder”. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

I saw this article in the NYTimes from Friday, July 3. It’s about the various means people, particularly women, have used over the years to lessen or enhance various body parts depending on the current standards of beauty. Pretty constricting stuff–even babies were stuffed into corsets at one point.

Today, July 4, is the day we celebrate freedom, a freedom I am grateful for daily. Our freedom to say what we think, live where we wish, vote for our preferred candidates, worship without constraints or coercion, and actively participate in the continued political shaping of our country is unprecedented in human history.

But there are lots of areas where we are not free, or chose not to be free. The history of clothing constrictions–and the current crop of body-shaping undergarments are only slightly less torturous than the previous iterations–illustrates our continued slavery quite well.

We are still slaves to the opinions of others that encourage us to violate our own core values.

We are still slaves to the love of money that feeds greed and keeps us from enjoying what we have.

We are still slaves to those who wish to instill us with such fear that we lose the ability to love the stranger and to savor the present and the joy of living in the now.

We are still slaves to the kind of religious thought that teaches of a God ready to smite us for the smallest infractions rather than to suffer with us in our limitations, oppressions and betrayals.

Freedom holds privileges with an open hand; slavery grasps them tightly.

Freedom lets the air flow through our lungs and fills us with hope; slavery constricts tighter than the most rigidly-laced whalebone corset bringing pain with every breath.

"Corset1878taille46 300gram" by Anonymous - second-hand source: Le Corset by Libron. 1933. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corset1878taille46_300gram.png#/media/File:Corset1878taille46_300gram.png
“Corset1878taille46 300gram” by Anonymous – second-hand source: Le Corset by Libron. 1933. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

The scriptures tell us that we have been set free from the laws of sin and death because there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Think about it: no condemnation.

Go, live as free people, free to love and offer light to others because that we what we want for ourselves.

It’s a good weekend to celebrate. And throw off those corsets!!!

 

 


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