Bright Maidens | Voices For a Generation

I ran across a group of young women online the other day that just blew my socks off!

They are three bloggers “from the oft-mentioned, widely-speculated upon demographic of young, twenty-something Catholic women” who are writing a series of posts on their blogs as The Bright Maidens.

Their mission? “Dispel the myths and misconceptions”!

Here are some highlights from the second round in their series. The theme of this round is contraception. You can see from the quotes these young women are authentic, honest, bold and Catholic!

Elizabeth at Startling The Day

Elizabeth’s Beyaz Yourself was the first post I read. She had a scathing critique that laid waste to the contraceptive mentality promoted on a Beyaz commercial. She said:

You know what is most annoying about this commercial? Most of the things that these women are shopping for are related to men. If you’re so independent and you haven’t been “duped” by your biology like those of us who are oppressed by abstinence, why are you still tied to how a man sees you and how you spend time with a man?

This is such a powerful statement! These women project an image of freedom because they have sex without worrying about pesky biological and emotional hindrances. However, they’re still not free!

Here’s my explanation based on what Elizabeth is saying. Sex always creates an some emotional bond that is hard to break–no matter how casually you enter into it. That’s what it’s designed to do! Consequently, the person who engages in frequent casual sex is creating multiple bonds with weak links.

What ends up happening is you start defining yourself in terms of your sexuality. What determines the validity of that? Your attractiveness to men! So, a person in this situation is less free because they’re catering to men and their self-worth becomes dependent on a man’s sexual interpretation of them.

However, an abstinent woman is more likely to be free from this. She would actually be more free to determine her own future and create her own opportunities.

Trista at not a minx, a moron, or a parasite

In Bright Maidens : Wearing Crucifixes and Condoms, Trista attacks how contraception is becoming “mainstream practice” among Catholics because they’re just being overwhelmed by the culture. It’s so accepted everywhere that Catholics don’t think twice about wearing crucifixes AND condoms. Even when it’s a mother regarding her daughter!

She writes:

No doubt this mother is trying to do what she thinks is best for her daughter. She’s trying to protect her and steer her towards the Truth. However, how far can understanding and nurturing go? She’s “accepting” her daughter right into emotional destruction.

Julie at The Corner With A View

Julie exposes the dangers of contraceptives, both physical and emotional in Evil Don’t Look Like Anything.

She speaks about the serious risk of cancer that results from contraceptives, and the emotionally destructive attitudes it creates:

This is why contraception, with its outer appearance of helping women and relationships, actually does the opposite. It cheapens sex. It alleviates commitment. Contraception, like drops of water wearing down a stone, lessens the dignity of the human person when used to avoid becoming pregnant. It reduces romance and equalizes love. Even more so, the attitude of an “unwanted pregnancy” attempts to relinquish the newly created child’s dignity. But a person does not have worth because its mother wants it; as the Lord says even when your mother forsakes you, I will not.

Catechetical Takeaway

What impresses me most about these posts is their quality as authentic witness. The posts are powerful in their own right, however, they are through the roof powerful because of who is writing them!

They are young women speaking to other young women. They are bombarded by the same lies. They are immersed in the same culture. They share the same influences. They know the seductiveness of the claims but they’re not fooled! That gives their message authenticity.

Because they speak to their peers, they have a certain authority. They speak from the heart with no motive other than the wellbeing of their fellow women. That is brave! That is the character of true Christian witness! That is the New Evangelization in action and a voice for a generation!

Check out these posts! Then come back and tell me what you think. You won’t be disappointed!