Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Duggar family and poisonous slippery slope of modesty shaming

"Bodyism" is a term I believe I've coined (maybe someone else has) to refer to bias against certain body types and also subtle or overt body shaming. A "bodyist" by my definition is someone who is prejudiced against the bodies, particularly of women. Bodyists believe that women should not wear "revealing" clothing, should "cover up" their curves and not "flaunt" themselves. In short, bodyists are modesty police. And their slippery slope logic is poison. I'm using the Chiefs of the Modesty police, reality TV celebs Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, as examples. Unfortunately, they are only a drop in the acid bath. 

First, some thoughts on the cadre that modesty police such as the Duggar family uses. It's shame-based but also polarizing, hypocritical, misleading, user-defined, inaccurate and purposely vague. "Flaunting" and "Revealing" are used as adjectives but are in fact verb forms. They indicate intentionally drawing attention to body parts which are supposed to be covered. The wearer of "revealing" clothing is actively seeking attention by dressing to "accentuate" "flaunt" or "show off" their bodies. 

Clothing that Michelle Duggar deems "Provocative" (see also alluring, enticing, seductive) lures men. To what is left vague, but presumably sin (wanting to have s3x) But even what is and isn't sin, is inaccurate in their thinking. Wanting to do something is not wrong. Neither is liking it. Mentally doing it with someone who has not expressed desire to, is (lust) Forcing others to, is (rape).  

However the bodyists have another slippery slope to justify those. Men don't willingly lust or rape, they are tempted to (seduced) by another. Men are passive and helpless and it's someone else's fault. (Incels feed on this passive-aggressive mentality, btw). Women "provoke" innocent men to sexual assault by wearing clothing that shows they have a body. What modesty police think and even sometimes say, is that women bring sexual assault on themselves. And that's a big reason why so many women also blame themselves when attacked. They  have been subconsciously taught that they had it coming with their dress or behavior. 

What is immodest attire is user-defined and hypocritical. Look at Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. They eschew pants for women yet their daughters' skirts are ridiculously clingly. By their definition immodest. They are not averse to showing cleavage. They encourage their girls to wear long hyper-styled hair and make-up. Which is sensual by many standards. Worst of all, when Jim Bob's and Michelle's son Josh Duggar molested several children, they downplayed it as curiosity while attacking others who have normal healthy sexual relations as immoral. 

The Duggar family literally flaunted themselves and pimped their family in their reality TV shows "19  Kids and Counting" and "Counting On." Both of these were canceled due to the Duggar family's biggest hypocrisy, namely son Josh Duggar. Michelle and Jim Bob actually blamed Josh Duggar's sin on the liberal media and Joe Biden (???). Somehow, the "liberal media" both lured him to sin and then wrongly accused him of sinning when he was just "experimenting" (as you do) with his sisters. 

Bodyism and modesty policing are sick, twisted poisons. There is no winning. 


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