I can't take it any longer. If I have to be subjected to the lewd subtitles on women's fashion magazine covers every time I stand in the checkout line, I just may give up eating. The magazine covers alone are incentive to shop online. "Whispers, Oohs or Yahoos - Wouldn't You Like to Know What He Thinks About Your Lovemaking Noise Level?" How about, "Make Him Lust For You-The Most Erotic Way to Unhook Your Bra-and More Tantalize-Him Tricks" or "Sex On the Brain-What the Guys in Your Office are Really Thinking." "His 126 Secret Sex Thoughts-The Dastardly Details Racing Through His Mind-Right Now!" "G-Spots, C-Spots, and now, V-Spots"---have we made it through the alphabet yet? Don't women deserve more respect than this? They make us sound like a bunch of desperate sex-starved animals looking for a fix. The goal of these articles is always the same: use your lust-abilities to get your man. Don't expect him to look your way unless you can belly dance in the bedroom or tantalize him with the latest snag-a-man technique.

What angers me most is that many of the editors of these "trash" magazines are self-avowed feminists! How do they sleep at night? An April 4, 1999, New York Times article reported that even Gloria Steinam has made an outcry for this nonsense to stop. She said that "such magazines offer sexual advice about pleasing men as part of a larger movement toward making women feel bad about themselves, and then fixing those imagined ills in the pages of the magazines." The article further states that many of the magazine editors are "liberal-leaning women who consider themselves feminists." Bonnie Fuller, the editor of Glamour magazine defended the many articles on sex by pointing out that sexual advice is a product of the women's movement. "It would be unempowering for women not to be able to read about sex as much as they wanted," she said. Now, let me get this straight: the women's movement, which sends an overall message that women should not be dependent on men, has now evolved into a movement which encourages women to be sexually pleasing to men. Hmm &something about this doesn't sound right.

In the New York Times article, a critic of the women's magazines states that Monica Lewinsky is the perfect product of the revised feminist ideology found in these magazines. Now, there's a frightening thought! I don't recall any of the magazines putting her face on its cover and highlighting her successful pursuit of the President, all of course, in the name of sexual freedom. Surely, Bonnie Fuller is proud of the poster child she has helped produce. I wonder which magazine Monica credits with her tantalizing trick of flashing the President her thong underwear hanging out the back of her pants. Her "successful" pursuit ought to put the fashion magazines out of business.

Believe it or not, I was actually able to snag my man without offering him sex before we were married! And get this - I'm still happily married today, and going on 13 years! Now here's where this story gets really interesting: I used to be a feminist and now I'm one of those "born-again Christians." You won't find any encouragement for my way of life in the fashion magazines - trust me. I am Prozac-free, therapist-free, and I look forward to each and every day in this beautiful world.

Now, I know it sounds a bit odd for a housewife in her 30's to be so content - I mean, how is it possible if I'm not liberated by the world's standards? I'm liberated all right, but my liberation came by looking to a perfect God rather than a group of women who claim to have my best interests in mind. Sorry gals, but you have a proven track record. Twenty-five years ago you were advising us to burn our bras and throw out our make-up and razors. Today, you are advising us to buy padded Miracle Bras, scoop neck t-shirts, and do whatever it takes to make men drool. Yep, it's a no-brainer. I'll stick with God - He seems to be a bit more consistent and reliable. Not surprising, any baggage I've had to deal with over the years has been fall-out from the years I was a believer in the women's movement. One can only imagine the casualties this movement has produced over the years.

While the forces behind the women's movement fight amongst themselves to come up with a common definition, I must busy myself with more important tasks, like raising my daughter. Needless to say, I will not be surprising her with a subscription to Glamour in her stocking next Christmas. My daughter will be encouraged to value herself as God's creation, fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. She will be taught that she is fully acceptable to God regardless of her appearance, merit, or performance. She will be taught that God created man in all shapes and sizes and that true beauty comes from the heart rather than physical appearance. She will be told to steer clear of men who value women for their performance in the bedroom. She will be encouraged that there is a man out there who will love her for who she is rather than what she does. She will be taught that God created sex to be an expression of love between a man and a woman in the sanctity of their marriage. When it comes to dating, my prayer is that her self-respect will be so high that she wouldn't dream of settling for less than God's best.

My daughter will be taught that everyone has a huge, gaping whole in their heart that can only be satisfied by the perfect love of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, my daughter will be encouraged to be on the lookout for other young ladies who have fallen prey to the women's movement and have attempted to fill that huge hole in their hearts with anything but the love of God.

Wow, it almost sounds like I'm trying to start a new women's movement. Imagine that. A new women's movement started by women such as myself who value self-respect and true self-worth. A movement started by women such as myself, who esteem a personal relationship with a loving God as more important than a one night toss in the hay with some guy we successfully seduced, using shallow magazine tactics. A new women's movement. I like the sound of that. For the sake of my daughter and all other young women, I will not rest until I see it happen.

Written by: Vicki Courtney © Copyright 2000 virtuousreality.com!".

Vicki Courtney is the Editor-in-Chief of virtuousreality.com, an online webzine for college women. Vicki is the author of a book for college women: Virtuous Reality.Becoming the Ideal Woman. She is also the author of a recently published book for women: The Virtuous Woman..Shattering the Superwoman Myth (Available August 1, 2000 Lifeway Christian Resources)

For information about Virtuous Reality events contact www.virtuousreality.com.