Draw a line

Published 8:05 pm Wednesday, July 11, 2007

A trip to the store on Wednesday had me reaching for a blindfold. What are women thinking? I saw lots of belly fat through thin T-shirts. I saw lots of chest skin and held my breath hoping against hope that a woman’s breasts would not fall out of her shirt when she bent over to unload her basket. Why do women think this is pretty? Why do young girls cheapen themselves by wearing next to nothing?

Why aren’t mothers telling their daughters, “You can’t wear that, it makes you look cheap.” Which is what my mom said more than once as I was bouncing out the door.

It’s that saturation thing. Famous people dress this way so it must be the way to dress.

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Oh, not every woman was dressed like that, but enough were to give me pause. I hope women understand that fashion is a suggestion, not a mandate. Do not be deceived, not every body shape can wear what the models wear. Shocking news, I know.

It seems that the American Public is being deceived about a lot of things.

For instance, if someone from Pluto were to watch American television in order to form an opinion about what Americans laugh about, cry about, and what is normal, then the Plutonian would understand that

1 Adultery is normal and something to laugh about

2 Homosexuality is also normal and quite funny as well

3 Sex before marriage is absolutely necessary

4 Children are rulers of the home—Just ask Disney

5 Murder cases are solved in one hour

6 The bad guys are always caught

7 And even though many children are kidnapped every year, if the child is blonde and beautiful the media is outraged at the colossal gall of the kidnapper.

Too bad our morals are judged by TV and Movies. Much to my surprise and amazement what we have been fed by the “reality TV” is a lie, as well.

Wait! I’m not done yet. According to a recent study by Dr. Helen Tishin (I can’t read my writing, I think that is how it is spelled) reported on Good Morning America or Today or CBS (my mom switches whenever a commercial comes on), that

• 75 percent of American men do not commit adultery

• only 11 percent of American women admit to cheating

• 21 percent of men admit to cheating

• but, 90 percent of all American say that adultery is wrong

• 17 percent of all divorces result from cheating

• of divorces caused by adultery, less than 10 percent of the adulterers marry their lover and more than half of those end in divorce, too.

Is it just me? Are those figures staggering to anyone but me? Here I thought that 50 percent of all marriages ended in divorce and those were caused by adultery (I see it on TV, it must be true!)

It is the power of saturation, I think. When we see it over and over we think it has permeated society when in actual fact, it is far less frequent than we realize. Does saturation make it more right? Does Society dictate what is normal and what is right? Or is it up to the individual to establish the Line of Enough, put on the armor and say, “I’ve tolerated as much as I’m going to tolerate. Do not cross this line!”