In response to the March 2 article about the student who modeled for Playboy, it seemed that she was asked to do something that most parents probably raised their children never to do -- disrobe in front of a camera.
We wear clothes to hide the most private parts of our bodies from others. When we reveal them to others, we are giving away something that is very precious -- something that is meant to be seen only by your husband or wife. Most of us hope to be married some day. Don't we want rich, satisfying marriages that get better and better as the years go by?
The intimacy found in marriage is fostered by a shared trust and commitment to each other that allows a couple to completely give themselves to one another, physically and emotionally. Marriage provides a safe place to enjoy life, companionship and, of course, sex.
Magazines like Playboy devalue all of this because the most intimate parts of a woman's body are put on display for all world to see. These magazines try to sell a fantasy that men do not have to relate to in any significant way. What was meant for the bedroom is now posted in the locker room. Only a real woman can share the joy of sexual love.
The intimacy that leads to arousal and sex, which is appropriate in marriage, is short-circuited with porn. Yes, the images may give men an arousal, but they can't satisfy -- they can never meet the need for intimacy that we truly desire.
Chris Cunningham
Adviser
International Christian Fellowship at Penn State
