The Women’s Liberation Movement. Sounds quite grim I think. Especially when you look at the word liberate—the setting free from bondage or prison. I’m not sure I or my mother or even my grandmother ever felt bound or imprisoned. Not when we have always held the switch. Unbeknownst to most women libbers, we have actually ruled the world from the beginning of time. Take Eve for instance. Need I say more?

The mission of the Movement has eluded me for years. Although as a teenager I longed to be a Libber. I even participated in a bra burning protest. Of course I had absolutely no idea what the protest signified. It just seemed cool at the time.

Feminism by definition is a doctrine whereby women are equal in every way to men. Kinda flies in the face of our Biblical teachings. It’s a bit of a farce however diligently the leaders of the women’s lib try to make us believe it is a removal of attitudes and practices. The perception that men are superior to women is the fuel that feeds the fire of The Women’s Liberation Movement.

“The Brady Bunch” came to televisions everywhere in 1969. It revolved around a large blended family made up of six kids, two parents, and a housekeeper. Originally the producer of the show wanted the mom to be a divorcee and the dad a widower. But alas the network said, “Ain’t gonna happen.” So they all decided the whereabouts of the mom’s husband would be a mystery while we knew the dad to be a widower. Equality? I should say not! I’m sure that caused a multitude of bra burnings.

The Brady family sagas only revolved around soft ball topics with no meat—nothing to sink one’s teeth into and gnaw over a bit. You didn’t get all riled up and red faced shaking your fist at the television vowing to never watch again. Bobby and Cindy were either feeling left out as the youngest siblings or getting in trouble for tattling.  Jan saw the green jealousy monster every time she felt others were comparing her to her sister, Marcia. Peter couldn’t decide if pimples, being boring or his voice changing were the most traumatic things in life. Greg just wanted his own room. Marcia found herself conflicted as to whether or not brushing her hair a hundred times really made it shine or not.

Then that fateful day arrived—the day The Women’s Liberation Movement crept its way into the Brady household and left all the men wondering when and how Marcia became a Women’s Libber!

It all began when a television news reporter showed up at Marcia’s school. The topic of his report centered on how the women’s liberation movement affected teenagers. Marcia made the mistake of answering the question honestly. From that point, the reporter turned her own words against her. Instead of making the case for equality, it negated her best point.

When the Brady boys watched the interview it then became a contest. Greg turned into a sexist pig, and Marcia became determined to prove the point that a woman could do anything a man could do. She immediately petitioned to join Greg’s Frontier Scouts which just so happened to be an organization made up of all males.

Greg did everything he could to cause Marcia to fail. To his dismay, he didn’t succeed. Marcia passed them all, and the group had to accept her as a member.

After all the drama subsided and Greg had licked his wounds over Marcia’s success, the story came full circle. Although the general female audience most likely viewed it as a win for the Movement, I came away from it with a different slant. Equality by definition is broken down into several descriptions. One is sameness. Clearly men and women are not the same physically or mentally. Just a fact.

Another description is ability. That is fodder for debate. It mostly centers around upper body strength. From what I’ve read men have the edge in that regard. So it stands to reason there would be a shift in ability when it comes to certain things. Some would argue that women can build upon their upper body. I would ask at what price? It does tend to mess with all that other female equipment.

Although Marcia Brady passed the tests required to become a Frontier Scout, she didn’t accept the invitation to join. Why? She never wanted to be “the equal to boys in every way” as presented by the reporter. Instead, she just wanted the chance to try which is the other definition of equality—fairness and impartiality.

It’s no coincidence the good Lord made men and women different. His work is impeccable. “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Ephesians 5:22-25). Written by Paul, the woman hater. Or that’s what those who try to undermine God want us to believe. Within those verses is the beauty that lives within our differences and the love God intended a woman to have for a man and in return a man to have for a woman.

I’ve never really been a Libber. I’m too smart for that. Not a brag just a fact. Truth be told, most women are too smart for that. We’ve learned the secret to catching flies. It helps when we want to be the boss. I’m sure most men feel the same as Bill Cosby when he said, “I’ve seen the boss’ job, and I don’t want it!” That’s precisely why women have the babies. Only a boss could endure that kind of pain.

Personally, I like having doors opened for me and chairs pulled out. And if I smoked I’d like my cigarette lit, too. Whatever happened to men standing when a woman enters the room? I can answer that. The Women’s Liberation Movement.

I have never in my entire life been a foo-foo girl. In fact, I leaned very far over to the side of tomboy growing up. However, I never passed on an opportunity to play the damsel in distress. I don’t really mind being rescued. I rather enjoy being a woman and have no inclination to be otherwise. I love it when the knight in shining armor comes riding up to rescue his princess. Then they ride off together in the sunset.

Words like de-sexing muddles the brain and ties the tongue making certain words taboo. We find ourselves confused as to who the she-men and the he-women are. It’s no wonder our young men and women of today don’t know whether to scratch their watch or wind their butt to coin a phrase. All the loveliness and strength that is woman has been de-sexed. Just as men have had their masculinity whittled down to the point of making them nothing more than sniveling little mamas’ boys.

From the beginning Marcia Brady wanted what every woman wants—the chance to try. That doesn’t strip a woman’s femininity and turn them into women Libbers. It makes them equals—only not in every way. It liberates because we’re given the chance. And on occasion when we want to be, it also makes us the boss. Until we want to be rescued. That only takes a wink and a smile—guys fall for it every time.

Oh, and at the end of the show I never did see any “Marcia Brady—Women’s Libber” t-shirts for sale.