Dear Teenage Girl, Don’t Believe Everything You Read…Teen Vogue is NOT Your Friend

Dear Teenage Girl,

Yes, you, the eleven to seventeen-year-old girl. How are you doing? I mean, how are you REALLY doing?

It’s hard to know in today’s world, isn’t it? You are constantly being bombarded with pressure to conform…which boots should you wear in order to keep the fashion police off your back, what’s the right makeup to apply in order to make your eyes smolder, what are the most beneficial after-school activities to choose in order to boost your college applications? And now, thanks to an outrageous article by Teen Vogue, you are being encouraged to consider having anal sex as a form of pleasure.

Never mind that fact that your actual body is changing at a rapid rate and now you have these things called hormones that are constantly causing your feelings to take you on a roller coaster ride. You obviously don’t have enough on your plate because Teen Vogue thinks it is necessary that you be educated on the “benefits and positives when it comes to anal [sex],” despite the fact that you will undoubtedly come into contact with fecal matter. But don’t worry, Darling Heart, according to the brilliant writers there, “It’s NOT a big deal. Everyone poops. Everyone has a butt.”

Oh, Sweet Girl, please, please, PLEASE do not believe everything that you read in a magazine that only has one objective in mind: to take your money! They could care less about you and this lovely yet fragile time in your life called adolescence.  The media has long been aware that “sex sells” and for years they have been pulling out all the stops, but I would venture to say that this is taking it to an unprecedented level.

I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one, but I am smart enough to know that having a penis enter a young girl’s rectum can have serious medical ramifications.  But again, I’m not a doctor.  However, here is a link to the Medical Institute’s take on The Consequences of Heterosexual Anal Sex for Women in case you want to get the hard facts.

But that’s not why I’m writing you this letter, Dear One. I’m writing because I see you and your precious heart.

You see, the enemy (aka Satan or the devil) will do everything in his power to convince you that you are anything but precious. He’ll say things like:
you’re ugly,
you’re fat,
no boy would ever want you,
your daddy hates you,
you better get some while you can, because life is short,
your boyfriend is going to break up with you if you don’t have sex with him,
you’re just a prude,
EVERYONE else is doing it so why shouldn’t you,
haven’t you heard? Anal sex is now vogue!  

Let me be crystal clear: every single word that Satan utters is a LIE. He hates you and he would love nothing more than for you to hate yourself as well.  He knows that if he can get you to buy into the culture of the world and have you slip further and further down that rabbit hole, then the less effective you will be for the Kingdom of Light (which he hates even more than he hates you).  And before you know it, you find your precious heart surrounded by intense darkness.

But hear this, Love: you have a Fighter! There is someone who is willing to stand up for you, to take the enemy out and beat him to a pulp for talking to you like that.  He is furious that you were made to feel insecure and ugly for a single second and He says things like:
you are beautiful,
you are worthy of honor and respect,
you are captivating,
there’s nothing that you can do to separate you from My love,
I have the most amazing plans for your life,
you’re irreplaceable,
I created the wondrous art of sex and I can’t wait for you to experience it with the one I have chosen for you in marriage.
And He does not think these things only because He wants something from you. He thinks this way about you because HE CREATED YOU!

This is not a fairytale that is too good to be true. Your Fighter (unlike your enemy) does not lie.  But he does want you to know that the fact that He has chosen to protect you from harm comes at an enormous cost.  Yet to Him, the cost is worth it. YOU are worth it. You are worth every drop of blood that spilled from His body. You are worth every bruise He incurred. He endured every brutal blow to His body with your life in mind. Do you believe Him?

Dear Teen Girl, you are going to have to make many choices in the years to come. Some will be easy, like which mascara to use. But some will be harder, like how to say no to mind-altering drugs or sexual activity with a boy you think is really hot. You are going to have to learn how to balance fun with homework. You’ll have to figure out who are your true friends versus those who only want to use you for something. You’ll need to discern what is the best use of your time and energy.

But the most important choice that you will ever make is to take your Fighter up on His offer of eternal life and learn how to walk in the light day by day.

Will it be easy? No, my love, I’m afraid it won’t.  There will be parties that you will inevitably be excluded from. There will be boys who will drop you once they figure out you won’t put out. But will it be worth it to live in a constant state of love and acceptance instead of self-loathing and despair? Absolutely, without a doubt.

So, here’s what I want you to do from this moment forward: I want you to first ask your Fighter, Jesus Christ, into your precious heart you if you haven’t already. Next ask Him to lead you as you learn to navigate how to live IN the world without being consumed by its culture. Ask Him to put His beautiful LIGHT inside of you so that you can shine brighter than any vogue model ever could.  And then tell your friends not to believe everything that they read in a self-serving magazine that says that anal sex is awesome. We all know that’s just a load of crap.

With much love,
April Rodgers
Reflecting Light in Everyday Life
The Lord your God
wins victory after victory
    and is always with you.
He celebrates and sings
    because of you,
and he will refresh your life
    with his love.
Zephaniah 3:17 (CEV)

4 thoughts on “Dear Teenage Girl, Don’t Believe Everything You Read…Teen Vogue is NOT Your Friend”

  1. Loraine Taylor

    Beautifully written, April. Thank you for your thoughts on a very important topic, I plan to print & save for future reference. God bless you & your family.
    Loraine Taylor

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