21 Jan Social Media Side Wars
The headline read “Real moms take Giselle to task for ‘multitasking’ photo.” Of course I had to click on the link because, duh, I am a real mom. I guess you’re only a real mom if you’re not rich, famous, and beautiful.
Anyway, I wanted to see what the supermodel had done to offend. If you haven’t seen the photo, I’m sure just the mention of her name in the Google task bar will pull it up right away. It was an Instagram photo of her breastfeeding while having her nails painted and makeup applied. Her caption was “multitasking.”
Well, obviously it went viral and people, especially moms, on both sides of the fence put in their two cents. I have to admit, when I saw the picture, I thought it was ridiculous. How insensitive to post such a boastful photo when the majority of moms would define “multitasking” in a much different manner! As I continued to ponder on the photo, long after it had disappeared off my computer screen, I felt the Holy Spirit reminding me of some of the truths I learned through the Ezer curriculum. One main word kept coming to me. Freedom. Freedom from finding a spot on the feminism/traditionalism continuum, freedom from modeling myself after any other woman, and freedom from feeling superior to any other person because of my perceived notions of how things should be.
“God wants me to be free from comparison, free from envy, free from superiority, and free from a sense of entitlement.”
Moms and other women seem to have an especially difficult time with this. The issue goes well beyond a photo of a breastfeeding supermodel. I’ve seen it in my own life with all kinds of things: breast feeding vs. bottle feeding, homeschooling vs. private school vs. public school, epidural vs. totally natural birth, organic, local foods vs. regular bought-at-the grocery-store foods, and the list goes on! Some of these things may seem trivial and may not be something you would ever consider dwelling on, but all of these things have put me on one side or the other. They either cause me to feel superior to someone because my side is better, or they cause me to feel inferior to the point that I actually believe I’m a terrible woman and mom. I begin to live like an orphan when I put myself on a side.
I’m not an orphan, though. I’m a daughter of the King! He created me, He knows me, and He has so many things for me to care about that matter to His kingdom. God wants me to be free from comparison, free from envy, free from superiority, and free from a sense of entitlement. I’m free from feeling like I have to be the perfect mom with the perfect easy life (and still breastfeed), and I’m free from making myself feel better at the expense of someone else because that someone else doesn’t do things the way I do. So now when I read news stories, see instagram pictures, or post something on Facebook, I don’t have to pick a side—and that is SO freeing!
How are you living like an orphan? What issues capture your thoughts and make you pick a side? Could it be that these things divert your attention away from what God wants you to care about?
– Chappell Hughes, Downtown