Miss C skipped in and climbed onto my lap. She studied the photograph which accompanies that review, and then asked, "Is that a Barbie? Or, a real live person?"
Jury's out on that one.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Is Pink Necessary?
This morning, while it was 10 degrees outside, Dave and I sat inside dividing up the New York Times between us. Also, I melted two bars of Cadbury Royal Dark Chocolate and made the real deal drinking chocolate. Because when it's 10 degrees, the powdered stuff won't do. I went right to the book review, where Annie Murphy Paul reviews Peggy Orenstein's new book Cinderella Ate My Daughter.
Miss C skipped in and climbed onto my lap. She studied the photograph which accompanies that review, and then asked, "Is that a Barbie? Or, a real live person?"
Jury's out on that one.
Miss C skipped in and climbed onto my lap. She studied the photograph which accompanies that review, and then asked, "Is that a Barbie? Or, a real live person?"
Jury's out on that one.
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Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI applaud you. Before we had our daughter, a kid’s clothing store called Honeys and Heroes opened up in our town.
It made me cringe. Why would you want to tell girls that they are ‘honeys,’ while boys get to be ‘heroes’?
As yesterday’s New York Times Book Review article points out: to sell, of course!
Disney is one of the main culprits, with their relentless princess products merchandising to girls, and their Princesses & Heroes On Ice shows.
(Think about the message this sends to kids and, if you’re inspired, email Disney corporate: TWDC.Corp.Communications@disney.com)
Because of our disgust with the whole princess industrial complex, my wife and I made a conscious effort not to register for anything pink for our daughter’s baby shower.
What happened?
Just look at the photo in
http://1000babysteps.com/2011/01/16/hello-world/
We don’t believe in throwing away clothes because of their color, but I am documenting this ‘ocassional pink’ phase and will show it to Naomi when she’s a little older. My message is simple: there’s nothing wrong with pink and princesses; it’s just that they’re not a perfect match for girls. Unlike princesses and ‘honeys,’ girls don’t need to wait to be rescued by princes and heroes. They can do great things on their own. They can be heroes.
So, yes, pink and princesses are a necessary part of our world. In fact, they’re a great match for the most dependent beings of all — babies.
More at www.1000BabySteps.com
1000 small steps toward a better life for all grown-ups, based on what I learn from my baby daughter over the next 1000 days!