Within the church, the messages can be just as mixed. Women are simultaneously celebrated for being “smoking hot wives” at the same time they are told that their bodies are a source of temptation, a ticking time bomb that, for love of their brothers, they must defuse. Men experience shame over their bodies, as well; they may believe themselves too short, too thin, too heavy, to have too much body hair, to have not enough facial hair, or to lack muscle tone. Men also receive confusing messages about sexuality: On the one hand, a natural appreciation for beauty becomes equated with lust,
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