Category: Womanhood in Pop Culture

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What Every Christian Girl Can Learn From Kate
by Elizabeth Botkin

The fashion leadership of Kate Middleton holds a lesson for every Christian girl. As wife to Prince William and presumed future queen of England, Kate is in a position of representing Great Britain to the world. Every inch of her appearance, from her hairstyle to her fingernails, article-2187534-1586A9E7000005DC-15_964x1220sends the world a message about the nation and the monarchy, the laws and the traditions, the culture and the history she represents – messages the world scrutinizes keenly. As ambassador to the crown, she can’t dress to merely express her individuality, follow the trends every other girl is following, or refuse to think about clothes at all. Her job demands making deliberate and strategic decisions about what message to send through every detail – from her traditional British fascinators to her sleek High Street heels.

The truth is, every Christian girl has just as much to represent as Kate Middleton. Our King is no less ruling, and we are no less ambassadors. Unlike Kate, we don’t have to spend £22,000 per year to represent our King and our heavenly citizenship. Like Kate, however, we also don’t belong to ourselves. We were bought with a price and represent the One Who bought us. Like Kate, we can’t afford to let others make these decisions for us. And like Kate, we have a world watching. What message are they picking up about our Lord, His edicts, and our loyalties?

Beauty and FashionWomanhood in Pop Culture
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A Princess without a Prince
by Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

As we pointed out in our last post, Princess Merida is a pretty conventional tomboy. However, “Brave” does not present a conventional happily-ever-after: its Disney princess is the first ever to not get a prince. From the beginning to the end, she is all the man she needs. …Which is handy, because in her world, there aren’t any others she can turn to.

Merida may not have been a particularly brave new kind of princess, but we believe that “Brave” presented the newest and bravest fairytale world in Disney princess history. Castles and tiaras notwithstanding, this brave new world is actually a lot more like ours, for two reasons. … Read more →

Marriage and SinglenessWomanhoodWomanhood in Pop Culture
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Can We Have a Braver Princess, Please?
by Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

Twenty years ago, our mother walked down the Walmart Pink Aisle, past all the Disney-heroine Barbies, Disney-movie-inspired vanity playsets, sequined polyester fish-tail skirts with seashells, and itchy yellow off-shoulder Belle dresses, and decided, “Not for my daughters.”

We were 4 and 6, and like most little girls, were each on our quest for the holy grail of femininity, the all-inspiring vision of who to be when we grew up.  Like many mothers, Mom realized that the entire panoply of Disney “woman” options, from Snow White to Ariel and Belle, were not it.   … Read more →

WomanhoodWomanhood in Pop Culture
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Our Response to Rapunzel
by Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

Dear Rapunzel,

Thank you for your email. We happen to already be familiar with your story as presented in “Tangled,” and even know a little more about your backstory than you do, and so we do have some thoughts for you.

We will be unusually blunt, because we know you are not a real person with feelings; you are the carefully written, cast, voiced, sketched, sculpted, scanned, painted, rigged, animated, rendered, and composited brainchild of John Lasseter, Glen Keane, and the Disney scriptwriting committee. We’re talking to you, polygons. … Read more →

Ask A&EFamily RelationshipsWomanhood in Pop Culture
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Why Sarah Palin Inspires Us
by Anna Sofia & Elizabeth Botkin

The nation is aglow over the manifold triumphs of women over the last century, reaching their climax during this years’ election. Women have never been so close to holding the “highest” position in the country, that of Chief Executive, and woman’s collective journey has been a major political theme this month. In Senator Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, she made an impressive statement, putting a face on how far our nation has come: “My mother was born before women could vote. My daughter got to vote for her mother for president.”

Powerful women on all sides are taking big strides — and will be bequeathing quite a future to their daughters. That means us. How should we see this future, and how should we respond to their example? … Read more →

WomanhoodWomanhood in Pop Culture