Just Thinking...

So, I seriously really liked yesterday's chapel speaker, Kerri Pomorelli. I thought she was hilarious and outspoken and said some things about Malone and Christianity that others would have been too meek to say. She's someone who has genuinely struggled with the concept of marriage in the Christian circle and the idea that you have to find your mate before you leave college or else you're nothing (as she put it so candidly: "I'm 19 and single! My life is over!") I really liked what she had to say and want to read her book if I get a chance. However, I do have a bit of a problem.

I went on her website to see what her book was called and started looking at the comic strips that she does for Radiance magazine(I think.) I was kind of disgusted by what I saw. Her comics are all about the Christian version of "Girl Power," or being content with being single. That's great! But they also feature a lot of stuff that isn't positive. For example, some of her comics feature "The Proverbs 32" woman, who indulges herself with laziness and shopping. Some of her mottos included "I will submit to NOT going to work!"

Here's another one:


So wait a second, Kerri. What exactly are you promoting here??? You're trying to be a strong Christian woman, which is AWESOME. As a semi-feminist(there, I said it) I support you in that. But if you're going to try to promote this image of a strong woman who doesn't need a man and can support herself and be happy on her own and all that jazz, then what the heck is that crap? Women's Lib is getting me down? I need a man to pay my bills? I don't have to work, I'm a woman? WHAT?!

Here we have a woman who is trying to break the media stereotype of a Christian woman by saying it's okay to be single. Yet in her own media, she does the exact opposite: When I look at these comics, I feel like she's only feeding the "bad" media image. I feel like she's saying, "yeah, it's great to be single...until I need a man to do manly things for me."

I understand that these comics are meant to be humorous and I'm probably taking them waaay to seriously, but isn't that part of being a media literate person? Partaking in media with a "surveillence" motive? I don't know. Does this count as hegemony? Even in trying to speak out against bad stereotypes, Kerri Pomorelli is essentially promoting them, or in some cases, making even worse ones. Just a thought, I guess...