The Changing View of Women--a Cultural Snippet

Terry Gross interviewed Christine Todd Whitman on the January 27 edition of Fresh Air on NPR.

Here's the blurb about Whitman:
"Former New Jersey governor and Environmental Protection Agency head for the Bush administration Christine Todd Whitman. She is a moderate Republican and in her new book argues against the hijacking of her party by zealous "social fundamentalists." Her new book is It's My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America." (emphasis mine)

I heard part of the interview as I ran some errands. The part I found interesting was not her stance, because it's not really news that some people in the Republican party don't like the evangelical influences; nor was I surprised at Terry Gross, who is constantly seeking to undermine Biblical Christianity.

I wish I had the transcript, but lo, I am too poor and lazy to purchase one--so you'll have to a) take my word for what was said or b) buy yo' own transcript.

Anyway, Terry brought up an incident that occurred when Christine was governor of New Jersey. Christine was at some public event and fell; I assume the fall was not only embarrassing, but maybe exposed her in some immodest way. Terry and Christine then discussed Christine's shift from wearing skirts to wearing pants at gubernatorial functions. At first Christine felt it wasn't proper for a governor to do that, but (I am paraphrasing) because of the changing views of women in society, she felt it was time to make a change.

Now, don't hear me wrong. I don't personally advocate the position that dresses are the only acceptable attire for a Christian woman--I am not going in that direction with this. My thoughts on their conversation were twofold:

1) Isn't it totally bizarre, from a worldly perspective, for them to be talking about that? Skirts vs. pants?? Modern women, and women in positions of power, have been wearing pants for a long time. Yet from the fact that it could be a topic on a liberal radio talk show shows that we haven't come as "far" as the feminists would have us believe. I was fascinated by that.

2) It is little, tiny, barely discernable moments like these--little decisions like those Christine made--that have caused the huge paradigm shift we've seen in the past 40 or 50 years. Once it would have been absolutely unthinkable to wear pants, as they were considered men's clothing. Change didn't happen overnight; it's the result of many decisions like the one Christine made, which I didn't even realize were still decisions any worldly woman struggled with. She said she did it because of the changing view of women. These kinds of actions have created the society we have today. I don't like it, but here I am. (By the way, I recommend Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America. Jeff Pollard does a great job of treating the subject Biblically without prescribing unBiblical or extra-Biblical solutions.