A Tribute to the Housewife

Okay, so I've just spent over 4 hours at the library reading old fashion magazines. And, I must say, that I have learned that life has really changed - and yet stayed the same over the 20th century. For those of you who thought that women like Lana Turner and Jane Russell and Greta Garbo were style icons admired for their class as well as their glamourous style - HA! I have read fashion magazines dating from about 1900 to 1955. They all have their Pamela Andersons. I mean, if you were to look at those magazines from 1935 that show funny cartoon depictions of Greta Garbo, you would be shocked. (At least I was - but then it doesn't take much to shock me.) While I feel that most men of the time appreciated her on-screen talents (wink, wink), she was often depicted as being no more than a dim-witted sexual icon. How many actresses today fit into that catagory?

And then you have to think about those classy ladies who defined what it was to be a lady who possessed beauty and a certain refined grace. So here is my tribute to ladies like Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn. Maybe not perfect, but definitely worth admiring.

And - I had to include the picture of the 1950s picnic. I love the fact that when we remember the housewives of the early to mid 20th century, they still look beautiful and refined. Okay, so I know that not many women today would opt for that lifestyle. I mean, not everyone if fine with making their primary career and concern in life taking care of their husband and children. But then there is that nostalgic picture for those of us who are modern-day women who see that as the career that God is calling us to. There are also other modern-day women that we can look up to who chose the same path - my mother, for instance. So, thanks, Mama, for making it a little easier to do what I know God is leading me to do.

I have been having a difficult time in obeying God on this one. Not out of lack of desire. Every part of me just wants to take care of Hubby and Peanut. I really do have this instinctual thing built into me that- amazingly enough - makes me find joy in washing, cooking, and scrubbing with the purpose that I am taking care of my family. So, why is there all of this pressure on me from society that makes me feel lazy and useless because I want to stay at home to take care of my family and instill God's laws into my children? So, this is my Declaration of Independence from the mainstream thought pattern that has been binding women back into only one choice of action in order to fit the "model of a successful and happy woman." I believe that some mothers are called of God to work outside of the home while their children are small. However, I do not feel that God is telling me that I am one of them. I am tired of the smug look on the faces of strangers when I answer their questions about what I plan to do with my life. I hereby declare that I will not fall into an apologetic role that says that I am throwing my life away or putting it on hold to stay at home with my children. I intend to be a graceful, intelligent, refined, caring, considerate maternal women of God who is fulfilling the calling of God on her life- and one who will not apologize or explain to society for doing so.