Is Femininity Here to Stay?

On Friday evening I drove to NLWC in hope of scheduling an interview with Jordan before the youth service began. I entered the church and spotted Jordan conversing with another young male in the lobby. He acknowledged me with a nod and stated in a friendly tone “hey man, what’s up”. I presented him with an interview consent sheet, while simultaneously explaining that I need to conduct three interviews for my field study. He was excited that I was asking to interview him and without hesitation he agreed to the interview. After we resolved on Tuesday night for the interview, he told me “I know a few other people who would be great to interview”. I told him that I would greatly appreciate suggestions for youth to interview, as I am unacquainted with the majority of youth who attend this church. Jordan began rambling off a multitude of names and to be honest the only name I remember is Pastor Marco (the youth minister). I may not remember the name of every individual Jordan recommended; however, I did hear a pattern in these recommendations. Every individual that Jordan recommended was a male! I thanked Jordan for his recommendations, but inquired if there were any girls that I could interview. Jordan gave me a quizzical look and I followed up my inquiry with, “It helps my field study if I can hear from both male and female interviewees.” Jordan’s quizzical look had vanished and he now looked at me suspiciously, “Hm. Well, I’ll see who I can find and I’ll get back to you on Tuesday.” Jordan’s response was both unsettling and revealing about the gender roles within the subculture I’m studying.

I began my post with this anecdote because it displays the patriarchy that exists within the subculture I’m studying. What I have witnessed thus far in my subculture are girls performing servile tasks like pouring drinks and heating nachos, while the males provide technical support and read scripture into a microphone. I constantly hear young men testify on Friday nights of how God is working miracles in their lives, but I have not yet heard a young woman testify. On Sunday mornings I see women lead the congregation in praise and worship and then stand obediently in the Pastor’s shadow while he delivers the sermon, which is being recorded by the men operating the tripods. In both the Sunday morning service and Friday night youth service, females neither handle electronics nor read scripture. It is likely believed that they are incapable of handling complex electronics and the idea of a woman reading biblical scripture is preposterous. A Christian woman cannot speak the word of God or testify of his greatness, because the Pope is still a male, right? Even in the 21st century women still don’t have the authority that a man holds within this patriarchal religion and that is frightening.

Jordan was shocked that I wanted to hear from a girl within the subculture probably because he believed a girl’s words are valueless. A female could provide me with information regarding the snacks served at the snack bar and/or possibly sing me a song of praise, but she surely couldn’t pontificate on the works of God. The women in this subculture differ from women in the punk subculture in every way imaginable. The women in the subculture I’m studying follow femininity to a tee; they dress female, look female, talk (or don’t talk) female, and act with female propriety. Females in the punk subculture spit on femininity and tear apart “the female”. The tension in the subculture I’m studying rises or doesn’t rise out of female servility and silencing, whereas tension arises within the punk subculture out of challenging masculinity. The subcultures are polar opposites when considering the power that females hold within them, but both, through their own tension, illuminate that femininity continues to steadily throb in our society.