M.R.S.
The term "MRS degree" refers to a girl who goes to college with the intention of meeting her future husband and managing...not much else. Honing her skills in sandwich making, domestic skills, coloring, and husband-pleasing at the going tuition rate (and probably paying (or at least having her family pay) all of said tuition).
She probably looks something like this:
(photo credit goes to Sorostitute Stories, which, while being slightly teased in this post, is actually one of my favorite blogs on the internet)Any time a girl goes out of her way to do something that really conforms to rigid gender roles (especially if it involves cooking, cleaning, sex, or being in the kitchen), she's working towards her MRS degree.
As someone who loves to bake, I frequently have reasons to crack jokes about my MRS. My second week home for the semester, I sent out a text that said "Earning my MRS, one batch of brownies at a time" after making what was my fourth batch of brownies since I'd been home. When, not long after, I asked for an apron for my birthday, the general response among my friends was that I was working towards my MRS. And whenever I end up baking or cooking or spending an entire night in my room coloring, I joke that I'm earning summer credits towards my degree.
The thing is, though, I'm beginning to wonder how much I really am joking. Clearly, I'm not someone who only wants to go to school to find a husband. But I do love to cook and bake, and I really enjoy taking care of people. And a lot of girls I know are proud to claim that they aspire to an MRS. Not because it's all they want, but because they want to do what makes them happy and the idea of taking care of someone and starting a family makes them as happy as the dreams that brought them to college.
I'm beginning to think there's nothing wrong with that.
Questioning some things,
Rachel Leigh
I don't think that it's bad to enjoy cooking or doing things that are stereotypically feminine, as long as you enjoy doing them because you enjoy doing them, not because of how they may make you appear to other men or women!
ReplyDeleteI also don't think there is anything wrong with or easy about being a stay-at-home mom (I actually aspire to be one eventually!) but I do think that an education is important. People getting their MRS stereotypically don't care about their classwork, and care more about husband-hunting than their grades. That's not right in my opinion, especially if it's on your parents dime.
Well those are my thoughts. Hope they are somewhat coherent :)
-Dominique
Dom, I definitely agree. It's important that the pursuit of the MRS isn't the top priority in a girl's life, but I was initially really bothered by the concept at all, and I think that's starting to change.
ReplyDelete