Embracing Purpose: Exploring Women's Identity and Empowerment Beyond Barbie

       In my most recent post, I wrote that our purpose in living is to glorify God. I explained that God is worthy of our praise and that we can glorify him by living in a way that points to him. We can eat the food he created - real, delicious, full of flavor. We can build in ways that create sturdy structures that protect human life while incorporating design principles that speak to the created order. We can care for our animals making sure they are fed and cared for and grow native plants in our gardens that add to the local ecosystem. 
       I’ve been teasing that I’m going to be writing about women’s issues. Is a post about glorifying God just dragging my feet? Am I afraid to start writing about this? Well, yes and no. I’m not dragging my feet. I’ve got a ton going on and it is easy to set aside writing to care for more immediately pressing issues. Yes, I’m a little scared to write about what I’ve read because it is controversial and nuanced. People have deeply held opinions built on misconceptions that are difficult to unravel from the truth. I’m trying to organize my notes and provide accurate, orderly information.
       So why did I take the time to write about our need to glorify God? You might not like this answer, but it is because of Barbie. Yes, that Barbie. In the 2023 Barbie movie, there’s a song called "What Was I Made For?" The song is beautiful, contemplative, and heartbreakingly sad. Sung by Billie Eilish the lyrics state plainly how many women feel. They feel frustrated and lost. America Ferrera’s speech in the film drew millions of comments and views from women saying it expressed exactly how they feel. If you haven’t listened to them you should. If you listened to them and the feelings expressed are completely foreign, that is wonderful. I don’t wish frustration or sadness on any woman but please don’t use your own experience to diminish the experiences of others. Many movies have promoted feminism or the ideals it teaches but Barbie lays it all out for the viewer. Through Barbie, women are expressing how they feel living out third wave feminism. It is a significant cultural moment because many women recognize themselves in the confusion and want an answer to the question, “What was I made for?”

       The other issue that the Barbie movie dealt with is women's ability to be everything. It's the tagline of the movie - She's everything. He's just Ken. Barbie can be anything - Astronaut Barbie, Teacher Barbie, Lawyer Barbie, Doctor Barbie, and the list goes on and on.

        This you-can-do-it-all attitude is straight out of the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir (feminist philosopher and author of The Second Sex, 1949). "The modern woman, she argues, is not free, but divided. She cannot escape the demands of the feminine world, even while jockeying to succeed in the masculine world. She has to live both like a man and like a woman, and 'her workload and her fatigue are multiplied as a result.'" (From Abigal Favale, The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory)  Combining this philosophy, biological clocks, and innate desires makes women feel like they should be able to have a career, family, social life, a healthy body, and a clean and well-ordered house, but since that is clearly impossible hopelessness ensues and we're back to looking at what our purpose really is. 
       We’ve all had something in our house of undetermined usefulness. It usually just shows up on the counter one day and you find yourself asking family members, “What is this? Where is it from? Who brought it home?” If you can’t find a purpose for the item it is usually tossed into the trash. There is no point in useless things. That’s why we have to start with finding our purpose. 
       Women have a purpose and it isn’t to get married, have children, bake bread, or look pretty. Many women do get married which is wonderful. I’d give the experience five stars - highly recommend. Having children is incredible - literally forming the next generation - life-changing!  Baking bread is terrific, although I’d rather eat bread than bake it. (I still haven’t attempted a sourdough and I am not interested in trying.) If looking pretty is my purpose I’m in trouble. I CAN look pretty but at least 50% of the time I’m not even trying to. I’m not an object to be viewed. I am a human being with intrinsic value. (Psalm 139:13-16)
       But where does that value come from? It comes from God. God created each of us and he didn’t create us to do everything like Barbie can. He promises to order our steps and be our helper and guide. All we have to do is glorify him and live ordinary lives. “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalm 37:23
       So today, I would like to offer you hope. The hope of knowing you were made for a purpose. If you don’t know God, I would be happy to introduce you to Him. I want you to feel, to be alive, to be cared for, to know you have value, to know that you have a purpose. You don't have to be everything which is great news because you can't be everything, but you can be loved, wanted, full of hope and joy.