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26 comments

Mary Kassian

Wear the Pants MAN-ifesto

Posted on 01.18.13 by Mary Kassian | Twitter: @MaryKassian
Topics: Impacting your world

Super Bowl 2013 is fast approaching, and our final day in the “Best of the last five years” series features a post from Super Bowl 2010. Obviously, that Super Bowl is old news, but the phenomenon this post highlights isn’t.

Here at True Woman, we’re big on affirming and encouraging men as they seek to express godly masculinity. If you, after reading this post, want to learn more about what God had in mind for men (and women!) when He created them, watch this video conversation—and lots more—at TrueWoman101.com.   

Then, leave a response to this post below, and we’ll choose one of you at random on Monday, January 21 to receive True Woman 101: Divine Design (An Eight Week Study on Biblical Womanhood) by Mary Kassian & Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

Dockers has mounted a new global advertising campaign to re-kindle interest in khakis. During the Super Bowl, they unveiled their “Men Without Pants” commercial, which made a statement about modern masculinity, or lack thereof. The commercial mocked the ridiculous childish behavior of a group of “pant-less” men who marched through a field proudly proclaiming, “I wear no pants.” The announcer interrupted their antics with a notice to mankind: “Calling all Men–it’s time to Wear the Pants.”

The commercial anticipated that men would identify with the cultural de-masculinization of males depicted by the pant-less parade. The take-away was that they would be challenged to once again “Wear the Pants,” both literally and figuratively.

Like the commercial, Docker’s “Wear the Pants” magazine ad decries the feminization of males. It touts the concept that masculinity is valuable and good, that a lack of masculine men is harmful to society, and that the world needs men to step up and be true men. The advertisement contains a “MAN-ifesto,” shaped in the silhouette of a man (see picture), that says:
"Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone. Men took charge because that’s what they did. But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their Khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny.
"But today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, WE NEED HEROES. We need grown-ups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar, and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It’s time to get your hands dirty. It’s time to answer the call of manhood. IT’S TIME TO WEAR THE PANTS!"
The Dockers' ad campaign reveals that there’s an underlying sentiment amongst men that their masculinity has been devalued. They have been feminized–“left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny.” The new cultural definition of manhood does not “fit” with who they are, and they are keenly feeling the disconnect.

Men are not women. They are not genderless. They are not androgynous. They have an innate, God-given bent to initiate and be heroes. They want to untie the world from the tracks of complacency. They want to get their hands dirty. They want to answer the call of manhood. They want to be MEN . . . and what’s more, they want women to be women.

The ad astutely observes that “today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for.”

Though Dockers doesn’t  provide a satisfactory resolution for the gender conundrum, it does raise a profound point: There is a strong connection between gender and and the “answer” to the world’s problems. Gender is not the answer. But it was meant to point to and reveal the answer. Manhood and womanhood were created to display the story of the Gospel and the glory of God. So when we don’t get gender right, the answer to humanity’s problem is obscured.

I agree that it’s time for men to wear the pants. But I’m not talking about the khakis that Dockers are peddling, or some re-invented macho-male cultural stereotype. It’s time for men to wear the pants of godly manhood, and women to wear the skirt of godly womanhood, so that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be proclaimed . . . And so that this genderless generation, which is so broken and desperately seeking for answers, will find THE answer to the deepest question of the human heart.

Comments

  1. With our present day gender bending and the confusion thrust upon our world concerning male and female roles, which is hurting the younger generation, a commercial like this is refreshing! With little to no support to live biblical ideals, anything that has a positive impact is encouraging.

    I love this post today. I love Revive Our Hearts and can honestly say, it's my 'go to' source for encouragement and real nourishment from God's word.

    God Bless You.
    posted by Lynn
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 8:40 am
  2. Hooray for real men! I am blessed to be married to a godly, real man and am doing my part to raise two more. Through almost 24 years of marriage, I have had many opportunities to be thankful that God made men with their unique strengths.
    posted by Linda
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 8:46 am
  3. This is so true! My husband has started a series called "Men Stepping Up" and is calling men to be men. I would love the chance to embark on the study of Biblical womanhood. It is time for Christian men and women to lead the way; our society is in desperate need!
    posted by Elizabeth
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 9:09 am
  4. Wow! What a wonderful way to start a conversation about Godly dress, gender and leadership. God does work in mysterious ways. Thank you for sharing this Mary(I actually haven't seen it anywhere)
    posted by Jan
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 9:42 am
  5. O WoW! Holy CoW! What a GREAT post! I had not seen it when it was published previously and I'm here to affirm that being a Woman is a wonderful circumstance. Being a Woman married to a Man who demonstrates those Hero Qualities of Leadership, Respect and Love in Action towards me is one of the greatest gifts of my life. It is my constant Hope and Prayer that one day he will turn back to his life of faith and love of the Lord that he has lost. His demonstration of Hero Qualities is God's gift to me through my Man, despite his current lack of faith. They are qualities for which I can Respect and Love and Appreciate and Thank him. God will one day change his heart and bring him back to Faith, I am certain. My job, until then, is to Love, Respect and Appreciate him -- showing him God's Love and His ways in my every word and deed -- training to be a True Woman in preparation for that day when he turns back to God. Pray with me for him.
    posted by ann
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:19 am
  6. I have been noticing this trend in beta men since 2005. It is extremely disheartening as a traditional woman such as myself. I have been single for so many years because I do not meet the kinds of men I grew up with. As a child, the men in my life were strong, masculine, responsible and driven. I have met few like that as an adult. I pray daily for a revival in men. I pray they will attend church-with or without a female next to them. And I pray my Lord will one day make an introduction between myself and a Godly, traditional, action-oriented and capable man.
    posted by krys
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:22 am
  7. Wow that was very nicley put!
    I have been going through the True Woman 101 Divine Design study and I am just amazed and sadden by how far our cultures, communities and churches have fallen from the true meaning of man and womanhood.
    It's time that we stood up, and take back our true idenity, proclaim it from the roof tops, shout loudly so the whole world may hear how the power of Christ works in real men and woman!
    posted by Mandy
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:45 am
  8. A great article. Thanks for posting it. It is so true. How refreshing it is to see a popular brand calling it as they see it - I pray it will not fall on deaf ears and that it will cause people to question what it means.
    posted by Leah
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:34 am
  9. Great post! Amen!
    posted by Noel Kline
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 11:55 am
  10. @Ann...You, my friend, are a 1 Peter 3:1-4 woman! We are so blessed by your testimony and the positive, respectful words about your husband! Just joined you in praying for him that God will draw him back to Himself with cords of lovingkindness! (I also thanked the Lord for his steadfastness of acting like a man and treating you so well!) God bless you, Ann!
    posted by Sarah, with the TW Team
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 1:25 pm
  11. I totally missed the Dockers ad, and am wondering what the "popular" reaction to it was. Indeed, God intended men to be men and women to be women. He intends us to be complimentary, not identical. I encourage my grandsons in their male interests (hunting, exploring the creek, running races, playing sports with a keen desire to win and overcome, to, indeed, get dirty) and my granddaughter to be creative with scrapbooks, to like all those "girly" things like hair styles, and room decorations....but the most important thing we can do for them is to model Godly male/female relationships in all generations. As women, we don't have to lose at a game of hoops or soccer to prove our femininity, but we do need to honor and respect the men in our lives and allow and encourage them to take their leadership place.
    posted by Jane
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 2:27 pm
  12. With the social, emotional, and spiritual emasculation of men, this is encouraging. We desire that our children grow up to know the biblical truth concerning gender roles in the home and in the church. It is great that a company would put such an ad out.

    With a couple of our children being young adults, they find themselves going against the tide even within Christian circles at times, but they remain committed to the Bible and what it says about men and women. As parents it is crucial we disciple our children fully and deeply in the Word of God.
    posted by Teresa
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 8:45 pm
  13. Women...be the belt! Encourage your man by becoming part of his purpose. Suporting him and lifting him up by weaving yourself into his life.
    posted by Alicia C.
    on Friday, January 18, 2013 at 10:45 pm
  14. As you said, the people at Dockers didn't give the ultimate answer for our problems - which is of course, Jesus Christ! - but it is refreshing to hear that men need to return to being men, and the fact that it is coming from a secular business is amazing. I'm sure Dockers will catch a lot of flack for what they said, but I am glad they said it. May they come to know the Lord. God bless!
    posted by Audrey
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 9:10 am
  15. I remember readin ghtis ad when it forst came out. God used it to challenge me to chage the way I dressed. I want men to wear pants and i as a woman need to dress in uniquely feminine clothes. Since I have started wearing modest dresses, I am amazed at how many men act more gentlemanly around me. They open doors for me when I just saw them let a woman in jeans open it for herself. I think part of the way we can encourage men to be more manly is to be more lady-like.
    posted by Martha
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 10:04 am
  16. Yes! The world needs to hear this!
    posted by Laura
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 10:16 am
  17. This is sooo good! I think we women have to accept alot of the blame for what we have done to add to this problem. I want my man to feel valued and step into the role God has given him in our home. He also struggles in his faith and I pray continually for Him to feel valued outside of our home also. I also ask for prayers for Him...and that I would be the wife and woman God has called me to be in my home and out. Aren't we blessed to be able to voice our hearts and faith!
    posted by Rea
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 10:54 am
  18. Being a new Christian, there is so much I need to unlearn or relearn. I have been discovering that most of what I thought was true about men , women, love and relationships is wrong. The worlds ideas about gender roles are so very wrong. This article shows that people are starting to realize that something's wrong or missing in their lives. Using this ad to start discussions may bring us the opportunity to introduce
    more people to the word of God.
    Facebook
    posted by Brenda
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 11:55 am
  19. It is encouraging to see one company put itself out there, to not only promote itself and its products, but to encourage the good values that we all want and need. I have contributed my share to the "independent woman" concept, and I regret it. I am glad that my husband was able to set a good example, regardless of mine, to be a godly man.
    In all fairness there are many like us that grew to adulthood in a very confusing societal period. There was lots of pressure to be different than our parents were here in our rural place. Soon almost all my friends were working outside the home, and focused on careers.
    There is no simple answer to what has happened to our family values, but we can see the results every day. I am so glad to see that women are dressing and behaving in a more feminine way, and desiring men to be what God has called them to be, and loving them for it.
    posted by Rita
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 5:40 pm
  20. Mary, I appreciate your critical eye for the ad. However, I believe this Dockers ad was written in a facetious tone. Very few people believe that the world's biggest issues (hunger, pandemic spread of disease, war, etc.) are caused by changing gender roles. Additionally, I feel as if you are equating current ideas of masculinity with the biblical idea of masculinity, as they are worlds apart. In Jesus' world, pants did not even exist and there were few differences between men and women's clothing. As a historian of Victorian Britain, I've read countless volumes detailing the strict gender roles present in British society during that time (roles which many believed were based on biblical commandment). Trust me, people were no happier then than they are now. In most cases, women were treated beasts of burden by their husbands but they had to take it because to object was tantamount to disobeying God Himself. I don't want our society to go back to that time. Please stop spreading information that hurts women.
    posted by Katie
    on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 9:10 pm
  21. There is Hope. The Docker's commercial, as I see it, brings hope. There is confusion in the world, when we put our Biblical values aside, confusion is expected. "Manhood and womanhood were created to display the story of the Gospel and the glory of God. So when we don’t get gender right, the answer to humanity’s problem is obscured." I agree. I work in the public school system and I see and hear it almost on a daily basis. This obscurity is misleading our children and youth. Let's keep praying. God bless Revive Our Hearts.
    posted by Karen
    on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 9:10 am
  22. Thank you for this post. Men need to start wearing the "spiritual pants" in this very mixed up world. God bless you Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
    posted by Marsha
    on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 9:08 pm
  23. Yes, let's encourage our men, and not squelch their attempts to lead. It's a tricky balance to aim for, as women, but it's worth it.
    posted by Teresa M
    on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 11:04 am
  24. Dear Ann,

    You just won! Check your inbox for details on how to get "True Woman 101."
    posted by Paula Hendricks
    on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 1:44 pm
  25. it used to be that men wore pants and women didnt

    that women wore their hair long and men didnt

    God has put a role their to be played out by men and

    and women from within and from without

    God bless you
    none
    posted by barbara morrison
    on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at 8:46 am
  26. A-MEN!!
    posted by Mary Danielsen
    on Monday, March 11, 2013 at 3:21 pm

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