Female sexuality can go both ways -- it can be seen as subjection and empowerment simultaneously, depending on the agenda and context.

A female portrayed as a sex symbol would previously be considered as victims subjugated to men's desires and expectations of them. The woman appears passive, vulnerable to any way the man wants to utilise her, and essentially place herself under the mercy of the male. To some, adorning something that is considered 'feminine', such as heels and dresses, would be to conform to societal's, or more specifically, men's stereotype of feminity. To quote the protagonist in the movie 'She's the Man', high heels are "a male invention designed to keep women from running away". What a promising future the fashion runway has for us.

On the other hand, a female's forte can lie in her sexuality itself. To be able to wear heels and dresses as she desires would be a physical expression of her freedom to follow her choice. In more recent times, if a female is portrayed suggestively, more often than not it isn't in the "I'm your slave" kind of way, but rather in the "You know you want me" kind of way. This juxtaposition automatically places the woman in the position of power, as she uses her sexuality to manipulate men to get what she wants, not the other way round. Not that this kind of power is exactly in the positive sense, but the tables have turned. It does not help that many men's weaknesses lie in their inability to resist this, thus falling prey to women manipulating their sexuality to their advantage. The first example that comes to mind is from the movie 'Munich', where 1 of the spies sent out, Carl, gave in to the advances of an attractive woman, actually a spy in disguise, resulting in a swift death in his hotel room. If men flaunted their power through muscles and speed, women could tap on theirs using their sexuality.

Of course, a female's sexuality is not the only area she can showcase her power and authority in, but why the struggle for power? Does having more power over the other necessarily equate to having a better quality of life and welfare? "With great power comes great responsibility", and if mishandled, with great responsibility comes burden, stress, anxiety etc. It isn't about having greater power, but to be able to assert an individual's human rights and dignity that is the more important issue here. In the domestic arena, a working husband may appear to have more power in the household than the stay-home wife, but each role has its own purpose and importance, and as long as there is mutual respect and love in the family, it does not matter who wields more visible power as long as both parties complement each other in establishing a complete and wholesome family -- which should be the ultimate goal of both spouses. If, however, having more visible power leads to the husband abusing the wife or subjecting her to his expectations of her, the root of the problem would not be power, but about the love and respect he has for his wife.

Submission isn't necessarily derogatory either. Submission is a divine order ordained by God - just as Christ washed the feet of His disciples, so we serve others out of love. In marriage, submission is an attitude of yieldedness and love, not of inferiority. God ordained men to be the head of the house, just as Christ is the head of the church, and the woman represents the bride of Christ - the church. However, this definitely does not call for abusing of the man's power over his wife. Eve was created as Adam's helpmate (Genesis 2:18), his 'manager', so both their physical, emotional and spiritual differences can complement each other through marriage. Woman was created with the desire to be protected and loved, thus He asked husbands to love their wives - but this inherent desire has been perverted over time, seeing how young women now look for love and assurance in the wrong places using the wrong ways.

Female sexuality, no matter whether propelled in the direction of subjection or empowerment, should always preserve dignity and integrity at all times. The Bible says that our bodies are a "temple of God" - God dwells inside of us, and thus we ought to love our bodies and treat them with respect and reverence, irregardless of gender. The one with the true power is the one who knows how to treat his/her body with true understanding, exercising Godly leadership as representations of Christ in this world.

JL*