Not Everything is “Sexy” : How Our Speech Devalues a Beautiful Gift
Turn on the TV, and you’ll hear the word describing nearly any product you can think of. Walk down the corridor of a local mall, or eavesdrop on a conversation at a restaurant and you are likely to hear the word over and again.
It is “sexy.”
For years, we have been told that “sex sells.” But we aren’t just talking about advertising in this post.
People across our culture–Christians and non-Christians alike–now feel like something has to be “sexy” in order for it to be a good product. I’ve heard cars described as “sexy.” Cell phones? Yes, you can get one in a “sexy” color. Go to the fitness club, so you’ll feel “sexy.” And, of course, people wouldn’t dare purchase any article of clothing unless it was “sexy” or would make them look “sexy.” Never mind if that person is married or not. We are just told to look “sexy” for anyone who might happen to be around, so get all the “sexy” stuff you can get.
Here is the problem. Somehow we have made sex so common and cheap that we have devalued this great and holy gift from God. In calling everything “sexy,” our language betrays us.
Have we really thought about what the word “sexy” means? The word first came into common usage in about 1905 and meant “engrossed in sex.” By the early 1920s, it came to describe things that incited a sexual response, and that has remained its usage until this latest wave of overuse, in which it is used in a way to describe anything that is exciting or colorful.
Considering the history and obvious meaning of the word, though, what are we really saying when we use it in a flippant and cheap manner? When I describe a car, cell phone, or some other thing as “sexy,” is that actually what I mean? To ask the question bluntly, Does that car or cell phone insight sexual feelings in me?
Because that is exactly what we are saying when we describe things as “sexy.”
Sex is not a dirty topic. It is a wonderful and beautiful gift from God, but we have so devalued sex that we have removed it from the “undefiled” place of the marital bed (Hebrews 13:4) and have placed thoughts and descriptions of sexuality on objects and products. We want to present ourselves in a sexual way, even if we are not married. Or, if we are married, we just want to look “sexy” no matter who we are around, because that’s how society tells us we need to present ourselves to anyone and everyone.
Instead, Christians need to display Christ to the world by how we present ourselves, both in our manner of life, and in our choice of words.
I would challenge all of us to recapture our use of this word. Certain things, if we are normal, will be “sexy” to us, and can be described in that way. But those should be things that are reserved for a husband and wife. They should find certain actions, words, looks, etc. to be “sexy,” and they should express that in this God-honoring and God-approved act. Such is beautiful, and honorable.
Is it really speech that is “always with grace” and “seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6) to describe a thing in a sexualized manner? To ask is to answer.
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