you are not a tasty piece of meat.

I live about three miles from campus... so during the summers when my schedule is somewhat more flexible, I like to walk to campus. It's good exercise, good thinking time, gas-saving, and more environmentally friendly. But before I begin that long trek, I careful pick out my outfit:

... baggy t-shirt, athletic shorts or loose fitting pants, and baseball cap...

Basically anything that hides my figure and discourages stares.

Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I don't dress particularly immodestly, as a rule. But when I go out walking roadside, I feel the need to take special precaution, not just to be modest, but even to make myself unattractive. Why? Because somehow, the fact that I'm walking beside the road apparently gives permission for men to beep their horns, gawk in rear-view mirrors, yell obscene comments, and slow down to peruse more closely. Perhaps this happens in shopping malls and grocery stores as well, but is less apparent since shopping carts don't come equipped with horns.

Regardless. In one three mile trek, I often feel that I lose my humanity, my individuality, and my femininity. Perhaps the grocery store would be a more appropriate location to be, because then, treated as a piece of meat, I could at least find my way to the frozen foods section.

But, before you get huffy... my guess is... most of the women (and some of the men) reading this can identify in some way, shape or form with the tenderized meat sensation. And most of the individuals reading this would never dream of treating a woman (or man) in said manner. So breathe. But keep reading...

I initially crafted this post as a rant against car horns, degrading comments, and cat-calls. But, as I think about it more, I think that misses the point. The deeper question which I think we have to ask ourselves, is: do I treat every man, woman and child with the respect which their image-bearing identity merits?

Women: we might not holler obscenities out the windows of our cars, but if we see a handsome man, and immediately picture him holding our two and half children, and opening the door to our shiny blue mini-van (hybrid, of course), are we really respecting his individual identity and humanity? Really?!?

Or, men: you might not gawk in rear-view mirrors, but if you are coming down hard on another guy because he's a "pansy" or he's "not like the other guys" or he's "acting like a girl," are you really affirming his masculinity and identity?

Or, if we stare with distaste at the noisy children on aisle 7 of the grocery store, tilt our noses down at the prostitute on the street corner in downtown Raleigh, talk about our female classmates or friends as "sluts" or "whores," thumb our noses at the food-service employee who can't speak enough English to take our order, or curse the driver on I-95 who can't seem to drive straight, are we really and truly affirming them as made in God's image, human by definition? Individuals? Masculine and feminine?

genesis 1:27, 31"so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..."

I guess the question is, can we use our voices to restore individuality, to affirm femininity and masculinity, rather than to denigrate and tear down?

Or, can we, you and I, strive to see the image-bearer in everyone, be that the prostitute on the street-corner, the bad driver on I-95, or the annoying teenager holding the hot dogs in the grocery store line beside you?