Grrrr Mother Bear, and yes that is a stereotype!
As many of you know I am not fond of the 'princessification of girlhood'. This is a capital hypocrisy on my part. Case in point the box of Princess Di memorabilia I have hidden in the basement. Oh to be 9 in 1981!
But for the record. I'm over the princess-phobia.
No longer, do I, eye-roll at my kids's mention of Belle or Ariel. We still do not purchase any of these materials but neither do I destroy them when others might bestow them. I have found my peace with Snow White and Cinderella. Miss Fancy will, in fact, be a truly fancy Snow White this Halloween. (God Bless her grandmother for volunteering to make the costume that my topic sentence might hold true at this point.)
This week we have greatly enjoyed the book Greece! Rome! Monsters!** In opposition I have a new perspective on the Disney brand. It falls into the, you'll like this CC, "get over yourself mo-wo category". I mean look at Zeus, he was pretty harshly branded, wasn't he? Yes, the princesses are insipid, but they are fantastic and ethereal. Just keep the ethereal and fantastic going for her and toss in graver and graver degrees of the moral along with characters with more than one dimension, ta-da! Everyone's happy!
Now let's see if I can remember this the next time someone remarks on my kid's, and I quote, "get-up" just because she got kept wearing her cloak that day instead of being late for their kids Thomas the Tank themed birthday party. Or say, when my big fat feminist ego is jibed repeatedly for 'having a little princess'. Just makes me want to trap them in a room in a tiara beset by my daughter and her bug collection or say the enduring fascination she has with the crucifixion.
Few things can piss me off like assumption, judgment. I'm a libertarian. Don't oppress me! Worse, yet. Don't oppress my kid. Squarepants! Now that I've gotten over the princess phobia, I just left with dealing with parent-intellectuals watching me squirm through my comfort zone. Seriously, some people just seem to have it in for dress-up, but not me. We're talking about a four-year old dress up is good.
I am thinking of changing my tagline. Mother-Woman, an endless array of angst to explore!
ps... isn't child media literacy fascinating?? I mean it's not just me, yanno.
** Also, Greece! Rome! Monsters! is ok but I think it's more a library loaner. Don't buy this book necessarily.
Labels: because I think about stuff too much, girls, social crapola
posted by mo-wo at 7:43 p.m.
6 Comments:
I won't mock. My two went to the Star Wars movie in full Jedi regalia. Complete with light sabers. It was AWESOME!
We're a theatre family. We believe in dress up like we believe in art and magic. God speed, Miss Fancy Princess of astonishing independence and emotional depth!
Wanna know what Caity is THIS year?
She is a PINK Supergirl!! With a PINK wig too!!
Adam is a full on Jedi..
Princesses are what you make of them..for Caity they appear to be pink and tiara wearing women who can kick serious ass.
That is fine with me!
Oh and I will add too (sorry) she is playing the Disney Princess Wii game as we speak.
These Princesses AND the Barbie ones she likes too all seem to be fairly independent sorts and not one's for calling for help...
Women's Lib has hit Disney??
Dress up and imaginary play is good for kids! Most girls end up balancing this out anyway...
I'm more concerned with the overly sexual and often archaic representation of women in advertising in general having a negative impact on girls...
I have totally wrestled with this and still do. So far, I don't openly stomp on it in front of Pumpkinpie, but instead opt to not show the movies at home (yet, I'm sure it'll come one day), but to support her princess stuff by reading other princess stories, ones I like better, or by telling her the traditional tales in my own versions with some editorializing about how Cinvderella and the prince spent hours talking and realizd they really liked each other and gradually grew to love each other... yeah, I know. But I figure it's better than an outright ban, right? I mean, I want her to be able to play and imagine and try these roles on, I just don't want hr to think princes save the day while princesses sit around brushing their hair, so I read her better stories or update the standards, is all. This way we're both getting what we need, I think.
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