Christians know that God made each of us differently and the Holy Spirit bestows talents and abilities upon us in different ways. This is borne out in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, where it says: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”
Similarly, not all women were created in the same manner. They have different talents, which come with different desires, and abilities. For Christians, this fact is obvious. People should not be forced into being someone that is unnatural for them. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, radical feminists reject this idea. This was clearly put on display recently when pop singer Lana Del Rey posted an essay to Instagram in which she responded to trumped-up allegations that her music glamorizes abuse.
“Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce have had number ones with songs about [suggestive sexual topics]…I think it’s pathetic that my minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships has often made people say I’ve set women back hundreds of years…there has to be a place in feminism for…the kind of women who are slated mercilessly for being their authentic, delicate selves. The kind of women who get their own stories and voices taken away from them by stronger women or by men who hate women.” [1]
While a discussion could be had regarding the morality of the subject matter being used for musical inspiration, the bigger issue here is the decidedly anti-choice outrage at Del Rey’s attempt to stand up for what she describes as “the need for fragility in the feminist movement.” Del Rey is arguing that not all feminists should be expected to be the same or make the same choices, which would seem to be a reasonable suggestion.
Nonetheless, Del Rey’s post drew immediate backlash from leftists alleging she was a racist because the artists she named were women of color. [2] This is a stunning act of leftist misdirection given that her post was not directly critical of those individuals and merely mentioned them as having reached the top of the charts with songs that were about female sexual liberation.
Although feminism has often been marketed to women as being “all about choice,” classic feminists never wanted it to be about choice and many modern feminists believe that traditionally feminine choices are inherently anti-feminist. Feminist godmother Simone de Beauvoir openly stated that she believed women should not be allowed to live within traditional societal structures e.g. they should not be allowed to become housewives, even if they choose it. [3] In the modern era, intersectional feminists decry the choices that women make, saying “choice feminism is especially dangerous because there is a sense of pride attached to making decisions, even if these decisions are actually reinforcing patriarchal values! Let us take the example of make-up and grooming for women…cis women who claim to “do makeup for themselves” are deluding themselves.” [4]
The idea that feminism was about letting women choose is a lie. It is not about choice. It is about the destruction of the idea of “man” and “woman,” despite their God-given, natural distinctions in Genesis 5:2 where it says: “He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them "Mankind" when they were created.” It is anti-feminist to behave like a “woman” because many ideas of radical feminism destroy the idea of womanhood altogether. Radical feminism demands that all women want the same thing, denying their natural distinctions in talent and ability, to deny their biological distinction from men. These notions are anti-biblical and should be scrutinized through that lens. The idea of liberty demands that women should be allowed to make choices beyond a radical agenda and they should not be insulted but, rather, celebrated for embracing their natural femininity.
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[1] Brittney Mcnamara, “Lana Del Rey's Instagram Post Is a Classic White Feminism Trap,” TeenVogue (May 21, 2020), https://www.teenvogue.com/story/lana-del-rey-instagram-post-white-feminism-trap
[2] Stephanie Eckardt, “Lana Del Rey Spent the Weekend Defending Herself,” W Magazine (May 26, 2020), wmagazine.com/story/lana-del-rey-instagram-racism-abuse/
[3] Alice Jardine and Simone de Beauvoir, “Interview with Simone de Beauvoir,” Jardine (1979), www.jstor.org/stable/3173558
d[4] Manasi Pant, “Choice Feminism: A Self-Imposed Barrier To Progress?” Feminism In India (September 17, 2019), https://feminisminindia.com/2019/09/17/choice-feminism-self-imposed-barrier-progress/
