More on Fascinating Womanhood
So. Greatest. Hit. Ever. Same google search produced this link, to the bio for Mrs. Lawson, who appeard on Wife Swap back in December. Mrs. Lawson is a grown woman who ...wait, breaking news...
*side note* I watch late-night TV. It often makes me sad, and especially the pseudo-Christian televangelists. I'm watching Don Stewart of Power and Mercy, who is pushing a green prosperity handkerchief, which you can just call to receive. He's of course wearing a green shirt, as well. The guy is in the new televangelist mode, who swears that God wants you to be rich, and if you'll just pray with him and, to quote what he just said, call now and swear your tithe, God will fill your coffers with the money that he wants you to have. Indeed, call now to make a vow of tithe. Yeesh, he's asking for $1000! This nonsense make me furious. His show has absolutely nothing to do with Christianity. He wants the poor people watching him to send him money, and he promises to send them a great blessing. Don Stewart will send the blessing - not God, but Don. Disgusting. If you want YOUR green prosperity handkerchief, click here. Get your crappy green hanky today! What a jackass...
Oops, he's been replaced by Robert Tilton swearing that if they just call and tithe to their ministry, God will make them rich. It's replaced the get-rich-quick infomercials! He's urging you to follow the word of God and get rich, which he defines as "having more than you need". Wow, I remember Jesus assuring us a rich man will have the MOST difficult time getting into heaven. Evil. Just. Evil.
Anyhoo. Mrs. Lawson follows the tenets of Fascinating Womanhood - even teaches a class on it! Let's see some of her answers to the bio questions:
Oh. My. God. He's urging people to buy his book and become a millionaire.
Anyway. Back to Mrs. Lawson. (Man, these guys are distracting!)
"A wife must make her husband feel masculine. When women do men's jobs, men feel threatened, home life gets disrupted, and marriages are ruined. I would never do anything to undermine my husband's masculinity, including working outside the home. Some professions are especially inappropriate for women. We believe that women should never be police officers or fire fighters. Women need to be protected, not protect."Yeesh.
What tips can you give for coping with your other half? My husband comes first; he is the head of our household and I don't tell him what to do around our house. Men need to feel strong and masculine, and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking on male characteristics, like being assertive, decisive and powerful. Women are meant to be ladylike and feminine, and that's what men respond best to in a woman.
When my husband gets home, I turn my attention to him. I go to the door, take his coat and shoes and make sure he's comfortable. If he's had a rough day, I massage his back and feet. I have dinner ready for him when he walks through the door and serve him whenever he's ready to eat.
...
When, on the rare occasion, my husband does get angry, I've learned that acting childlike helps diffuse things.
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What subject do you and your partner disagree on the most?
If we disagree, we don't argue. We discuss our differences, but as the man of the house, my husband has the final say.
Calvin [switzer: Calvin is their 17-year old] is not allowed to date as long as he is living in our house because we believe that dating only sets people up for divorce. We recently discovered he had a girlfriend at school, so we had to come down hard on him. He is allowed to talk on the phone with family members and male friends. Calvin wants to move out when he's finished with high school. He would prefer to have more freedom.
...
Does your partner ever cook?
My husband cooking does not and will not happen. I believe it's my job to cook, and he wouldn't do it anyway. I believe the kitchen is the woman's place. He doesn't set foot in it.
...
I know I shouldn't cater to my children's pickiness, but I do anyway. After all, it's a mother's job to make sure her children are fed. Jamar does not eat foods that are mixed together, like soups or casseroles. He likes chicken and pasta but not pasta and chicken together. He eats all of one thing before he moves on to the next and doesn't like them to touch on the plate. [switzer: hey, lady - you've made your kid obsessive-compulsive. Yay, God!]
And the best part: I'll put the financial section up in toto:
FINANCESPeople really believe this shit. I'll keep posting excerpts. For those of you coming here for inspirational reading, know this: I'm mocking you. Fascinating Womanhood is a relic. You are a relic. And please, please, pleeeezzzz, leave comments. I'd LOVE to hear from folks who share Mrs. Lawson's views (or better yet, one of her students!)
Who controls the money?
My husband controls the money. I let him know what I need for groceries, cleaning supplies and clothes for the kids, and he decides what he will give me. I'm grateful for it. I keep track of the bills, when they're due and when they need to be paid. I let him know what needs to be paid and how much. He decides when and how. I don't spend money without asking him.
If I want something, I tell my husband and explain why it would be useful to me. I then step back and let him make a decision while I pray about it. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a car, but it is not a priority right now. Demetrius will get us a second vehicle when the time is right for us.
Are you spenders or savers?
I don't know whether we're spenders or savers.
How much do you each spend on treats or vices per week?
I usually don't spend more than $5 a week on myself. If I spend anything, it's to buy a special coffee. I get the kids candy if I walk to the gas station. I don't' know what Demetrius spends.
Labels: Fascinating Womanhood
posted by switzerblog at
12:22 AM
3 Comments:
Once, a long time ago, between marriages, I had a girlfriend who was rather tightly wound. One day I teased her about "Fascinating Womanhood"--- she became very much tenser. I discovered her copy a few days later, complete with notes (about me!) and underlinings.
I later escaped, though my therapist still sends her Christmas cards.
God, this post made me sad. You just know that one of these days he's going to leave her and she will be completely helpless--no work experience, no skills (well, maybe she can become a masseuse!), no idea how to act like an adult. Because that's what we're really talking about here: all those traits that fill her with horror (assertiveness, decisiveness, opinions of her very own) are what are involved in being an adult. She's made herself a child, trusting daddy to take care of her. The thing is, I don't think the attitudes here fit with the "Fascinating Womanhood" ideology; the book is all about how the woman is always at fault and she has to manipulate the man to get what she wants. No, she can't be assertive, but she can be (and should be) manipulative.
I am a woman, and have read Fascinating Womanhood, book. Many woman, scream, yell, curse at men. I see many bad relationships, happy one day, angry the next. And we wonder, why HIV rules the world. You need to read the entire book. Not some of the pages. Nor follow exactly.
it does teach many woman, how to not be so angry, and rough. I realize, it seem old fashioned. But watch Oprah, and other famous woman. Like Halle, she is considered beautiful. But look at her men. The baseball player, that abused her. Eric the singer, that had a sexual problem. So she divorces him, to have baby out of wedlock, with her boyfriend. or how about the man, that hit her so hard she lost hearing. watch how they sit, legs wide open. You will be amazed.
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